Good morning. This is the first issue of the Bellevue Dispatch, a five-minute read every Thursday about what is changing in Bellevue and what it means if you own or rent a place here. The council agenda, the permit bulletin, the school district blog and the transit notices get read so you don't have to. Each week has the same shape: what moved in the city, one item for your own neighborhood, three market numbers with a plain reading, and one practical thing for the house. One reader, one city, no hype. Reply anytime; a person reads it.
Bellevue this week
Your local street is now a 20 mph street, or will be by year-end. Bellevue is cutting the limit on local streets from 25 to 20. Sign crews started August 24 with no warning period, beginning in Lake Hills, Northeast Bellevue, Crossroads, Wilburton, Bridle Trails and Northwest Bellevue; the rest of the city follows later this year. That is 64 percent of Bellevue's streets. Source
The 2027–2028 city budget is out; the first hearing is Tuesday. Council takes comment September 15 on the preliminary budget released last week, and will weigh a Transportation Benefit District to fund the transportation backlog; an information session follows September 30. Want a sidewalk on your street? Say so now. Source
Half the Bellevue Transit Center is a construction site through January. Sound Transit is rebuilding the bays for the coming Stride bus rapid transit lines: east half first, west half from October, so bay assignments keep moving. The fall service change also retired ST Express Routes 550 and 554, the old Seattle buses; 2 Line schedules are unchanged. Source · Service change
Bellevue schools opened the year on stable footing. Grades 1–12 started September 2, kindergarten September 8. Superintendent Kelly Aramaki's opening blog projects a nearly restored fund balance after two years of cuts, and Bellevue Big Picture School has moved into the renovated former Eastgate Elementary. Source
Police drones start flying to 911 calls this fall. Council approved funding September 8 for a one-year Drone as First Responder pilot: two trained patrol officers launch an aircraft toward a call while units are en route, with a public dashboard logging each flight. Live demo at Experience Bellevue, City Hall, Saturday September 19, free. Source · Experience Bellevue
Your neighborhood
Bridle Trails. Your local streets were in the first wave of 20 mph signs. Separately, Saturday September 26 is National Public Lands Day, one of twelve 2026 dates when Bridle Trails State Park and every other state park waive the Discover Pass. Source
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $4.27M (range $2.25M to $6.49M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 10 days.
BelRed. The townhome project at 12727–12729 Northup Way has been cut from 91 units to 36 across six buildings and re-noticed by the city as SpringVue Townhomes. It sits about three blocks from the Spring District station. Source
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.84M (range $550K to $2.80M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 33 days.
Cougar Mountain / Lakemont. (evergreen) Lewis Creek Park on Lakemont Boulevard keeps more than 80 percent of its 55 acres as undeveloped natural area, with nearly three miles of boardwalk and soft-surface trail through wetland, meadow and forest. The visitor center runs ranger-led programs. Source
Sold near you: 9 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.70M (range $865K to $2.65M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 11 days.
Crossroads. Two Tuesdays left: the Crossroads Farmers Market runs noon to 6 in the east parking lot through September 29, then closes for the season. Crossroads streets were also in the first wave of 20 mph signs. Source
Sold near you: 11 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.70M (range $503K to $2.90M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 21 days.
Downtown. Expect shifting bus bays at the Transit Center until January, and the west half closing in October. Council hears budget comment Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Room 1E-126; Experience Bellevue fills City Hall Saturday. Source
Sold near you: 27 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.22M (range $420K to $5.15M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 1 days.
Eastgate. The dual-use courts at Eastgate Park went pickleball-only on September 1; tennis nets are gone and a resurfacing with pickleball-only lines is planned. Bellevue Big Picture School now occupies the former Eastgate Elementary building. Source
Sold near you: 21 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.35M (range $540K to $3.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 14 days.
Factoria. Boot Barn has taken an 11,169-square-foot space at 4026 Factoria Mall SE in The Marketplace at Factoria, per the center's directory; no opening date yet. It would be the chain's 12th Washington store. Source
Sold near you: 10 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $610K (range $359K to $1.15M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 25 days.
