Good morning. Five minutes on what moved in Bellevue this week, one item for your own neighborhood, the market in three numbers, and one practical thing for the house.
Bellevue this week
Permits would cost more in 2027. Staff brought the proposed development fees to Tuesday's budget session. Land use review would go from $304 to $333 an hour, fire review from $227 to $248, and utility review from $216 to $236. Building, electrical, mechanical and plumbing fees would rise 3.80%, with inflation. Source
Parking minimums are shrinking, and council picks how far. State law requires Bellevue to cut many minimum parking requirements by January 27, 2027. On Tuesday's agenda: end them within a quarter mile of bus rapid transit stops, as staff recommends, or a half mile, and how much visitor parking new buildings must add. Source
Last week's votes. Council adopted the children and family services sales tax on October 13, effective January 1. It is not a new tax; it keeps Bellevue's share of the county's. Council also took over the Transportation Benefit District, 6–1, with no funding attached. The budget's final public hearing is Tuesday, October 27. Source
Eastrail's last southern gap is in for permits. King County applied to build 1.7 miles across I-90, reusing the steel bridge over 14 freeway lanes and the wooden trestle over 32nd Street. Paved, lit, no motor vehicles. Comment by 5 p.m. October 28. Source
Help pick the backyard cottage plans. The city will offer up to 10 pre-approved designs for backyard cottages and cottage homes, at a set price. A survey on layouts, bedrooms and styles is open now. Source
Your neighborhood
Bridle Trails. Bridle Trails Valley Creek Park, at 4432 140th Avenue NE, is 1.65 acres with an adventure play area, a picnic shelter and a loop trail around a lawn. It sits beside five acres of protected wetland, near the Bellevue Golf Course. Source
Sold near you: 5 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.10M (range $1.50M to $5.80M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 57 days.
BelRed. The Planning Commission holds its public hearing on the BelRed Look Forward code rewrite Wednesday, October 28, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. It rewrites how BelRed development is regulated, adds an affordable housing program, and lets development rights from rural King County land be used in BelRed. Written comments go to [email protected] by 5 p.m. that day. Source
Sold near you: 9 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. Lewis Creek Park, at 5808 Lakemont Boulevard SE, keeps more than 80% of its 55 acres as natural area. Nearly three miles of boardwalk and trail cross wetland, meadow and forest, and the visitor center runs environmental programs. Open dawn to dusk. Source
Sold near you: 8 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $2.21M (range $825K to $3.08M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 31 days.
Crossroads. YouthLink Gumbo Night is Wednesday, October 28, 6 to 8 p.m. at Crossroads Community Center. The YouthLink Board has hosted it for more than 28 years: young people talk through the issues they face with elected officials, board members and city leaders. Source
Sold near you: 22 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $975K (range $250K to $2.95M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Downtown. Downtown has required visitor parking in new residential buildings since 2017, and the parking rewrite asks whether to extend it citywide. Staff recommend one stall per 20 units up to 100 units, then one per 40. The city's curb counts found many Downtown blocks completely full. Source
Sold near you: 29 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.26M (range $410K to $5.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 3 days.
Eastgate. The city released its call for a design-build team for Bellevue Airfield Park in September and expects to hire one this year. The master plan includes an aquatic facility, pickleball and basketball courts, a flex field, a playground and splash pad. Design starts in 2027; phase one construction is expected in 2030–31. Source
Sold near you: 17 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.41M (range $600K to $3.25M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 14 days.
Factoria. The Eastrail segment now in for permits crosses I-90 just west of Factoria and connects at 32nd Street with the city's Mountains to Sound trail. King County puts construction at 2028–2031 and opening in 2031. Source
Sold near you: 20 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $998K (range $245K to $2.80M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Lake Hills. Robinswood Park is getting a new playground. Bids opened October 8, council considers the contract November 10, and work would start by year's end and finish next summer. A correction: last week we said the Lake Hills plan reached the Planning Commission on October 14. That meeting was canceled. Source
Sold near you: 22 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.22M (range $474K to $2.87M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
Newport. Newcastle Beach Park, at 4400 Lake Washington Boulevard SE, is Bellevue's largest beach park, with a 300-foot dock, a nature trail and a launch for kayaks and other non-motorized boats. Open dawn to dusk. Source
Sold near you: 19 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.23M (range $325K to $2.72M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 17 days.
