Factoria Subarea Plan

GOALS:

1. To preserve and maintain a natural setting for our residential areas and to manage change in the commercial district to improve its cohesiveness, compatibility, and accessibility to Subarea residents.

2. To create a well-integrated, transit-supportive, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban neighborhood in Factoria’s commercial core (District 2).

OVERVIEW

Factoria is known for its residential neighborhoods, easy access to the freeways, and shopping at Factoria businesses. Current issues center around the redevelopment of the commercial district while protecting residential neighborhoods, addressing mobility, and improving pedestrian links between commercial and residential areas.

Even before its 1993 annexation, the city worked with Factoria residents and businesses to strengthen the community’s transportation vision. Since then, a series of transportation studies and updates have embraced the integration of transportation and urban design to enhance the quality of life in this vital activity center.

The 2005 Factoria Area Transportation Study (FATS) Update sought to update the Subarea policy framework and list of associated transportation facility projects so as to achieve long-term mobility and safety for transportation system users. This approach challenges the existing suburban land use pattern because, while Factoria has a mix of land uses – housing, offices, retail and services – they are disconnected.

In 2012, the Eastgate/I-90 Land Use & Transportation Project (Eastgate/I-90 project) was completed. The study area boundaries of that project, which establishes a long-range vision for the I-90 corridor, includes portions of three subareas: Eastgate, Richards Valley, and Factoria. The Eastgate/I-90 project, in part, identified strategies to build upon the Factoria vision and address transportation chokepoints. The Eastgate/I-90 project is more fully discussed in the Eastgate Subarea plan.

This Subarea Plan also provides a framework for the 2002 Land Use Code amendments that direct redevelopment of the Factoria Mall so that it can accommodate a new, mixed-use focus. The FATS Update provided the necessary determination of transportation system adequacy to accommodate the Mall’s expansion. For all of District 2 redevelopment, the Update also addresses the needs of all modes of transportation within the Subarea and provides design guidance for private sector redevelopment. This Subarea Plan also provides a framework for Land

Use Code amendments that will implement the vision of the Eastgate/I-90 project. That vision includes increasing the mix of uses in north Factoria, emphasizing transit focus and an enhanced pedestrian environment along Factoria Boulevard, and including public amenities with new development.

Redevelopment in Factoria will use the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update transportation and urban design strategies adapted into the Subarea Plan and in the East Bellevue Transportation Facilities Plan to create a well-integrated, transit- supportive, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use urban neighborhood.

History

It is believed that Factoria was once part of the Duwamish Tribal Territory. Evidence of a village/habitation site exists at a location near Mercer Slough. The earliest English-speaking inhabitants of this area prior to 1900 occupied themselves with mining, logging, and farming. Edwin Richardson discovered coal in Newcastle in 1863 and prospectors formed the Lake Washington Coal Company which eventually became the Seattle Coal and Transportation Company.

During the 1890s, loggers cut large stands of timber on land now known as Woodridge Hill, Richards Valley, Greenwich Crest, Mockingbird Hill, Monthaven, Newport Shores, and the commercial area of Factoria. Somerset Hill forests remained intact for several decades. Logging continued to be important into the 1920s.

Apparently, around the turn of the 20th century, the area known as Mercer Landing was proposed as a port serving railroad and manufacturing plants.

This area, destined to become the town of Factoria, was promoted as an industrial center with coal smoke “belching from hundreds of smokestacks.” Promoters expected at least 20 plants, in addition to the existing Factoria Stove and Range Co., to locate there. But some 15 years after the promoter’s pitch, only the Factoria School had been built and the proposed industrial town of Factoria never got off the ground. The present day Factoria Mall is located on the original Factoria property.

Land use patterns evolved from early timberland, logging, and farming between the 1920s and 1950s to the current residential and commercial development.

Much of the area was planned and developed under the jurisdiction of King County.

Newport Shores and Somerset annexed into Bellevue during the 1960s and 1970s. The Factoria commercial area annexed in 1993.

