Bellevue City Council Regular Meeting on September 9, 2025

The Bellevue City Council met on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers to discuss a range of items including proclamations, public comments, consent calendar approvals, boundary line adjustments with Kirkland, a progress report on the 2025 Economic Development Plan, and proposed changes to council rules and board/commission term limits. The meeting included multiple votes and discussions on key community issues.

Proclamations

• Eastside Welcoming Week (September 12–21, 2025): Councilmember Lee read a proclamation highlighting the contributions of immigrants and refugees; 37% of East King County residents are foreign-born, 40% speak a language other than English at home, and 36% of new businesses are immigrant-owned. Samuel Rodriguez accepted the proclamation.
• Hunger Action and Awareness Month (September 2025): Councilmember Bargava read a proclamation noting that approximately one in four school-aged children in Bellevue experience food insecurity. Philip Peters (Executive Director, Renewal Food Bank) and Regina Gupta (Development and PR Manager) accepted, stating that Renewal serves about 500 families (1,500 people) weekly and never turns anyone away.
• National Service Dog Month (September 2025): Councilmember Newenhouse read a proclamation recognizing the role of service dogs; only about 16,000 service dogs are trained through accredited programs nationwide. Hennessy Owensby and service dog Kevin V accepted.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Keith Goodman (virtual): Expressed support for public transportation and requested the restoration of Route 226 along North Up Way and Northeast Eighth Street, which was eliminated on September 1, 2025, after at least two decades. He noted that residents in Lockmore, Bretonwood, and Tamishanter now face a 20–30 minute uphill walk to the nearest bus stop.
• Sue Mercer: Raised concerns about parking, potholes, traffic lights, mental health, construction permits, and water waste. She opposed bike lanes that eliminate parking, specifically between Southeast 16th and Southeast 20th on 156th Avenue.
• Heidi Dean: Accused city staff of “gaslighting” behavior during the HOMA virtual info session, stating that staff denied documented lack of outreach despite a Planning Commission directive for additional engagement. She urged the Council to address this disrespectful treatment of residents and businesses.
• Alex Zimmerman: Strongly opposed the proposed changes to council rules (agenda item 25-559), comparing the exclusion rules to Nazi Germany and fascism. He claimed the rules target him personally and threatened legal action. He expressed support for President Trump and a “new American revolution.”
• Joe Kunzler (virtual): Condemned Zimmerman’s Nazi references, stated he absolutely supports updating the rules to exclude individuals like Zimmerman from commissions, and urged a one-year exclusion period. He noted that the Jewish president of Redmond had excluded Zimmerman for six months.

Consent Calendar

• Approved unanimously by voice vote. Items included:
  • Approval of minutes from July 22, 2025, and August 4, 2025 meetings.
  • Payment of claims and payroll for July 2025.
  • Rejection of a bid protest from Active Construction, Inc. and award of Bid No. 25022 (Northwest Bellevue Walkways and Safety Improvement Project) to Pivetta Brothers Construction, not to exceed $7,250,166.10.
  • Award of Bid No. 25062 (On-Call Asphalt & Concrete Repair Contract) to AA Asphalting, LLC, for a three-year contract not to exceed $1,728,425.
  • Resolution 10532: Purchase of one replacement fire engine from Hughes Fire Equipment, Inc., not to exceed $1,458,926.
  • Ordinance 6857: Accept additional $69,000 in Federal Transit Administration CMAQ funds for Transportation Demand Management programs (increasing total from $500,000 to $569,000).
  • Resolution 10533: Accept $397,601 from the Washington State Department of Ecology for the Kelsey Creek Regional Detention Facilities Retrofit Study.

Appointment to Transportation Commission

• Councilmember Newenhouse nominated Anthony Welcher to a full term on the Transportation Commission expiring May 31, 2029. The Council approved the appointment by voice vote.

Boundary Line Adjustments with Kirkland

• Staff presented three resolutions to adjust the boundary between Bellevue and Kirkland to streamline permitting for the South Kirkland Park and Ride (light rail station planned by Sound Transit with a delivery target of 2041–2044), the Cross Kirkland Corridor trail, and the intersection of NE 38th Place and 108th Avenue NE. No population or tax revenue changes are involved. The City of Kirkland had already approved the adjustments on July 15, 2025. Bellevue will retain a “meaningful and substantial role” in permitting decisions via an interagency agreement, including a voting member on future planning committees and 90-day notice before permitting decisions.
• Councilmember Bargava clarified that the interagency agreement applies only to the South Kirkland Park and Ride and Cross Kirkland Corridor, not the intersection parcel. Councilmember Lee confirmed no residents are affected.
• Votes: All three resolutions passed unanimously by voice vote.
  • Resolution 10534 (South Kirkland Park and Ride): Approved.
  • Resolution 10535 (Cross Kirkland Corridor): Approved.
  • Resolution 10536 (Intersection parcel): Approved.

