Bellevue council hears public comments on proposed 80‑unit affordable housing project, tax amendment vote set for Nov. 4

Developers presented plans Tuesday for an 80‑unit, four‑story apartment building over a multi‑level parking garage on a long‑vacant lot in Bellevue and told the City Council they will seek a tax amendment that would enable the project to proceed. The council heard nearly two hours of public comment, including testimony from residents who said traffic and access are a concern and from social‑service providers who urged approval to address local affordable‑housing shortages.

The developer’s representative for Greenlight Capital said the proposal originally contemplated 120 units, was reduced to 96 and has been settled at 80 units to meet a 1.5:1 parking ratio supported by the city. "We started at a 120 units. We lowered that down to 96 units. We have settled on 80 units," the developer representative said. The team said the project will provide 61 underground parking spaces and 59 surface spaces for a total of about 120 spaces, and include approximately 5,600 square feet of open space.

The developer also said the site qualifies as a Qualified Census Tract for certain federal financing incentives and that the project was developed in part to align with Nebraska’s affordable‑housing planning requirements referenced as LB 866 and Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Action Plan. The representative said the lot has been vacant for about 20–25 years and that nearby commercial uses and public amenities make the site suitable for workforce housing intended for "plumbers, teachers, [and] restaurant workers."

Opponents who spoke during the public‑comment period said the project could worsen local congestion. "You need to start thinking about the access of Harlan in from Wilshire and from Hillcrest Drive," said resident Rena Hapelle, who described repeated delays turning at nearby intersections and urged the council to consider unintended traffic impacts. Several other residents from the Freedom Village neighborhood raised similar access and circulation concerns.

Supporters included Diane Bruce of the local chamber of commerce and several social‑service and mental‑health providers. Tina, who identified herself as a mental‑health provider and housing stabilization worker, said higher housing costs are causing instability for families and workers and argued the project would help "ensure stability for families and for families to be able to work close to where they live." She and other speakers said the project would help retain employees such as nurses, CNAs and school staff.

City staff responded to several procedural and project questions during the meeting. A staff member stated the site plan submitted with the application shows the building oriented to Wilshire Drive, with two access points on Wilshire (a southern entrance only and a northern exit only) and that elevations will be reviewed during the building permit process rather than as part of site‑plan approval. Staff also clarified that, if the council approves a tax amendment to allow the 80 units, the rezoning and site plan would follow the council’s normal review; the tax amendment vote is scheduled for the council’s Nov. 4 meeting.

The council did not take a final vote on rezoning or site plan at Tuesday’s session. The primary formal item noted by staff is the tax amendment vote on Nov. 4 that would clear the way for the 80‑unit proposal to proceed to rezoning and site‑plan approvals.

The developer and city staff said they had provided a traffic study conducted using Institute of Transportation Engineers standards; the developer said the study — prepared when the proposal contemplated 96 units — showed no material impacts to existing rights‑of‑way and estimated peak hour trips from the project would be roughly 30 vehicles in the morning and fewer in the evening. The developer said the current 80‑unit plan would generate fewer trips than the 96‑unit study.

Council members and staff indicated they will consider public comments and technical reports ahead of the Nov. 4 vote on the tax amendment. If the amendment passes, the rezoning and site‑plan approvals will be scheduled for subsequent council action and standard building‑permit review will govern final elevations and construction details.