Factoria is an area of about 2,100 acres bounded by I-90 on the north and Lake Washington on the west. The southern boundary forms an oblong crescent around

Newport Hills. The Subarea contains just over 3,400 single-family dwelling units and about 1,300 multifamily units. There are 11 million square feet of commercial space, including offices employing over 7,500 people, making Factoria a busy urban area.

In District 1, (1,800 acres) there are about 71 acres of vacant land all of which is planned as single-family use. Approximately 40 acres are classified as protected wetlands, as defined by the Bellevue Land Use Code (Section 20.50.044). In District 2 (282 acres), 6.7 acres remain vacant. Of those, 1.5 acres are planned for multifamily use, and 5.2 acres for office use.

The policies in the Factoria Subarea Plan guide the continued development and redevelopment of the Subarea. The Plan includes a section of design policies for the commercial area.

General Land Use

POLICIES

POLICY S-FA-1. Maintain land uses as depicted on the Future Land Use Map (Volume 1, Map LU-1).

POLICY S-FA-2. [Repealed, Ordinance 6811]

POLICY S-FA-3. Maintain land use densities that will not create vehicular congestion that exceeds adopted level of service standards.

POLICY S-FA-4. Encourage infill development and redevelopment in a manner that is compatible with surrounding uses and meets adopted design guidelines.

POLICY S-FA-5. Encourage any redevelopment to include parks, landscaping, pedestrian access, and other pedestrian amenities.

POLICY S-FA-6. [Repealed, Ordinance 6811]

POLICY S-FA-7. Restrict all future office expansion to districts shown on the Future Land Use Map (Volume 1, Map LU-1).

Critical Areas

In Factoria, as elsewhere, the city recognizes the importance of preserving the natural environment for wildlife habitat, stormwater management, as well as the aesthetic value to the community.

Controlling storm water runoff will help to prevent additional erosion of stream beds, downstream flooding and siltation. Specific areas of concern include the west side of Monthaven, Sunset Ravine, Mercer Slough, the Coal Creek watershed, and the siltation zone at its mouth.

POLICIES

POLICY S-FA-8. Protect and enhance the capability of Sunset Creek, Richards Creek, Coal Creek, and their tributaries to support fisheries and water related wildlife.

POLICY S-FA-9. Retain and enhance vegetation on steep slopes, within wetland areas, and along stream corridors in order to control erosion, reduce landslide hazard and to protect the natural drainage system.

POLICY S-FA-10. Encourage the use of a variety of site development options to conserve the natural land features in wetlands or steep slopes.

Residential

GOAL:

To increase housing opportunities in Factoria commercial areas.

POLICIES

The Community Business zoning along the east side of Factoria Boulevard allows for housing to be developed over ground-floor commercial uses. This represents an opportunity to increase the supply of housing without encroaching on existing residential areas. Both the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update recommend mixing housing and commercial uses. Mixing these uses in the same building is a method to help reduce vehicle use.

POLICY S-FA-11. Encourage mixed-use residential, hotel use, and other commercial development within community level retail districts.

Parks, Recreation, and Open Space

GOAL:

To encourage development of parks and open space linkages by using acquisition and dedication of existing public rights-of-way as shown on the Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan maps and the Parks and Open Space System Plan.

POLICIES

POLICY S-FA-12. Continue to acquire and develop parks, community facilities, and trail systems.

Transportation

GOALS:

1. To enhance multi-modal mobility for Factoria residents, employees, and shoppers and for those traveling within and through the Factoria commercial area.
2. To maintain and improve the appearance of arterial streets in the Subarea.

POLICIES

General Transportation

Transportation planning was conducted in 1992 for the unincorporated Factoria area as part of the East Bellevue Transportation Study. After the area annexed to Bellevue in 1993, the City initiated a detailed study of the transportation infrastructure. The 1996 Factoria Area Transportation Study (FATS) report addressed existing conditions and deficiencies and recommended projects to accommodate travel demand. A FATS Update, completed in 2005, addressed the needs of all modes of transportation within the area, and provided design guidance for private sector redevelopment. The FATS Update analysis was augmented by transportation analysis done in support of the 2012 Eastgate/I-90 Land Use and Transportation Plan.

