Know a Bellevue neighbor who would read this? Your own link: {{rp_refer_url}}
Good morning. Five minutes on what moved in Bellevue this week, one item for your own neighborhood, a one-click poll, the market in three numbers, and one practical thing for the house.
Bellevue this week
Both rezones passed; parking comes back for a final vote. On October 20, council approved the EverGlen Village and Bellewood Townhomes rezones. The parking rewrite returns on a future consent calendar and must be adopted before the state's January 27 deadline. Source
The budget's last public hearing. The final hearing on the 2027–2028 budget was on Tuesday's agenda, with adoption expected in November. Staff recommend about $7 million for human services in 2027. Source
What Bellevue will ask Olympia for. The draft 2027 state agenda opposes changes to the business and occupation tax that would cut into local B&O, backs the I-405 Renton to Bellevue project, and asks for $280,000 for a kitchen at Highland Community Center. The 105-day session opens January 11. Source
Ballots are due Tuesday. Election Day is November 3, and drop boxes close at 8 p.m. King County Elections in Renton is open Saturday, October 31, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Source
A seat on the Human Services Commission is open. The commission advises council on human services planning and funding. It is a four-year volunteer term for a Bellevue resident, meeting the first and third Mondays at 6 p.m. Apply by 5 p.m. Monday, November 9. Source
Your neighborhood
Bridle Trails. The city plans to turn the operations center at the Bellevue Golf Course, 5500 140th Avenue NE, into one hub for park maintenance crews. The cost estimate came in over budget at 60% design, and redesign found more than $3.4 million in savings. On Tuesday's consent agenda: $301,710 more for the architect to redraw the bid set. Source
Sold near you: 4 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.01M (range $1.50M to $2.72M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 57 days.
BelRed. The city approved its own plan to turn a 2-acre gravel parking area at 12525 NE Spring Boulevard and 12755 NE 14th Street into a temporary yard for maintenance materials and vehicles (file 26-110469-GD). Appeals close at 5 p.m. November 4. Source
Sold near you: 11 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.66M (range $490K to $1.90M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Cougar Mountain/Lakemont. Lakemont Community Park, at 5170 Village Park Drive SE, is 16 acres with a skate bowl, a softball field, tennis courts lined for four pickleball courts, and more than three miles of trail, some of it steep, down to Lewis Creek Park. Source
Sold near you: 9 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.18M (range $825K to $3.08M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 31 days.
Crossroads. Crossroads Park, at 999 164th Avenue NE, covers more than 34 acres: a par-3 course with golf and foot golf, tennis and basketball courts, a skate bowl, seasonal community gardens and jogging paths, beside the community center. Source
Sold near you: 24 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.10M (range $250K to $2.95M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Downtown. The Downtown code rewrite was on Wednesday's Planning Commission agenda. The draft widens sidewalks from 12 to 14 feet on Main Street, NE 10th, NE 12th and parts of 112th Avenue NE, requires benches and trash cans every 150 feet, and cuts required ground-floor shops from 100% to 75% of the frontage on main streets. A hearing is expected by early 2027. Source
Sold near you: 30 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.14M (range $410K to $5.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 11 days.
Eastgate. Bellevue's draft 2027 state agenda asks the Legislature for $1 million for Eastgate Commons Park. Council took up the draft October 13; the session opens January 11. More on Airfield Park in Reader asked below. Source
Sold near you: 16 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.42M (range $600K to $3.70M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 14 days.
Factoria. Sunset Park, at 2837 139th Avenue SE off SE Eastgate Way, has a basketball court, a playground, picnic tables, open lawn and nature trails. Source
Sold near you: 18 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.07M (range $245K to $2.80M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Lake Hills. The Lake Hills plan's introduction, with West Lake Sammamish's, was on Wednesday's Planning Commission agenda. About 50 people came to the September 10 kickoff at Jubilee REACH. Listening runs through December, with an engagement report then; adoption is scheduled for September to December 2027. Source
Sold near you: 24 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.23M (range $474K to $2.87M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Newport. Newport Hills Woodlawn Park, at 11560 SE 60th Street, has 10.7 acres of forested loop trail, a 1.25-acre fenced off-leash dog area, a playground, a picnic shelter and on-site parking. Source
Sold near you: 20 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.24M (range $325K to $2.72M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 17 days.
Northeast Bellevue. Ivanhoe Park, at 16600 Northup Way, is 2.48 acres with play areas for older and younger children, a basketball court, picnic tables and walking paths. Source
Sold near you: 19 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.23M (range $250K to $2.75M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Northwest Bellevue. Council approved the Bellewood Townhomes rezone on October 20. It covers about 3.2 acres at 2229 and 2233 112th Avenue NE and amends a zoning agreement from Ordinance 2300. Source
Sold near you: 7 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.92M (range $1.50M to $2.72M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 34 days.
