Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Affordable Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bellevue staff present Affordable Housing Strategy aiming for 5,700 income‑restricted units over 10 years; near‑term actions target safe parking, program tweaks
Summary
City staff told the Planning Commission the updated Affordable Housing Strategy sets a 10‑year target to build or preserve 5,700 affordable units, identifies 24 strategies and more than 80 tasks (20 high‑priority), and will ringfence work on safe parking, faith‑owned property incentives (C1), funding mechanisms and faster review for affordable projects.
City planning staff presented the updated Affordable Housing Strategy to the Planning Commission on April 22, describing a program of actions and metrics designed to increase affordable housing production and preservation over the next decade.
Senior planner Hannah Beimiller told commissioners the strategy sets a target to "build or preserve 5,700 affordable units in 10 years," and that the update organizes work under five high‑level goals with 24 strategies and more than 80 specific tasks. The team identified 20 high‑priority actions for early implementation and proposed outcome and implementation metrics to track progress.
Near‑term items staff flagged for the commission include defining safe parking as a permanent land‑use category (to sustain a city pilot program now operating under emergency rules), reworking the C1 density bonus (which currently requires 100% affordability for faith‑owned properties) to allow mixed market/affordable projects and to consider nonprofit ownership, and efforts to reduce project timelines for affordable housing (including a proposed staff liaison to shepherd affordable projects from predevelopment to completion).
On funding, staff said the strategy’s impact estimates assume some new revenue sources and that the city is exploring options for additional local funding in preparation for the next budget cycle. Beimiller proposed annual updates to the commission on implementation and a public‑facing housing dashboard to track outcomes.
Commissioners generally expressed support and asked staff to separate preserved units from new production in tracking, to pursue outreach and technical assistance to faith‑based property owners who could use the C1 bonus, and to prioritize actions that reduce time in design review. Staff said some items will require comp plan and code amendments and that several items will return to the commission for review.
What’s next: staff asked the commission for input on the package of actions and said many items will be phased across a multiyear implementation plan; the draft strategy was being prepared for council adoption via a consent item next week and staff will return to the commission with follow‑up code amendments and program proposals.