Traffic modeling conducted for both the FATS Update and the Eastgate/I-90 project used a horizon year of 2030. Both sets of analysis show that most Factoria intersections will continue to function within adopted level of service standards. A few transportation system projects would help maintain long-term mobility, including enhancing transit service and improving intersection operations at Coal Creek Parkway/I-405, Factoria Boulevard/I-90, SE 36th Street/Factoria Boulevard, and SE 38th Street/Factoria Boulevard.

For the Factoria Subarea, the adopted vehicle level of service (LOS) is E+ (LOS E+ is characterized in the Comprehensive Plan as: Near capacity. Notable delays. Low driver comfort. Difficulty of signal progression.) In the absence of transit service improvements, two intersections are projected to fall below the adopted LOS – Coal Creek Parkway at I-405, and Factoria Boulevard at I-90.

Aside from accommodating traffic, Factoria’s arterials should be maintained with litter pickup, plant pruning, and street repairs. In addition, street improvements such

as street trees, sidewalks, and other pedestrian amenities should be used to improve the arterial’s appearance.

POLICY S-FA-13. Plan for the long-range transportation facility needs in the Factoria Subarea through an integrated, multi-modal transportation system.

POLICY S-FA-14. Implement the transportation and urban design recommendations of the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update.

POLICY S-FA-15. Discourage traffic from office and retail commercial development from spilling over onto residential streets.

POLICY S-FA-16. Establish and implement a street tree plan and planting program for Factoria emphasizing arterial streets and buffering high intensity land use.

POLICY S-FA-17. Require new development and encourage existing development to plant and maintain street trees in accordance with a Factoria Subarea street tree plan.

POLICY S-FA-18. Provide and improve visual and pedestrian access to Sunset Creek, Richards Creek, Coal Creek, and Mercer Slough from pathways and access points.

POLICY S-FA-19. Encourage neighborhood groups to help with maintenance in coordination with City work crews.

Pedestrian and Bicycle

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan provides the guidance for improving the mobility and safety for everyone who uses the non-motorized transportation system, both the public system and the pathways that are on private property.

POLICY S-FA-20. Encourage the development of mid-block pedestrian connections.

POLICY S-FA-21. Provide a network of sidewalks, footpaths, and trails with interconnections to areas surrounding the Factoria Subarea to accommodate safe and convenient access to community facilities, retail areas, and public transit as well as to accommodate the exercise walker and hiker.

POLICY S-FA-22. Improve safety for bicyclists and other nonmotorized users by providing an integrated on-street and off-street system.

POLICY S-22.1. Develop the Mountains to Sound Greenway trail through the subarea to provide pleasant, safe, non-motorized facilities that provide local and regional connections.

POLICY S-FA-23. Provide public access from Newport Shores to Newcastle Beach Park for bicycles and pedestrians only.

Utilities

POLICIES

POLICY S-FA-24. Encourage the undergrounding of utility distribution lines in areas of new development and redevelopment.

POLICY S-FA-25. Provide screened and maintained space for storage and collection of recyclables in commercial and multi-family developments.

Planning District Guidelines

POLICIES

District 1

General Land Use

POLICY S-FA-26. [Repealed, Ordinance 6811]

Community Design

The stand of trees along the ridge of the slope provides an important visual buffer for the residents of Monthaven. Multifamily development should provide a vegetative buffer that includes protection of existing significant trees between the multifamily use and single-family residences. The buffer should be augmented as necessary to provide sufficient screening.

POLICY S-FA-26.5. Retail auto sales are appropriate in OLB districts along SE 36th Street west of the ravine located at about 133rd Avenue SE and east of the Newport Corporate Campus located at 132nd Avenue SE.

POLICY S-FA-27. [Repealed, Ordinance 6811]

District 2

POLICY S-FA-28. Establish design standards for the Factoria commercial area.

District 2 is surrounded by other neighborhoods and serves as a commercial, employment and high-density residential activity center south of I-90.

Both the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update recommend transportation and urban design strategies to create a well-integrated, transit supportive, pedestrian oriented, mixed-use neighborhood in Factoria’s commercial core.

