The latest & greatest on all things Bellevue, Eastside, and Chamber-member-related.
Inside the April PLUSH Committee meeting: opposing the proposed 1,500-unit cap on Bellevue's MFTE catalyst program ahead of the May 5 Council study session, permit timeliness up from 72 to 83 percent in Q1 2026, and the Bel-Red zoning overlay's public-versus-private street debate. Continue Reading
Joe Fain breaks down the March 2026 UI Trust Fund Forecast: Washington's average employer UI tax rate is projected to jump 37% over three years. The driver isn't rising unemployment but a solvency surcharge and changing claimant behavior, and the assumptions may not be conservative enough. Continue Reading
Salt & Straw opened its new downtown Bellevue scoop shop with a weekend of giveaways and a line around the corner. The Chamber was on hand to welcome them at a ribbon-cutting, and to recognize their funky flavors, community building, and philanthropy. Continue Reading
The East King Chambers Coalition heard from US Chamber's Chris Seiler on tariff escalation and HR1 tax provisions, and from the Washington Tax Policy Center on Washington's structural budget gap and new 9.9% income tax. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Mobility Coalition sent City Council a framework for a potential Transportation Benefit District: five funding categories anchored to the growth centers, with property tax and vehicle fee tools reserved for neighborhoods. Signed by Chamber CEO Joe Fain. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber's Permitting, Land Use, and Sustainable Housing (PLUSH) Committee submitted formal comments to the Bellevue Planning Commission ahead of the Commission's April 23 work session on the Bel-Red Subarea Code Update. Continue Reading
Washington's March collections missed forecast by $71.2M, the two-month shortfall is now $113.8M, and lawmakers left just a $231M ending balance. CEO Joe Fain on why this isn't austerity, why even healthy revenue growth won't save a budget built on aggressive assumptions, and what comes next. Continue Reading
Federal and state tax experts unpacked the biggest changes in a generation at April's Chamber Lunch. Cindy Ranzow on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Scott Edwards on WA's largest tax increase in history, and Neil Strege on the spending trends driving it all. Continue Reading
Theatre33's second annual Bellevue International Theatre Festival drew 1,463 attendees across 7 multilingual productions, workshops, and an awards dinner. BITFest 2027 announced for April 2-4. Continue Reading
Inside the April 9 Eastside Business Roundtable: Boeing's Wendy Sowers led a high-level briefing on the commercial aviation market outlook, production backlog and supply chain recovery, and the safety and certification work shaping the next decade of commercial aviation. Continue Reading
Every month, new businesses join the Bellevue Chamber and become part of a network committed to strengthening the Eastside economy. Continue Reading
The April Policy Council meeting covered three pressing topics: Sound Transit’s $35 to $40 billion ST3 funding gap and the East King sub area equity debate Continue Reading
