City Council Transportation Workshop: A $1.7 Billion Need, the TBD Question, and What Bellevue Has To Decide

Bellevue Chamber  |  April 21, 2026

Bellevue City Council’s April 21 transportation workshop set the stage for the largest infrastructure funding decision facing the city this decade. City staff walked councilmembers through a confirmed $1.7 billion six-year transportation need, an annual gap of roughly $10 million between current revenue and planned investments, and a Transportation Benefit District (TBD) proposal that, if adopted, would change how Bellevue funds growth-area infrastructure for the next twenty years.

The 2044 Comprehensive Plan in Numbers

City staff opened by anchoring the conversation in the 2044 Comprehensive Plan. Bellevue’s target is 70,000 new jobs and 35,000 new housing units by 2044, adding more than 70,000 residents to a city of 158,000. The housing pace required is about 1,600 units per year; recent cycles have delivered 800 to 1,000. The job growth target translates to roughly 3,525 new jobs per year. Council’s focus on removing barriers and prioritizing housing supply is the policy track. The workshop was about the matching infrastructure track.

Where the Funding Actually Comes From

On the general transportation side, today’s $50 million annual mix is roughly 21 percent levy, 20 percent grants, 32 percent debt service, 6 percent fuel taxes and impact fees, with the balance from general fund contributions. Grand Connection Crossing draws on general fund, philanthropy, and tax-increment financing. Multiple levies expire between 2027 and 2032, including transportation, which means renewal decisions cluster in the same window as the TBD conversation. Public hearings are planned for September and October. Staff also pointed councilmembers toward the King County Transportation Benefit District, which is running in parallel at the county level.

“The first thing is the construction. There are not as many humans that are going to be coming in. We believe that the next set of investments, if we’re going to make investments, transportation infrastructure starts now to give us time to engage around the people side of the equation.” — Councilmember Jared Nieuwenhuis

The TBD Structure on the Table

City staff laid out a proposed TBD structure of a $20 car tab and a 0.1 percent sales tax, which would generate roughly $2 million and $11 million per year respectively. The proposal also includes a 60 percent general transportation / 40 percent Grand Connection allocation. Councilmembers asked how the 40 percent figure was arrived at and how it interacts with the Grand Connection’s $153 million unfunded gap. Several voices pushed for a multimodal level-of-service framework so that transportation investment is not measured project by project, and for clarity on how a TBD interfaces with the broader expiring-levy renewal calendar.

“Safety has to be really important from a transportation standpoint. Community safety has to be the paramount goal. Second, how do we achieve balance across modes? We need a comprehensive approach to completing multimodal transportation in our city.” — Councilmember Vishal bhargava

Voter Approval vs. Councilmanic Adoption

The Bellevue Mobility Coalition’s April 21st framework letter, which recommended councilmanic adoption. Whereas, Councilmember Nieuwenhuis suggested a voter ballot measure. That mismatch is the largest open political question heading into the next TBD conversation. We will continue to advocate for matching the funding tool to where revenue is generated, prioritizing growth-center infrastructure investment, and a clear set of categories that lets businesses, residents, and city staff hold each fund accountable for outcomes.