• Well-integrated: Factoria has a wide variety of land uses – employment, retail, single family and multi-family housing, schools – but in many cases these are separated by long distances, busy roads, and steep topography. Geographic separation discourages walking and transit use, as does an uncomfortable pedestrian environment. The Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update recommend guidelines for private redevelopment and identifies public pedestrian projects that together will help to form a more cohesive Factoria neighborhood.
• Transit-supportive: Factoria has a high level of transit service and use. Transit use may increase if riders find it easy and comfortable to walk between transit stops and the buildings. As properties redevelop, buildings should locate closer to the street and provide direct pedestrian connections between the sidewalk and the primary building entrance.
• Pedestrian-oriented: The ability to walk-around comfortably within Factoria is essential to help create a neighborhood feel. Private site redevelopment that incorporates Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS-recommended design guidelines, combined with public sidewalk and street-crossing projects, will help make it easier to get around without a car.
• Mixed-use: Mixed-use structures are those that contain a number of different uses, stacked vertically. Adopted zoning allows for a mixing of uses across much of Factoria’s commercial area. For instance, housing may be constructed atop retail uses. Both the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update encourage greater utilization of this mixed-use potential.

To help achieve the vibrant neighborhood envisioned for Factoria, policies that acknowledge the critical link between land use and transportation should be implemented. The community envisions a network of walkways and design elements connecting the retail uses to residential neighborhoods and other community activity centers.

General Land Use

In 2002, the City Council adopted a Land Use Code Amendment that allowed 51,000 square feet of new retail and 685 residential units on the Factoria Mall site, plus an additional 100,000 square feet of retail development, contingent upon a determination of adequate transportation system capacity through a FATS Update. The FATS Update provides the necessary determination of transportation system adequacy to accommodate the Mall expansion.

POLICY S-FA-29. Utilize vegetation, sensitive site planning and superior building design to integrate multifamily and commercial development with nearby single-family neighborhoods.

POLICY S-FA-30. Allow Factoria Mall redevelopment to include an additional 100,000 square feet of commercial space beyond that provided for in the 2002 Land Use Code Amendments, per the FATS Update.

POLICY S-FA-30.1. Encourage a pattern of office use in the area north of Factoria Mall that is visible from I-90 and contributes to a sense of placethrough application of design review, with particular emphasis on the area’s contribution to Factoria’s pedestrian environment and the area’s “gateway” location to the Factoria commercial center.

POLICY S-FA-30.2. Encourage the development of a community retail node at the north end of Factoria Boulevard through mixed use zoning that supports pedestrian activity and transit service.

POLICY S-FA-30.3. Consider the use of a land use incentive system in office and mixed use areas that incentivizes provision of infrastructure and amenities that offer public benefits through the potential for additional floor area ratio (FAR) and height.

Park, Recreation, and Open Space

POLICY S-FA-31. Provide for open space and recreation needs of residents, workers, and shoppers.

POLICY S-FA-32. Create a series of open spaces and gathering places with visual and walking connections along Factoria Boulevard.

POLICY S-FA-33. Orient open spaces to take advantage of sunshine and territorial views.

POLICY S-FA-34. Provide seating, weather protection, special paving, shade trees, and landscaping.

Utilities

POLICY S-FA-35. Minimize disruptive effects of utility construction on property owners, motorists, and pedestrians.

Critical Areas

POLICY S-FA-36. Minimize erosion damage on slopes to protect downslope properties and stream beds.

Transportation

Transportation recommendations in the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update emphasize multi-modal mobility to guide future public infrastructure investments.

POLICY S-FA-37. Encourage interjurisdictional cooperation among the City of Bellevue, the State, Metro, and Sound Transit on transportation concerns.

POLICY S-FA-38. Ensure that development is conditioned to satisfy future right-of-way, financing, and development standards as identified by the City of Bellevue.

Pedestrian and Bicycle

Pedestrian and bicycle system connectivity, as identified in the adopted Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation Plan, is interrupted by gaps in the planned system. Pedestrian access to transit, employment and retail/services is constrained by inadequate non-motorized facilities on public and private land. The Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update identify improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks, paths, and private walkways that will help fill gaps and increase accessibility.

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POLICY S-FA-39. Enhance connectivity and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the Factoria area.

