Bellevue is known for its diverse, vibrant and welcoming neighborhoods. The high quality of life that community members enjoy is no accident - it's the result of thoughtful and collaborative planning with the people who live, work and play here.
The Great Neighborhoods program is the process for developing neighborhood area plans that reflect the community's values and vision for the future. Neighborhood area plans inform future growth and change by providing guidance to city staff and developers about the kinds of improvements people want to see.
Neighborhood area plans are part of the city's overall Comprehensive Plan, which outlines citywide policies on issues like housing, transportation, parks and environmental sustainability. Neighborhood area plans are important tools for addressing the changing needs and conditions at the local level. These plans, for each of the city's 16 neighborhood areas, serve as road maps to the future.
If you're not sure which neighborhood area you live in, our interactive neighborhood area map will tell you. You can enter your address in this Neighborhood Lookup Tool to find out exactly which neighborhood area you live in.
How do we plan for Great Neighborhoods?
Strong community connections strengthen neighborhoods and directly raise the quality of life. Bellevue's City Council affirms this through the Great Neighborhoods program, initiating Comprehensive Plan amendments in 2018 for preparation of the Northwest Bellevue and Northeast Bellevue plans, which were adopted in 2021.
After pausing to focus on the citywide Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update, Bellevue is now resuming its neighborhood area planning efforts. City Council initiated Comprehensive Plan amendments for preparation of the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans at their meeting on September 17, 2024. The Sept. 17 agenda materials have details.
Upcoming Virtual Events in February
Join us for a virtual Great Neighborhoods Project Update event to hear about what the planning team learned during the Discover phase, get a preview of the Vision Statement and policy ideas, and hear about what's next.
The planning team will give a preview of upcoming work on developing an urban design framework and share information on how folks can be involved. There will also be time for questions and discussions. Separate events are scheduled for Crossroads and Newport.
- The Newport event will take place on Thursday, February 27th (6:00 - 7:30pm). More information on how to join this virtual event is available on our website.
The Crossroads event took place on Thursday, February 13th. Materials shared at this virtual event are available on Engaging Bellevue, including our engagement report. This report highlights what the planning team learned from the Crossroads community during the Discover phase. The Discover phase began in October and went through December of 2024. As suggested by the name, engagement was focused on learning and discovery.
Opportunities to Engage
We have an online engagement hub where we post resources and information and provide opportunities for people to share feedback and ask questions.
We are especially interested in collecting neighborhood stories and photos. You can help kick things off by sharing a story and photo or video about a special place or memory that you have in Crossroads or Newport.
Visit our project pages to check things out:
- Crossroads project page on Engaging Bellevue
- Newport project page on Engaging Bellevue
To receive updates on our neighborhood area planning work in Crossroads and Newport, please sign up for our email list here.
For general questions and comments, please email GreatNeighborhoods@bellevuewa.gov.
More information on relevant current City initiatives is available at the bottom of this page.
Administrative Materials
The city applied for a permit to update each Neighborhood Area Plan. Copies of the permit application and the notices can be found at the links below.
- Newport permit (24-123870 AC)
- Crossroads permit (24-123870 AC)
Comments received outside of engagement events are compiled periodically and posted below.
- Newport Comments
- Crossroads Comments
Meetings and Events
| Date | Event | Links |
| February 27, 2025 (6:00 - 7:30 pm) | Great Neighborhoods Project Update - Newport (Virtual Event) Join us for a Great Neighborhoods project update to hear about what we learned during the Discover phase, get a preview of the Vision Statement and policy ideas, and hear about what's next. | Event Info |
| February 13, 2025 (6:00 - 7:30 pm) | Great Neighborhoods Project Update - Crossroads (Virtual Event) The planning team hosted a project update for community members to hear about what we learned during the Discover phase, get a preview of the Vision Statement and policy ideas, and learn about what's next. | Materials |
| December 15, 2024 | Deadline for Site-Specific Future Land Use Map Amendments Site-specific plan map amendments are not City-led but can be initiated by property owners. See the linked materials here for additional detail on the process and criteria for map amendments. The deadline for interested property owners to submit an application was December 15, 2024 and has passed. No applications were submitted. | Process Outline and Criteria |
| December 4, 2024 (5:30 - 8:00 pm) | Newport Ideas Fair (in-person) The planning team hosted an Ideas Fair at the Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club for community members to share their ideas for the future of Newport. Participants had the opportunity to explore neighborhood data, speak with the planning team, and engage in a variety of interactive activities. | Materials |
| November 14, 2024 (5:30 - 8:00 pm) | Crossroads Ideas Fair (in-person) The planning team hosted an Ideas Fair at the Crossroads Community Center for community members to share their ideas for the future of Crossroads. Participants had the opportunity to explore neighborhood data, speak with the planning team, and engage in a variety of interactive activities. | Materials |
| October 10, 2024 (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.) | Virtual Kickoff Meeting The planning team hosted a virtual kickoff meeting for both neighborhood areas. During the meeting, planners provided reviewed the goals and timeline and and answered questions. Separate neighborhood breakouts were used to start talking about the future of Crossroads and Newport. | Materials |
| October 9, 2024 | Planning Commission Initial briefing and overview of the neighborhood area planning process for Crossroads and Newport as initiated by Council. | Meeting Materials |
| September 17, 2024 | City Council Council initiated Comprehensive Plan Amendments to update the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area plans. | Meeting Materials |
Relevant Current Initiatives
Middle Housing Code Amendments
The City of Bellevue is working to update its land use and city codes to comply with House Bills (HB) 1110 and 1337, aimed at expanding the number and types of housing units allowed in residential areas. More information on the proposed amendments can be found on the Middle Housing Code Amendments page, including any upcoming engagement opportunities.
Housing Opportunities in Mixed-Use Areas Land Use Code Amendment
The Housing Opportunities in Mixed-Use Areas (HOMA) land use code amendment is designed to encourage housing development. It proposes higher density, taller buildings and removing obstacles to building more homes. The proposal will create an affordable housing program—either mandatory or voluntary—in various mixed-use areas of the city. The proposal also updates land use districts and the city’s land use map. More information on the code amendment, including upcoming engagement opportunities, can be found on the HOMA webpage.