Northeast Bellevue. The missing sidewalk on the east side of 173rd Avenue NE, Northup Way to NE 15th Place, is still in design, with construction expected to start in spring 2029. Residents favored raised crosswalks and speed cushions for the traffic calming that goes with it. Source
Sold near you: 17 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $970K (range $250K to $2.75M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 22 days.
Northwest Bellevue. A three-story art gallery is proposed at 11217 NE 15th Street, on a quarter-acre office-zoned lot that now holds a single house. Comments by 5 p.m. October 28; a virtual design review meeting is November 9 at 6 p.m. The Bellewood Townhomes rezone on 112th Avenue NE was on Tuesday's agenda for final action. Source
Sold near you: 9 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.92M (range $288K to $2.72M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 34 days.
Somerset. Construction has started on the Forest Drive trailhead near Coal Creek Parkway: accessible parking, paved paths to the existing trails, signs, benches and landscaping. The trails stay open, and the work runs through the end of the year. Source
Sold near you: 20 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.69M (range $335K to $3.56M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 19 days.
West Bellevue. An owner at 1223 96th Avenue SE has applied to build a casita, replace stairs and add a personal tram on a steep slope. Comments by 5 p.m. October 28. Source
Sold near you: 26 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.28M (range $410K to $5.60M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 3 days.
West Lake Sammamish. Weowna Park, at 1420 168th Avenue SE, is 93 acres of trail through remnant old-growth forest, along Phantom Creek's waterfalls and pools, with views of Lake Sammamish and the Cascades. Source
Sold near you: 10 homes closed within a mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.61M (range $1.06M to $2.97M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 28 days.
Wilburton. The EverGlen Village rezone, 0.62 acre at 12500 NE 10th Place from office to midrise mixed-use residential, was on Tuesday's agenda for final action. Separately, the BelRed code rewrite heard October 28 sets up shared rules for the city's mixed-use districts, Wilburton included. 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 next neighborhood enhancement round runs April to November 2028, with $205,000 for projects residents vote on. The last round, $161,000 from 346 ballots, paid for trail drainage, entrance landscaping on 121st Avenue SE and new streetlights. 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.
The market in 60 seconds
Three numbers from the live sales data behind the monthly Bellevue market report: the median sold price is $1.31M, the median home takes 53 days from listing to closing, and there are 4.8 months of inventory at the current pace. Under three months favors sellers and above six favors buyers. Supply held steady this week: active listings stayed at 628 while closings in the trailing 30 days edged up from 128 to 130, so inventory slipped from 4.9 months. Homes also moved faster, 53 days against 59 a week ago. The median price fell from $1.46M, and the single-family median from $1.87M to $1.66M; a 30-day median moves with the mix of homes that happened to close. Single-family inventory is unchanged at 4.1 months, and 5% of homes closed above asking. Bellevue market report
One useful thing: test the alarms when the clocks change
Clocks fall back Sunday, November 1. Bellevue Fire asks for a monthly test of every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. Alarms with replaceable batteries need new ones twice a year, so the time change is an easy reminder; sealed alarms run up to 10 years. Smoke alarms belong in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level, basement included. Carbon monoxide alarms go outside each sleeping area and on every level. Bellevue Fire
That's the week. Reply with anything you want tracked in Bellevue. Next Thursday: what council decided on parking, fees and the two rezones, the October 27 budget hearing, and the BelRed code hearing.
Curious what your place would sell for right now? Reply with your address.
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The Bellevue Dispatch is a RexMont Real Estate publication. Adriano Tori, Designated Broker. Reply to this email and a person reads it.