Transit

Improving transit facilities and services is important to help residents, shoppers, and employees get around Factoria without a car. Investments in transit, together with pedestrian amenities will support Factoria livability and may reduce the long-term need to expand arterial capacity.

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Amenities such as passenger shelters and trash receptacles create a more pleasant environment for transit riders. To serve increasing numbers of transit passengers over time, it may be necessary to enhance facilities. A recommended Factoria

Station transit center on Factoria Boulevard near SE 38th Street would provide for convenient transit access and transfers for the many thousands of employees, residents and shoppers within a mile of this site.

Each day, regional buses pass by Factoria on I-90 and I-405 without providing service to Factoria. Transit freeway stations on I-90 and I-405 with pedestrian connections to the surface streets could capture this transit service for Factoria commuters.

POLICY S-FA-40. Coordinate with Metro to provide passenger shelters, where warranted, at bus stops on Factoria Boulevard.

POLICY S-FA-41. Work with Metro and adjacent property owners to develop a Factoria Station transit center at a location on Factoria Boulevard that is convenient to employees, residents and shoppers.

POLICY S-FA-42. Work with Metro and Sound Transit to develop freeway stations on I-90 and I-405 to serve Factoria employees, residents and shoppers.

Roadways

A number of new projects were identified in the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update to improve traffic safety and traffic flow on arterials and to enhance access to the adjacent private parcels and to freeways. These recommended projects are catalogued and mapped in the East Bellevue Transportation Plan.

POLICY S-FA-43. Maintain the adopted vehicular level of service on Factoria arterials, utilizing roadway projects recommended by the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update.

Circulation and site access

Multiple driveways and limited connections between sites exacerbate vehicular congestion and conflicts with pedestrians. Each driveway onto an arterial creates a site for potential vehicular/pedestrian conflicts. From both a traffic safety and pedestrian safety standpoint, the fewer driveways along an arterial, the better.

Many parcels along Factoria Boulevard have more than one driveway. This pattern was developed when automobile mobility was considered one of the most important objectives. The resulting proliferation of driveways has resulted in just the opposite effect, congestion on the arterial that links all the businesses. With increased land development and better transit service, there are more pedestrians using the sidewalks. At each driveway, a motorist must watch for both pedestrians and other automobiles, but sometimes one or the other is missed, resulting in an accident.

The FATS Update recommends a long-term strategy to reduce the number of driveways and to enhance circulation along the commercial corridor. This strategy involves two parts: consolidating driveway access points; and providing greater circulation between parcels.

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This photograph of the multiple curb cuts on a portion of Factoria Boulevard, north of SE 38th Street, illustrates the dominance of the automobile. The diagram at right suggests multiple businesses consolidating curb cut access points (red) and installing pedestrian connections (blue) between the three businesses and the sidewalk.

As redevelopment occurs, or as city projects improve adjacent arterials, a parcel with multiple driveway would be required to consolidate access points. Further, when opportunities arise, the city could encourage adjacent property owners to combine and share driveways. An important part of this strategy involves creating off-street connections between parcels so that a customer, whether in a vehicle or on foot, could move along the corridor to patronize different businesses, without having to enter the arterial. Driveway design that incorporates traffic calming would keep arterial bypass traffic to a minimum and create a pleasant pedestrian environment.

POLICY S-FA-44. Consolidate curb cuts/driveways as redevelopment occurs or when public arterial improvements are planned.

POLICY S-FA-45. Encourage adjacent parcels to develop shared driveways to reduce the overall numbers of driveways along the arterial.

POLICY S-FA-46. Provide non-arterial pedestrian and vehicular circulation both between and within commercial parcels.

Boulevards

Factoria Boulevard is designated as a “Boulevard” in the Urban Design Element. Both within the right-of-way and on adjacent private development, a boulevard incorporates design features such as gateways, street trees, colorful plantings,

landscaped medians, special lighting, separated and wider sidewalks, prominent crosswalk paving, seating, special signs, and public art.

POLICY S-FA-47. Establish Factoria Boulevard arterial streetscape standards for tree planting, pedestrian lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks, and other urban design elements to be applied when private property redevelops or public projects are implemented.

