Issaquah council approves two‑year extension for Bellevue College parcel after adding outreach and council‑approval safeguards

Issaquah’s City Council on Nov. 10 approved a two‑year extension to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) transfer‑of‑development‑rights agreement that governs Bellevue College’s 19‑acre parcel in the Issaquah Highlands, subject to new public outreach commitments and additional council review for housing proposals. The amended substitute resolution passed 4–3 after more than two hours of presentations, public comment and council questions.

The extension authorizes Bellevue College to carry out a “community‑informed” outreach process and to develop a plan for Parcel 4 that may include institutional uses or a mixed‑use scenario. Under the amendment the council adopted, any proposal consisting solely of housing must return to the council for a separate approval before the college may submit land‑use applications. The city’s staff presentation clarified that institutional entitlements previously allowed under the original 2011 agreement would remain available but that the amended terms require compliance with current…