Somerset. Forest Hill Neighborhood Park, at 13232 SE 51st Place, is 5.36 acres of play area, picnic tables and walking trails, tied into the Somerset Greenbelts trail system. There is no parking; walk in. Source
Sold near you: 17 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.63M (range $335K to $3.70M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
West Bellevue. Chism Beach Park, at 9600 SE 11th Street, is a Lake Washington beach park with a dock, a playground, walking paths and large picnic areas. It opens 30 minutes before sunrise and closes 30 minutes after sunset. Source
Sold near you: 27 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.25M (range $410K to $5.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 11 days.
West Lake Sammamish. No property owner in West Lake Sammamish or Lake Hills asked for a land use map change by the September 15 deadline for the plan rewrite. City planners walked public spaces in both areas October 3 and are walking the business districts with shop owners in late October. Source
Sold near you: 9 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.57M (range $1.06M to $2.97M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 28 days.
Wilburton. Council approved the EverGlen Village rezone on October 20: 0.62 acre at 12500 NE 10th Place moves from office to midrise mixed-use residential. The Planning Commission takes up the next phase of the Wilburton Sustainable District November 18. Source
Sold near you: 20 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.47M (range $550K to $5.00M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Woodridge. Woodridge's plan rewrite is next in line: council has directed the city to finish Woodridge and West Bellevue in 2027–2028, and Wednesday's commission memo says planning for those two areas starts in fall 2027. Source
Sold near you: 12 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.61M (range $605K to $3.48M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 26 days.
This week's poll
Clocks fall back Sunday, November 1. What will you do with the extra hour? One click votes.
The market in 60 seconds
Three numbers from the live sales data behind the monthly Bellevue market report: the median sold price is $1.32M, the median home takes 53 days from listing to closing, and there are 5 months of inventory at the current pace. Under three months favors sellers and above six favors buyers. Inventory edged up from 4.8 months: active listings slipped from 628 to 619, but closings in the trailing 30 days fell faster, from 130 to 124. Days on market held at 53. The median price ticked up from $1.31M, while the single-family median eased from $1.66M to $1.63M; a 30-day median moves with the mix of homes that happened to close. Single-family inventory is 4 months against 4.1 last week, and 6% of homes closed above asking, up from 5%. the full market report
One useful thing: drain the hoses before the first freeze
Bellevue Utilities asks owners to protect their own pipes. Disconnect outside hoses and drain what is left in the hose and the hose bib. Insulate pipes and faucets in unheated garages, attics and crawl spaces, which freeze first, and keep the garage door closed if supply lines run through it. Find your main shut-off valve now, usually in the basement, the garage or outside by the foundation. A frozen meter: 425-452-7840, 24 hours. Bellevue Utilities
Reader asked
A reader in Eastgate asked where the aquatic center planned for Bellevue Airfield Park stands. It is in procurement. Council named the Airfield site, 27.5 acres just off I-90, its preferred site for a regional aquatic center in 2021, and adopted the park's master plan in September 2024: an aquatic facility, pickleball and basketball courts, a flex field, a playground and splash pad, trails and terraced lawns. The state approved progressive design-build in February, and the city released its call for a design-build team on September 17. It expects to hire one this year. Design of the park and conceptual design of the aquatic center begin in 2027; phase one of park construction is expected in 2030–31. Neither the project page nor the city's October parks report gives an opening date for the pool. Know a neighbor asking the same thing? Forward this; they can subscribe at bellevuedispatch.com.
Your turn. What is the one project on your street you want us to keep tracking this winter? Hit reply; a person reads every one, and the best answers run in a future issue.
That's the week. Next Thursday: what came out of Wednesday's BelRed hearing and the Downtown study session.
Bring a neighbor in. Your own link: {{rp_refer_url}} · you have brought {{rp_num_referrals}} so far. 1 neighbor: Your first name in the issue, and the Bellevue weekend list a day early · 3: A coffee and a pastry at a Bellevue café · 5: The Bellevue Dispatch tote · 10: Dinner for two at a Bellevue restaurant.
Follow the Bellevue Dispatch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bellevue-dispatch/
Live in Bellevue, work in Kirkland? The Kirkland Dispatch is the same five minutes for Kirkland: https://www.kirklanddispatch.com/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cross-bellevue
The Bellevue Dispatch is published by Neighborhood Press LLC, owned by Adriano Tori. Reply to this email and a person reads it.