Gateways

Visitors arriving at Factoria use three major routes: south on Factoria Boulevard at I-90, north on Factoria Boulevard at Coal Creek Parkway, or north on 124th Ave SE. at Coal Creek Parkway. Gateway designs for these entry points into Factoria should be provided to mark the transition into this special neighborhood and reinforce the Factoria identity. Street tree plantings; pedestrian scale lights, public art, district identification signs and banner poles; landmark features and wayfinding devices; and building placement should be considered at each of these “gateways”. A gateway can be dramatic and obvious, sometimes including non-commercial signs, art, structures, and unique lighting. It can also be subtle, using signs, a change in plant material or paving surface.

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As drivers approach the Factoria area from the south (left photograph) or from the north (right photograph), urban design elements can be provided to mark the arrival into the Factoria area. These “gateway” features can reinforce the image of Factoria as a neighborhood. The arrival into Factoria can be marked using special banners on light poles, landscape features, buildings and other elements.

POLICY S-FA-48. Establish gateway design standards and guidelines to create a welcoming experience for pedestrians and motorists at the Factoria entry points on Factoria Boulevard. Apply these standards when private property redevelops and when public projects are implemented.

POLICY S-FA-49. In partnership with adjacent property owners, take incremental steps to create mixed-use gateways and urban focal points at the following intersections along Factoria Boulevard:

• SE 37th Place / Factoria Village entrance;
• SE 38th Street;
• SE 40th Lane / Factoria Mall entrance; and
• SE 41st Place

Incorporate infrastructure improvements and implement design guidelines that will enhance pedestrian crossings (respecting the significant traffic volumes and multiple turning movements at these intersections), improve transit amenities, and develop an active building frontage along Factoria Boulevard with direct pedestrian routes to retail storefronts from the public sidewalk and weather protection for pedestrians.

Community Design – I-90 Corridor

POLICY S-FA-50. Apply design review for commercial, office, and mixed use development that promote pedestrian-friendly design, ensure quality and a sense of permanence, promote environmental sustainability, and create a distinct sense of place.

POLICY S-FA-51. Reinforce a sense of place that reflects the area's location on the Mountains to Sound Greenway and emphasizes the emerging urban character of the Eastgate I-90 corridor by encouraging building and site design that includes visibly recognizable natural features such as green walls, façade treatments, green roofs, and abundant natural landscaping.

POLICY S-FA-52. Promote the feeling of a city in a park through development regulations that retain wooded greenbelts to provide a green backdrop for office and commercial uses and naturally buffer less intense development.

Community Design – Factoria Boulevard

In 2002, the City Council adopted zoning and design guidelines specifically applicable to redevelopment of the Factoria Mall site. This is the F-1 zoning district, where the Factoria TownSquare Design Guidelines are applicable. The Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update recognize that many components of these guidelines are also applicable to the commercial corridor along Factoria Boulevard.

The F-1 design guidelines are intended to achieve for the Factoria Mall site what the Eastgate/I-90 project and the FATS Update recommend for the Factoria Boulevard commercial corridor – that is, a mix of transportation and land use projects that create a more walkable urban environment.

Implementing F-1 urban design guidelines on the Factoria Mall site and the Eastgate/I-90 LUTP and the FATS Update specific guidelines elsewhere on the

Factoria Boulevard commercial corridor, would transform the corridor from an auto-oriented strip to a commercial corridor that has a greater orientation toward pedestrians.

To supplement the Urban Design Element of the Comprehensive Plan, and the guidelines of the Community Retail Design District, specific urban design guidance for redevelopment of Community Business-zoned properties along Factoria Boulevard should include the following key elements:

• Building placement
• Parking location
• Pedestrian environment

POLICY S-FA-53. Develop and implement design guidelines, to supplement the Community Retail Design District guidelines applicable to new development and redevelopment on commercial sites along Factoria Boulevard.

Building Placement

To create a walkable environment in an urban, commercial setting, the relationships between the buildings and the public sidewalks deserve considerable attention. In such an environment, buildings are located close to or adjacent to the right-of-way, and they are designed to invite pedestrians to the front door.

