Chamber begins hosting Bel-Red site tours for policymakers

In an effort to illustrate the hurdles facing redevelopment in the BelRed neighborhood, the Chamber's PLUSH Committee and the BelRed Property Owners Group (BPOG) have joined forces to spend the summer touring policy-makers through Bellevue's next up-and-coming community. 

Councilmember Claire Sumadiwirya and Planning Commissioner Andres Villaveces joined the Chamber's maiden stroll beginning at the Spring District light rail station - looping around the District, then popping over to the Link station off 130th Street, our most recent group specifically took a look at the Copal apartment complex — developed by Legacy Partners — and one of GT Capital’s sites near Goff Creek. 

“I think it is great for our Councilmembers and advocacy partners to come and physically see the effect of the code provisions we're seeking to improve, in real life,” said Nikki Stuck, Public Policy Manager for the Chamber. “It also reveals just how much potential there is for Bel-Red to become an integral part of Bellevue, both in terms of retail and housing, if the code is made more flexible.”

With half-a-dozen more trips scheduled over the next several weeks, the Chamber expects to be joined by each Councilmember and planning commissioner, as well as key staff for one of the outings. 

"The Chamber has taken the lead in shepherding these generational land-use code changes through the City's processes," said PLUSH Committee Chair Jessie Clawson. "There's no substitute for seeing the code in action, or inaction as the case often is."

As it stands, developing new projects in Bel-Red is challenging — both due to the current street grid requirement, as well as other code restrictions in the neighborhood — so we hope these tours spur further discourse among the City Council, Planning Commission, and within our own advocacy circles.