Bellevue City Council was briefed on an update to the city's affordable housing strategy at a study session, where staff outlined goals, draft strategies and community engagement ahead of a planned return for adoption in January.

The update frames a 10-year target of 5,700 income‑restricted units under 80% of area median income (AMI) and presents a gap analysis showing staff project the city’s current tools and market conditions will likely produce or preserve about 3,700 such units in the next decade — roughly 65% of the target. Bianca Segal, Director of the Office of Housing, told council the target is needs‑based: "This is an ambitious target. It is not based on what we think we can accomplish. It is based on estimated need in the community."

Staff said the update emphasizes preservation as a comparatively faster and lower‑cost approach than new construction. Hannah Von Miller, senior affordable housing planner, described two preservation strategies in the draft: acquiring and rehabilitating naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and assessing the condition of the city's existing income‑restricted portfolio so funds can be deployed quickly when acquisition opportunities arise. Von Miller said acquisition and rehab projects can bring units online in months rather than years and cited Aventine, an acquisition‑rehab project preserved through the city’s housing stability program, as an example.

The state of current production and distribution by AMI shaped the staff recommendations. Von Miller summarized the analysis: "Based on our gap analysis, we are on course to build or preserve about 3,700 affordable units in the next 10 years, which is about 65% of that overall goal," and staff said the shortfall is concentrated at the under‑50% AMI levels.

Councilmembers pressed staff for specifics on outreach and implementation. Councilmember Lee asked whether outreach reached decision‑makers in immigrant households; Segal and Von Miller described a new community facilitator program that recruited and compensated nine community representatives to hold 35 listening sessions between August and September and reached roughly 160 community members. Valentina Veniva, one of the facilitators who spoke during public comment, told council: "Finding housing along with finding a job is the biggest and hardest problem immigrants have to solve when they arrive." She urged the city to fund grassroots groups and ensure affordable community hubs and transit access near housing.

Councilmembers highlighted tradeoffs staff should clarify in the draft strategy, including how to balance production numbers against deeper affordability (for example, units under 50% AMI versus units at 80% AMI), and asked staff to prepare implementation details for preservation tools and potential local revenue sources. Councilmember Bridal urged the team to develop clearer tactical steps and local‑revenue options; Councilmember Hamilton flagged city‑owned land and co‑location with city facilities as high‑impact resources staff can leverage to add affordable units.

Staff also described substantial public engagement to date: educational events and unconventional outreach such as a housing‑themed short film festival and a Housing 101 resource fair that reached about 300 community members across roughly 25 organizations; phase two targeted engagement focused on lived experience and technical stakeholders produced the community facilitator results described above. Segal said the draft will incorporate engagement findings and that staff will hold an additional public information session on November 6 and an online survey before returning with a full draft action plan in January.

Staff emphasized constraints outside the city's control — federal policy, interest rates and construction costs — and said the strategy concentrates on levers within municipal authority: preservation funding and quick‑response financing, alignment of land use and housing tools, expanded use of city‑owned land, and targeted investments to support households with the deepest needs.

The council did not take action at the meeting; the briefing was informational and staff will return with a draft strategy and prioritized actions in January for review and adoption. The presentation materials and engagement summary were made available to council; staff asked for council feedback in the coming weeks to shape the January draft.

A closing note: multiple speakers emphasized non‑housing supports tied to affordability, including transit access, community hubs, grocery and health services; Segal said staff elevated navigation and resource‑access issues after hearing them from community facilitators and will explore options to improve information and navigation systems for residents.