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City staff: Project REACH (NC3), Normandy roadwork and Bellevue entertainment district moving toward construction
Summary
City staff told the council on June 3 that Project REACH (NC3) infrastructure and a planned entertainment district — including a water park and hotels — are progressing toward construction, with building phases starting as soon as fall and multi-year buildouts expected.
City staff updated the Bellevue City Council on June 3 on progress for Project REACH (referred to as NC3), road and infrastructure work at Normandy Hills, and the city’s planned entertainment district, saying site preparations and permitting are advancing and that construction activity could begin later this year.
Jim (city staff) told council members that funding for the NC3/Project REACH infrastructure is in place and that the developer needs to complete final steps before the city begins roadway and grading work. "We're feeling pretty good that probably by fall you'll start to see that construction hit," Jim said, adding that the building for Project REACH would likely be a two-year buildout once footing and grading work begins.
On the Normandy Hills access, Jim said the initial work will be the roadway from Normandy Hills to Highway 34, which he said will provide a second entry and exit for the neighborhood once right-of-way issues on the north side are finalized. "That would give Normandy a second exit out," Jim said.
The entertainment district reported visible grading and soil compaction activity. Staff said contractors were relocating and lowering a pipeline as part of site preparation and that the city’s goal is to have footings in for the water park by fall. Jim said the water park itself would likely take about two years to build and projected a target completion of fall 2026 to spring 2027, acknowledging simultaneous construction of hotels and other commercial uses.
Councilman Preister praised the passage of the Bellevue Good Life District through the state legislature and asked about lingering tax issues. Jim said the council had not secured a materials sales-tax exemption for construction and that the change means the city faces roughly a $2,000,000 increase in project costs for construction materials. Jim credited state legislative staff and Senator Holcroft for assisting in getting language acceptable to the city, while noting that Senator Von Giller did not support exempting construction materials.
On local nonprofit fundraising, Jim said NCAP’s capital campaign for a new library building is ahead of schedule; the group has raised about three-quarters of its target, he said, and plans additional fundraising events in the fall.
The council filed the administration report after the update; no formal action on these development updates was taken at the meeting.