Factoria Boulevard’s walkability is currently challenged by a land use pattern that generally favors automobiles over pedestrians. In Factoria, many buildings are situated at the rear of the lot. Seldom can one walk directly from the sidewalk to the building entry without encountering moving vehicles, a maze of parked cars, high curbs, and overgrown vegetation. Since everyone is a pedestrian at some point in their journey to a store’s front door, it is both good public policy and good business, to make the front door accessible to all.

In the Community Business zoning area, Land Use Code regulations require no minimum front-yard setback, and the F-1 zoning calls for a minimum 15-foot setback from the right-of-way along Factoria Boulevard. To facilitate pedestrian activity, the city could establish a maximum building setback along Factoria Boulevard for the Community Business zoning designation. Site design should include an accessible walkway to a weather-protected main entrance, and parking that is located on the side or rear of the building, or perhaps underneath it.

POLICY S-FA-54. Consider establishing a maximum building setback from the right-of-way for structures along the Factoria Boulevard commercial corridor.

POLICY S-FA-55. Allow buildings to abut the Factoria Boulevard public right-of-way, so long as there is adequate space for the arterial sidewalks.

POLICY S-FA-56. Provide building-mounted weather protection for pedestrians.

POLICY S-FA-57. Provide prominent, easily identifiable pedestrian entries to individual storefront businesses.

POLICY S-FA-58. Incorporate high quality and pedestrian-scaled materials on building facades along public sidewalks and interior walkways.

Parking Location

The FATS Update recommends site planning that locates parking either behind the building or on the side of the building. If parking is located behind the building, then a driveway with directional signage would be incorporated into the site plan. If parking is located on the side of building, and thus adjacent to the sidewalk, then a visual screen/physical barrier between the parking lot and the sidewalk is appropriate.

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These diagrams illustrate the existing building/sidewalk/street relationship in Factoria (left) and a more walkable urban design configuration (right). The first diagram illustrates buildings set back from the street, with the parking in front. Pedestrians must traverse the parking lot to access the businesses. Each business has its own curb cut and parking inventory. The second diagram illustrates buildings adjacent to the sidewalk, with shared parking behind.

As walking and transit use grow, and an increasing number of customers arrive to businesses on foot, it may be possible to reduce the amount of parking required. The FATS Update recommends studying reducing the minimum parking requirement if the site is adjacent to transit service and if the development includes amenities that foster transit use and pedestrian activity.

POLICY S-FA-59. Locate and design buildings and parking such that there is a direct pedestrian connection between the public sidewalk and the primary building entrance.

POLICY S-FA-60. Explore providing incentives to developers on the Factoria Boulevard commercial corridor to build underground parking that would enhance the pedestrian orientation of a site.

POLICY S-FA-61. Use shared parking and provide accessible pedestrian linkages across adjacent sites.

POLICY S-FA-62. Design surface parking lots so that they are not located between the building entrance and the public sidewalk along Factoria Boulevard, unless there is a direct accessible pedestrian connection through the parking lot.

Pedestrian Environment

Sidewalk design should include a “buffer zone” along the curb that consists of items such as street trees, planting strips, kiosks, street furniture, pedestrian scale lights or signage. This buffer zone separates moving cars from pedestrians. Along the sidewalks, pedestrian scale/style lighting should augment the high intensity lights that

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This illustration of a future, “walkable” Factoria illustrates the use of parking access streets between buildings that are located along Factoria Boulevard. These streets provide drivers with an indication that parking is available in front of stores, and provides a route to the parking behind buildings. With a double loaded parking configuration, these buildings should be 75-80 feet apart.

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Streetscape design principles for a “walkable Factoria”

illuminate the street for traffic.

Curbside parking should be provided where possible. While this is not a solution for Factoria Boulevard, pedestrians on other adjacent streets would benefit from this parking configuration.

Sidewalk width should be proportionate to anticipated pedestrian flows, which means that sidewalk should be wider than the standard at transit service points.

