Bellevue planning staff backs mandatory affordable‑housing requirement; commission hears competing views and delays recommendation

Bellevue’s Planning Commission on Dec. 10 held a citywide public hearing on the Housing Opportunities in Mixed‑Use Areas (HOMA) land‑use code amendment, during which city staff recommended a mandatory affordable‑housing approach and heard nearly three hours of testimony from developers, affordable‑housing providers and neighborhood residents. Staff asked the Commission to transmit a recommendation to City Council, but commissioners instead requested more technical follow‑up on vesting for pipeline projects, pedestrian‑oriented ground‑floor requirements and nonconforming rules and did not make a final recommendation.

Staff recommended the mandatory option, known as Option A, which would require projects with 10 or more dwelling units to set aside a percentage of units at specified area‑median‑income levels (for example, a 10% requirement at 80% AMI with alternatives of 7% at 65% AMI or 5% at 50% AMI), and would pair that requirement with a substantial FAR (floor‑area ratio) bonus. "We are recommending Option A for adoption," staff planner Matthew Menard told the Commission during the presentation of code language and incentives. Staff said the land‑transfer, fee‑in‑lieu and commercial fee options would give developers flexibility, and that the proposed FAR bonus (including a 4:1 exemption for certain exempt square footage) compensates projects for the added affordability requirement.

Why it matters: Bellevue’s housing goal in the comprehensive plan calls for large increases in capacity and staff said HOMA would move the city toward a target of roughly 5,700 new or preserved affordable units over the next decade. Backers told the Commission the mandatory approach is the most reliable way to produce units across mixed‑use neighborhoods rather than concentrating affordable housing in a few sites.

Supporters…