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Residents urge Bellevue to narrow middle-housing update; speakers say draft goes beyond state law
Summary
During oral communications at the March 25 council meeting several residents urged the council to scale back the city’s draft land use code amendments for middle housing (LUCA), arguing the draft exceeds state House Bill 1110 requirements, would harm neighborhood character, and lacks sufficient infrastructure planning and phased testing.
Several residents who spoke during the March 25 oral communications period urged Bellevue to narrow its proposed land use code amendments (LUCA) implementing the state’s middle-housing and ADU laws.
Speakers said the city’s draft would allow more density and larger accessory dwelling units than the state Legislature intended. Nicole Myers, who said she reviewed multiple neighboring cities’ ADU standards, warned Bellevue’s draft “goes beyond the state’s expectation” by allowing taller and larger ADUs and allowing four- and six-plexes in areas where she said the intent was lower-scale middle housing. Ed Rittenhouse and Ann Rittenhouse called the proposal “excessive” and urged the city to seek a phased pilot approach similar to Tacoma’s infill pilot described by the Municipal Research and Services Center.
Other speakers raised concerns about infrastructure and walkability. Nicole Price, a Newport Hills resident, said neighbors fear losing the walkable character of their commercial core and that additional housing without sidewalks and other connectivity improvements would reduce neighborhood walkability. The speakers repeatedly urged stronger design guidance, setbacks and limits to ensure new housing blends with existing neighborhoods; several asked the council to adhere closely to the state’s “substantially similar” standard.
Why it matters: Bellevue staff have been drafting land-use code changes to comply with Washington House Bill 1110 (middle housing) and related ADU legislation. Commenters said several elements in the draft LUCA—such as ADU height, unit counts per lot and broader walkability metrics—appear more permissive than neighboring city approaches and could accelerate change beyond what the state set out.
Council and staff response: The city clerk noted the meeting had reached a three-speaker limit for those opposing middle-housing changes and closed additional speakers in that category, per the council’s rules for oral communications. Staff did not adopt any ordinance or vote on LUCA during this meeting; the item remained on future agendas for formal review.
Speakers and affiliations (as available): Christopher Randalls (director, Complete Streets Bellevue) delivered comments earlier in the meeting in favor of transit improvements; Nicole Myers (resident), Ed Rittenhouse (resident), Ann Rittenhouse (resident), Nicole Price (Newport Hills resident) and Lee Sergeant (resident) addressed housing and LUCA concerns.
Next steps: LUCA remains subject to future council study sessions and formal ordinance action. Residents urged the council to consider phased pilots, stronger design standards and closer alignment with the state’s “substantially similar” language when preparing final code updates.
