Council hears hours-long public hearing on proposed density change for RG-8/PS overlay; no final vote

The Bellevue City Council on Sept. 2 held a public hearing on Ordinance No. 4,194, a proposed text amendment to section 5.17 of the city zoning code that would lower the minimum lot area per multifamily unit allowed in the RG-8 zoning designation with a planned subdivision (PS) overlay. The change under consideration would reduce the current 800-square-foot-per-unit minimum to as low as 675 square feet; the applicant said it was seeking a 750-square-foot minimum for its project following a later application update.

Brent Beller, representing Great Lakes Capital, told the council the proposal is intended to enable a workforce housing project on a 1.5-acre infill lot that has been on the market about 20 years. Beller said the developer originally proposed 96 units and later reduced that to 80 units while pursuing financing through Nebraska Investment Finance Authority (referred to in the hearing as NYFA). He described the project mix as roughly 21 one-bedroom, 39 two-bedroom, 13 three-bedroom and eight four-bedroom units, with 120 underground parking spaces (a 1.5-to-1 parking ratio for 80 units). Beller said independent traffic analysis for the earlier 96-unit plan estimated peak-hour trips of about 31 vehicles in the morning and 38 in the evening; with the reduction to 80 units he said peak trips would be lower.

Beller and planning staff cited LB866, a 2020 Nebraska statute, as a state-level driver directing cities to allow increased density to support affordable and workforce housing. Tammy, planning staff, told the council that any lowered minimum lot area under the PS overlay would still require council site-plan approval; the change would not allow increased density by right through a building permit.

The proposed project drew strong opposition from residents of Freedom Village, a nearby 55-plus community, and from operators of adjacent senior-living facilities. Dozens of residents testified in the public hearing, describing concerns about increased traffic at nearby driveways and intersections, insufficient green space and playgrounds, parking adequacy, and effects on the neighborhood’s quiet and safety. Jolene Roberts' firm Hillcrest Health and Living (represented at the hearing by owner/representative Jim Janekie) submitted a written statement and argued the lot is too small for the apartment-style density being proposed; Janekie also cited comparative lot-area standards in neighboring jurisdictions and urged the council to wait for a viable site plan before amending the code.

Beller and other supporters said Great Lakes Capital is an experienced owner-operator and that workforce housing requires greater density or incentives (tax credits, TIF) to be financially viable. Beller said the project would include underground parking, a playground, garden and outdoor seating areas, and that the developer manages similar projects elsewhere though this would be the group's first in Nebraska.

Council members and staff emphasized that the hearing was on the text amendment, not on final project approvals; any requested site plan, TIF or parking variances would come to council separately. Planning staff confirmed their packet included comparative minimum-lot-area figures for other municipalities. The hearing was closed and the council scheduled the third reading and final action on this ordinance for Sept. 16, 2025, at 6 p.m.