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Woodridge residents urge Bellevue to coordinate middle-housing permits with private covenants
Summary
Residents and neighborhood association representatives told the council that recent middle-housing permit activity is colliding with long‑standing private covenants, leaving neighbors to pursue costly litigation; speakers asked the city for earlier notice, on‑site signage, mailed notice when appropriate, and a covenant-awareness program.
Multiple speakers from Woodridge and neighborhood groups told the council that Bellevue's middle-housing implementation is creating conflicts with recorded private covenants and asked the city to improve early notice and disclosure.
Eric Brand, a board member of the Woodridge Community Association, said the city changed code to allow more housing types and that private covenants can be more restrictive than the new code. He urged "a better process, a clearer disclosure that city permits do not override private covenants, better public information for covenant restricted neighborhoods, visible on-site notice for proposed middle housing projects, mailed notice where appropriate, and neighborhood level approach that accounts for infrastructure." Marcel Van Houten, former planning commission chair and WCA treasurer, echoed the request, asking council to direct staff to evaluate improvements and return with recommendations.
Resident Carol Shiller described an approved permit in her neighborhood for multifamily development on a lot governed by covenants limiting it to a single detached home and said residents have been forced into expensive litigation. She asked the council to pause permit issuance when notified of a covenant conflict and to revisit code changes adopted last year that went beyond state requirements.
What the speakers requested: early, visible project notice (including on-site signage), mailed notices when appropriate, clearer online project pages, a covenant-awareness information program for older platted neighborhoods, and staff direction to return with process improvements. Council members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to consider appropriate procedural changes as part of ongoing code implementation and outreach.
Quotation: "We are asking for a better process, a clearer disclosure that city permits do not override private covenants," said Eric Brand.
Next steps: Council took oral comments under the public comment period; staff will retain the input for code and permitting process work and follow up as necessary.
