Bellevue planning panel approves Bellevue–Papillion Housing Resilience Plan, sends it to city council

The Bellevue Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve the Bellevue–Papillion Housing Resilience Plan and forward the item to the Bellevue City Council for a public hearing on Dec. 16, 2025.

Amy Hazy of RDG Planning and Design presented the plan to the commission, describing it as “an opportunity to look at how we can strengthen housing” so it better withstood floods, storms and other weather-related disasters. Hazy said the study began around April and used an interactive map, a community survey and in-person outreach to identify vulnerable areas and possible interventions.

The plan lays out five policy areas: no-build areas in floodways and the highest-risk flood zones; elevated-risk areas such as steep slopes and 500-year floodplain locations; tree-canopy concerns in older residential neighborhoods; residential heat-island areas where re-treeing could reduce utility costs; and new-development areas where resilience measures should be required for growth. Hazy said the study also produced a loss-reduction plan that addresses land use, building-code accommodations, maintaining affordability, evacuation planning for vulnerable neighborhoods and stormwater management.

Hazy highlighted several engagement findings, including variable resident awareness of risk-mitigation steps, concerns about housing maintenance and the rising cost of insurance. “Stories we were hearing about usually older, senior households who have their homes paid for, but were living on a fixed income and were choosing potentially to drop their insurance because they just couldn't afford the increasing rates,” she said, stressing the long-term threat this poses to affordable housing stock.

The plan identifies 41 potential partner organizations, 11 community-event opportunities for outreach and 13 example activities municipalities or partners could use to improve resilience. Hazy also presented a mitigation and recovery funding plan that lists potential funding agencies and partners; she noted that not all recommended actions would be initiated by the cities themselves and that some would involve regional partners.

Commissioners asked whether other communities have adopted zoning or building-code changes based on similar studies. Hazy replied that many efforts have been regionally focused, such as on the Gulf Coast, but that more communities are experimenting with code changes and programs tailored to their local context to balance resilience and affordability.

City planning staff told commissioners the city has budgeted funds in 2026 to update the zoning ordinance and that the resilience plan complements the city’s recent comprehensive plan and can inform zoning and subdivision regulation updates. After discussion, Commissioner Taylor Jones moved to approve the plan; the motion was seconded and the commission adopted it by voice vote with "all voting yes." The commission recorded the item will go to the city council for a public hearing on Dec. 16, 2025.

The plan is listed in the record as Case 189, applicant City of Bellevue; staff reported no updates to the record at the hearing. No members of the public testified at the commission’s public-comment period.