A pedestrian-oriented business district can be created when open spaces are incorporated into the site design. Public plazas invite relaxation, informal gatherings, and provide visual contrast to the buildings. Wide sidewalks provide for outdoor seating areas adjacent to restaurants and cafes and increase opportunities for business activity when the weather is nice. Whether as an expansion of the sidewalk or a plaza that extends away from the street, partial enclosure by buildings, landscaping, and/or street furniture will create comfortable public places. These spaces may be large and elaborate, or small and discrete. The design of a plaza should include good pedestrian circulation and active ground floor uses in the adjacent buildings. Buildings should provide weather protection using storefront awnings.

POLICY S-FA-63. Establish design guidelines to create plazas and other quasi-public spaces when private properties along Factoria Boulevard redevelop to allow space for outside activities including café seating.

POLICY S-FA-64. Provide pedestrian – scale lighting along Factoria Boulevard sidewalks and along on-site walkways.

POLICY S-FA-65. Provide sidewalks along Factoria Boulevard that in places may be wider than the City’s standard 12-foot wide arterial sidewalk to comfortably accommodate pedestrians adjacent to this busy arterial, especially near transit stops.

POLICY S-FA-66. Enhance pedestrian amenities along 124th Avenue S.E., 128th Avenue S.E., S.E. 38th Street, and S.E. 41st Street.

POLICY S-FA-67. Encourage the coordination of amenities and development of bike racks and pedestrian shelters in key locations.

POLICY S-FA-68. Encourage the use of landscaping that will serve as physical and visual buffers between pedestrians and parking areas.

The details of pedestrian infrastructure can often make or break a neighborhood’s walkability. To minimize street crossing distances for pedestrians, curb bulbs could be installed where pedestrian flows warrant and traffic patterns allow. Crosswalks at

controlled intersections could be constructed with special pavement to highlight the area as a pedestrian zone.

At certain intersections where high volumes of pedestrians and vehicles converge, the installation of countdown signals can provide some measure of certainty for pedestrians wary of a signal that they think may change too fast.

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This diagram illustrates the potential of a pedestrian bridge across Factoria Boulevard and integrated with new development on both sides of the street. By using the topography that rises to the office development on the east side of Factoria Boulevard, the pedestrian flow can easily cross the right of way.

In some locations, crosswalk enhancements and pedestrian activity may not be compatible with a roadway’s primary mission to move vehicles. In this situation, a grade-separated pedestrian crossing may be warranted. A decision to build a pedestrian bridge or tunnel should consider factors such as topography; accidents; volumes of pedestrians and vehicles; safety for pedestrians; origins and destinations; opportunities to create an urban focal point or gateway; and/or opportunities for partnerships between the city, adjacent property owners, and transit agencies.

The design of a pedestrian bridge should be both distinctive and graceful, providing convenient pedestrian access while enhancing the streetscape. Design components of a pedestrian bridge should include visible and easily accessible connections with the sidewalks, and architectural characteristics that are perceived as part of the public right-of-way and are distinct from adjacent buildings. Weather protection is desirable but should not isolate pedestrians from the right-of-way below.

A comprehensive graphic system of information and wayfinding can help residents

and visitors alike get around in Factoria without a car. Wayfinding signage can be implemented by the city on public land, and by private developers with large sites (Factoria Mall, Factoria Village). A Factoria walking map could show the major access points to neighborhoods, regional trails, and transit service, as well as the shortest way on foot to a bus stop or to a favorite restaurant.

POLICY S-FA-69. Enhance pedestrian crossings of Factoria Boulevard and other Factoria area arterials, considering such methods as: installing special paving types or markings; providing longer pedestrian signal phases; extending curbs; installing countdown signals; or providing pedestrian refuge islands.

POLICY S-FA-70. A pedestrian bridge may be appropriate over Factoria Boulevard at SE 38th Street, provided there is a clear demonstration of public benefit and design criteria are fully met.

POLICY S-FA-71. Develop and implement a wayfinding system to guide pedestrians to attractions in the Factoria area.

POLICY S-FA-72. Provide pedestrian-oriented storefront signage.

POLICY S-FA-73. Consolidate commercial signs to a single structure and limit their size. Apply Bellevue’s Sign Code and amortization program for nonconforming signs.

Figure S-FA.1 Factoria Planning Districts

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