Published January 20 2016
Also, downtown incentive zoning principles
The City Council on Tuesday approved a letter commenting on Sound Transit's list of candidate projects for the upcoming Sound Transit 3 ballot measure. The letter emphasizes the city's ongoing desire to work closely with Sound Transit to create a regional transportation system that benefits Eastside residents and employees of today, as well as those of the future. It reiterates Bellevue's strong support for the transit agency's policy of subarea equity and investing in projects that connect the Eastside. Recommended projects include the completion of East Link to downtown Redmond, connecting Totem Lake and Issaquah via high-capacity transit, and implementing bus rapid transit on I-405.
Councilmembers also agreed to sign-on to a joint Eastside cities letter with Issaquah, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton and Bothell. The letter reflects the cities' shared interest in fully funding several potential projects, which they believe are integral to improving transit in the face of unprecedented regional growth.
The Sound Transit Board is expected to discuss candidate projects at its next meeting on Jan. 28. Future conversations will focus on shaping a draft ST3 plan scheduled to be released in March, followed by a public input process in April. The final proposal will likely appear before voters on the November general election ballot.
Revised downtown incentive zoning principles
Councilmembers later discussed and agreed to a list of guiding principles for the city's Planning Commission to consider when formulating the new downtown incentive zoning system. The update is part of the city's effort to implement recommendations made by the Downtown Livability Initiative Citizen Advisory Committee. The commission will present its proposed changes to the council later this year.
Incentive zoning allows developers to provide amenities in exchange for additional building area and height. Currently, the city offers a list of 23 amenities developers can choose from. The last official overhaul of Bellevue's incentive zoning system was nearly 30 years ago.