City planners previewed Downtown Livability 2.0 at our September PLUSH meeting: outdoor dining setbacks, a 5,000-sq-ft cap on Old Bellevue storefronts, a 75% active use rule, rooftop amenities and taller canopies, with a public draft due in early October. Continue Reading
Our PLUSH Committee wrote to Bellevue City Council before its September 8 study session, closing out an eight-month position on the Parking Reform LUCA in support and naming the two open items: vertical clearance for below-grade parking and visitor parking flexibility. Continue Reading
An August 17, 2026 sign-on letter from the Chamber, its PLUSH Committee and the BelRed Property Owners Group asks Bellevue's Planning Commission to scale back street grid obligations, offset mandatory infrastructure costs, and fix the amenity threshold. Continue Reading
The PLUSH Committee focused its July meeting over a single concern: whether Bellevue's electrical grid’s capacity can keep up with the cities predicted growth... Continue Reading
Bellevue's Parking Reform LUCA retires outdated ratios and moves to a single citywide commercial standard. Our July 21 letter to the Planning Commission credits that progress and flags five recommendations the strike draft left unaddressed, from visitor parking to departure pathways. Continue Reading
Bellevue's MFTE Catalyst program for HOMA is down to code language. Our July 20 joint letter with the Housing Development Consortium backs fee-in-lieu eligibility for MFTE, clearer application timing, and striking the sentence that disqualifies fee-paying projects. Continue Reading
On July 7 our PLUSH Committee and the BelRed Property Owners Group gave the Planning Commission a consolidated record of what remains unresolved on the BelRed Look Forward LUCA: the mandatory street grid, the 26-foot path standard, and new costs without offsets. Continue Reading
Our June PLUSH Committee recap: Bellevue's Downtown Livability 2.0 code refresh (no height or FAR changes), the push to fix BelRed's rigid 300-foot street grid, parking reform, and a looming electricity-capacity crunch that could throttle Eastside growth. Continue Reading
Bellevue is reopening its 2017 downtown code with Downtown Livability 2.0: land use amendments on small-business space, after-hours vibrancy, housing, and Old Bellevue's historic character, with no changes to building heights, floor area, or parking. Continue Reading
When Bellevue reopened its downtown code for the first time since 2017, the Chamber's PLUSH Committee testified in support with three conditions: ground Downtown Livability 2.0 in market feasibility, keep requirements predictable, and protect Old Bellevue deliberately. Continue Reading
The Chamber and the Housing Development Consortium wrote to Bellevue's Planning Commission on May 11, 2026, arguing the mandatory Bel-Red street grid is a direct impediment to affordable housing, and asking staff for four changes to the draft code. Continue Reading
The Bellevue Chamber's PLUSH Committee submitted recommendations to City Council on May 4, identifying five frequently departed code provisions as barriers and requesting targeted amendments as part of Downtown Livability 2.0. Continue Reading
