Parks board hears budget and CIP overview; staff say limited new funding is expected, BelRed master‑plan kicks off May 7

The Parks and Community Services Board on April 1 heard a detailed briefing on the City of Bellevue’s budget timeline and the parks capital improvement program, and staff said they are planning a largely “status‑quo” budget for the next two‑year cycle amid economic uncertainty.

Assistant Director Cameron Parker and fiscal manager Jenny Zhang told board members that departmental budget proposals are due May 1, the city manager will deliver a proposed budget in the fall, and that the board’s advisory memo should be approved at the July meeting and transmitted to council during the fall deliberation period. “There will not be much of… it’ll be a status quo is our approach to this upcoming budget,” Parker said.

Wyatt Thompson, parks planning and development manager, gave a program‑level overview of the CIP and described four program areas: park development and expansion; trails and natural systems; waterfront and destination parks; and renovation and renewal. He said the capital program is funded by voter‑supported levies, real‑estate taxes, grants, developer fees and donations, and noted that many projects underway are phases of previously authorized levy and CIP funding.

Staff highlighted a series of projects and anticipated timelines: a BelRed Parks & Streams master‑plan process that kicks off May 7 at Highlands Community Center at 6 p.m., an Ashwood Park design now in progress with construction expected in 2027–28, an Eastgate neighborhood park with construction anticipated in 2027, and a recently opened Robinswood synthetic turf field that now includes a youth cricket pitch. Thompson also described early planning for a Japanese American legacy project near 112th Avenue SE and Main Street, and a larger Bellevue Airfield Park (27 acres) that will include covered pickleball courts, trails and a planned aquatic center, with park construction work expected to begin in 2029 and later phases subject to funding.

On budgets and phasing, staff cautioned that the online capital‑project dashboard shows approved CIP line‑item budgets (for example, the dashboard lists Ashwood ~ $8.5 million, Eastgate ~ $3 million and the BelRed CIP at ~$10 million as current approved phase funding) but that master‑plan outcomes can exceed a project’s initial phase: “We could have a master plan that might identify $15,000,000 worth of improvements, but we would only build the first [phase]… and then phase 2 would need to go through the budgeting process,” Thompson said.

Board members pressed staff about acquisition strategies for constrained commercial areas such as Factoria, whether the city uses eminent domain for park acquisition, and how staff prioritize trail connectivity. Parker said the city typically acquires parkland from willing sellers and that condemnation is not a common practice for park acquisitions; he added that many grants and partner programs would not allow condemnation as an acquisition mechanism. On trails, staff said a trails plan will be folded into the parks and open‑space plan and will identify gaps, priorities and the dollar amount required to fill those gaps so the city can respond if additional funding becomes available.

Members asked about the public capital project dashboard (a quarterly, public‑facing tool that lists projects above a $1 million threshold), and staff said they will explore adding functionality so users can follow specific projects. Assistant Director Parker also reported that the clerk’s office had received 18 applicants for an upcoming board vacancy.

The board unanimously approved a motion to transmit its first‑quarter memo to council summarizing the items discussed and planned engagement work. Board members set aside June and July meetings to draft the board’s CIP memo, and staff said they may hold an off‑site session to synthesize feedback before finalizing the memo.

A brief public comment preceded the CIP briefing: Alex Zimmerman, a preregistered speaker, criticized public‑comment time limits and online meeting procedures and called them a violation of free‑speech principles. Zimmerman said the 30‑minute, 10‑speaker limit infringes on constitutional rights; staff closed the public‑comment period after no additional speakers appeared. No formal response to those assertions was recorded in the meeting.

The board also discussed upcoming public meetings and events including EarthFest at Bellevue Botanical Gardens (Saturday the 18th) and a sheep‑shearing event at Kelsey Creek Farm (next Saturday), and staff previewed May’s agenda (park naming discussion for the 112th & Main site and subarea plan updates for Eastgate and Factoria). The meeting adjourned after unanimous votes on the routine items.