Study Session: 2025 Economic Development Plan Progress Report

• Staff presented data analysis and community engagement findings. Key statistics:
  • Bellevue has added many jobs over two decades, but the number of people who both live and work in Bellevue remains flat at about 15,000.
  • The comprehensive plan targets 70,000 additional jobs by 2044; annual job growth must double from the recent rate of 0.83% to 1.7%.
  • Small businesses consistently make up about 21% of total employment.
  • Office vacancy: Downtown Bellevue projected to return to ~10% (healthy); Eastgate and Factoria projected to remain at ~42%.
  • Bellevue’s economy is more diversified than three of five peer cities.
  • Community engagement included 1,900 input elements from focus groups, interviews, and surveys. Stakeholders identified strengths (high quality of life, growth potential, location) and challenges (high cost of living/doing business, legislative/regulatory environment, permitting delays).
• Councilmember Lee emphasized economic development as top priority and asked about specific small business support and office vacancy reduction. Staff noted programs like small business walks, Startup 425, and lead generation consultants.
• Councilmember Newenhouse expressed grave concern about the state’s tax competitiveness (Bellevue moved from top 10 to bottom five nationally in 2023) and permitting difficulties for small businesses. She called for a hyper-focus on permitting reform.
• Councilmember Hamilton asked about displacement of small businesses during redevelopment, benchmarking against regional peers, and revenue source analysis. She requested a list of specific council actions for the January retreat.
• Councilmember Sumadaweria noted the paradox of success (strong growth but affordability challenges) and the opportunity from the I-90 light rail for Eastgate/Factoria. He requested data on small business demographics and a matrix for permitting turnaround times.
• Deputy Mayor Malakoutian urged making Bellevue “hip” with late-night activity, an AI task force, and stronger partnerships with Bellevue College. He stressed that 90% of jobs are filled by commuters, impacting traffic and environmental goals.
• Councilmember Bargava called for more tactical diversification strategies, incubation space, and access to capital for small businesses, along with a clear economic development brand.
• Mayor Robinson validated six points from the report, including preserving neighborhood character (especially Old Bellevue), increasing live-work opportunities, supporting the Grand Connection, investing in arts, speeding up permitting, and valuing high quality of life. She asked how job growth will be prioritized.
• No vote was taken; staff will return with draft strategies on October 7, an implementation plan in November, and target adoption in December 2025.

Study Session: Changes to Council Rules and Board/Commission Term Limits

• Staff proposed two changes:
  1. Exclusion period: Increase the maximum exclusion from meetings from 60 to 180 days, and update the appeal processing timeline to allow at least three business days for staff preparation.
  2. Term limits: Limit service on any council advisory board or commission to two consecutive terms (total, across all six boards), followed by a mandatory two-year break. Partial terms of less than two years do not count.
• Deputy Mayor Malakoutian suggested a tiered system with clear criteria for different exclusion lengths, arguing that 180 days with no guidelines is arbitrary. Councilmember Bargava supported a framework for transparency and equity. Councilmember Sumadaweria shared personal experiences of feeling unsafe and emphasized the need for clear rules to protect everyone.
• Mayor Robinson and Councilmember Newenhouse opposed rigid tiers, noting the difficulty of defining offenses and the discretion needed for unique situations. Councilmember Hamilton noted that existing guardrails (detailed rationale, warning, appeal) are sufficient and 60 days is often inadequate.
• Councilmember Lee raised concerns about volunteer board/commission chairs having to make exclusion decisions, suggesting they need legal counsel and guidelines.
• Votes:
  • Motion to direct staff to prepare a resolution and ordinance updating council rules and board/commission bylaws to increase the maximum exclusion period to 180 days and update appeal timing: Approved by voice vote (with Councilmember Bargava voting in favor after clarification).
  • Motion to direct staff to prepare an ordinance implementing the two-consecutive-term limit across all council advisory boards and commissions: Approved by voice vote.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Calendar approved unanimously.
• Anthony Welcher appointed to Transportation Commission.
• Three boundary line adjustments with Kirkland (Resolutions 10534, 10535, 10536) all approved unanimously.
• Economic Development Plan update: staff to return with draft strategies on October 7, 2025, implementation plan in November, and adoption target in December 2025.
• Council rules: staff directed to prepare legislation to increase the maximum exclusion period to 180 days and update appeal timing.
• Board/commission term limits: staff directed to prepare an ordinance to limit service to two consecutive terms across all council advisory boards and commissions.
• The meeting was adjourned after the study session items.