Lake Hills. Lake Hills Boulevard stays closed between 151st and 154th Avenues SE until October 1 while the city replaces the Kelsey Creek culvert and nearby sewer and water lines. The Lake to Lake Trail detour stays in place too. Source
Sold near you: 16 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.15M (range $503K to $3.55M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 21 days.
Newport. Council adopted the HOMA code amendment on March 17, allowing five- to six-story mixed-use buildings at neighborhood centers including the Newport Hills Shopping Center site. The community club reports no redevelopment application has been filed. Source
Sold near you: 11 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.65M (range $359K to $2.55M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 8 days.
Northeast Bellevue. Your local streets were in the first wave of 20 mph signs. At Ardmore Park, the resident-voted Neighborhood Enhancement project is clearing ivy and blackberry and planting native trees at the south end, with completion set for December 2028. Source
Sold near you: 8 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.51M (range $503K to $2.02M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 21 days.
Northwest Bellevue. 100th Avenue NE is closed between NE 13th and NE 17th through November for the $7.3 million walkways project: a shared-use path on 100th from NE 14th to NE 24th, new sidewalks on NE 18th, NE 21st and 98th, and raised crosswalks. Finish is expected this fall. Source
Sold near you: 8 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.19M (range $235K to $6.00M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 32 days.
Somerset. The school district's 10-acre Somerset II parcel near Forest Drive is now under contract to Tri Pointe Homes at $19 million, down from $30 million after environmental review reduced the buildable lot count. Closing follows preliminary plat approval, expected late 2027 to spring 2028. Source
Sold near you: 17 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.65M (range $359K to $3.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 8 days.
West Bellevue. Meydenbauer Bay Park Phase 2 is in a roughly three-year design and permitting stretch, with construction now expected to begin in late 2029. The plan opens a direct Main Street and 100th Avenue NE gateway from downtown to the water. Source
Sold near you: 22 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.19M (range $420K to $5.15M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 1 days.
West Lake Sammamish. King County is designing the replacement of 4.5 miles of 50-year-old sewer pipe along West Lake Sammamish Parkway and into Redmond. As of the July update the work is still in design, with construction starting in 2029. Source
Sold near you: 5 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.47M (range $1.14M to $4.40M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 25 days.
Wilburton. The Wilburton Trestle rebuild found far more rot than expected: about 1,600 bolts and nearly 2,000 timbers replaced, the budget up to roughly $43.5 million, and the Eastrail opening pushed to mid-2027. Your streets were in the first 20 mph wave. Source · King County
Sold near you: 23 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.22M (range $550K to $3.08M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 25 days.
Woodridge. (evergreen) Woodridge Water Tower Park is 1.33 acres at 1843 125th Avenue SE, named for the blue water tower that marks the top of the ridge, with a short shaded loop under tall trees. Woodridge's 20 mph signs arrive later in 2026. Source
Sold near you: 10 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.68M (range $680K to $5.15M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 29 days.
The market in 60 seconds
Three numbers from the monthly Bellevue market report, refreshed from live sales data: the median sold price is $1.48M, the median home sells in 46 days, and there are 5.9 months of inventory at the current pace. Read them together: price tells you what buyers paid, days on market tells you how much patience sellers needed, and months of inventory tells you who holds the leverage this month. Under three months favors sellers; above six favors buyers; in between, pricing and presentation decide. The full report, with the trend lines behind these three numbers, is here: Bellevue market report #market
One useful thing: gutter and roof-moss month
September is the window. The first sustained rain usually arrives in October, and a gutter packed with fir needles sends water behind the fascia and down the foundation instead of the downspout. Clear gutters and blow needles off the roof now, while it is dry. For moss, scrape with a stiff brush or putty knife; never pressure-wash shingles, and skip zinc strips, which are toxic to fish downstream. Trim overhanging branches so the roof dries. Anything above one story, hire a licensed roofer rather than climbing. Oregon State University moss guide
That's the week. Two things make this better fast: reply with anything you want tracked in Bellevue, and if a neighbor would read it, forward it. Next Thursday: the BelRed permits worth watching, and the King County property-tax deadline with how to appeal an assessment.
The Bellevue Dispatch is a RexMont Real Estate publication. Adriano Tori, Designated Broker. Reply to this email and a person reads it.