OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bellevue City Council Meeting Summary - October 21, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, October 21, 2025
BodyBellevue, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, October 21, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:52:10

Transcript — Verbatim
1:03

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Bellevue City Council meeting for October 24th, the 21st, 2025.

1:11

Before we begin, we're going to have public comment tonight, and I'm going to ask that there be no signs raised up that blocks people's views.

1:18

I will warn you and I will call you out on it.

1:21

I also asked that people speak with nice language and be polite.

1:25

I know it's possible.

1:26

We're a very intelligent community, and so I encourage us all to speak civilly to each other while we express our own individual opinions about things.

1:40

Thank you.

1:40

Mayor Robinson?

1:41

Here.

1:41

Deputy Mayor Malikuti.

1:43

Councilmember Barkaba.

1:44

Here.

1:45

Councilmember Hamilton.

1:46

Here.

1:47

Councilmember Lee?

1:48

Yeah.

1:48

Councilmember Newman House.

1:49

Here.

1:50

Councilmember Sumadowaria.

1:52

Thank you.

1:52

Councilmember Suma DeWerria, could you please lead us in the flag salute?

2:02

And to the Republic for which it stands.

2:05

One nation undergo indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

2:13

Sir motion to approve the agenda.

2:16

I move to approve the agenda.

2:18

Second.

2:18

All those in favor say aye.

2:20

Aye.

2:21

Any opposed?

2:22

Okay.

2:23

Who do we have signed up for oral communications, please?

2:27

Thank you, Mayor.

2:28

Uh, this evening there are eight pre-registered speakers on our list.

2:31

So before I start calling names, I'll go over a few of the rules that council has in place.

2:35

So the total time for oral communications is not for a period to exceed 30 minutes, and all topics must relate to City of Bellevue government.

2:43

People speaking to items on tonight's agenda will be called first, and then if time remains, people speaking to items not on tonight's agenda will be called in both of those categories.

2:53

The presiding officer is authorized to give reference to those who have not spoken to council within the last 60 days, or to those who will be speaking on topics that will come in front of the council within the next 60 days.

3:05

Each speaker is allowed to speak up to three minutes, and only three speakers are allowed to speak to any one side of a particular topic.

3:12

And I want to remind everyone that also in compliance with Washington State campaign laws regarding the use of public facilities during elections.

3:19

No speaker may support or oppose a ballot measure or support or oppose a candidate for election, and that includes one's own campaign.

3:27

Any speaker beginning to speak on those topics will be asked to stop.

3:31

And with that, I'll call our first speaker who is Jesse Clausen, who I believe I see oh, okay.

3:37

She is here.

4:14

Right now, we have 2,158 residential units either submitted for permit or very close to it in the Wilverton sub-area.

4:24

That's including pre-ops and applications.

4:26

That's an incredible amount of housing.

4:29

Of those, 368 are affordable units, and that's not even counting Bellweather's project on city property, which is separate.

4:47

For context, there are only 253 MFTE units total currently online in all of Bellevue today.

4:54

That means Wilburton alone under the supercharger is producing more affordable units than the rest of the city combined.

5:01

To me, this says two things.

5:03

First, the supercharger works.

5:06

If the city wants market rate developers to provide affordable housing, the best way to do that is through meaningful incentives like this.

5:13

As the city considers mandatory affordable housing through HOMA, you'll be looking at that in December.

5:19

It should also consider a citywide supercharger to balance those requirements with opportunity.

5:25

Second, we should ensure that MFTE program can reach its full potential.

5:30

The 12-year extension needs to be on the table.

5:32

It needs to be on the table now.

5:34

That would allow all of those 368 units to remain affordable for 24 instead of 12 years.

5:42

And it gives developers the certainty they need when financing or refinancing.

5:47

There is no downside to the city to including it now.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Procedural█████7%
Parks and Recreation████6%
Community Engagement████6%
Public Safety██3%
Public Engagement█2%
Human Services█2%
Fiscal Sustainability█2%
Land Use and Zoning█2%
Summary of Proceedings

Bellevue City Council Meeting Summary - October 21, 2025

The Bellevue City Council convened to address the 2025 Affordable Housing Strategy update and proposed modifications to the Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) program. The meeting featured significant public testimony regarding the MFTE program, the Bellevue College Parent Education Program, and regional housing policies. Council deliberations focused on balancing housing production targets with affordability levels, fiscal impacts, and the specific mechanisms needed to achieve a 5,700-unit target over the next decade. The Council also celebrated the Parks and Community Services Department achieving perfect re-accreditation scores.

Consent Calendar

  • The Council unanimously approved the consent calendar to approve the agenda and the Parks and Community Services Department's perfect re-accreditation status.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jesse Clausen (Developer Representative): Expressed full support for extending the MFTE program's 12-year exemption to 24 years (via a new extension option) and advocated for a citywide "supercharger" program to balance mandatory housing requirements with incentives.
  • Valentina Veniva (Community Facilitator): Expressed concern regarding affordable housing without supporting services; argued that affordability extends beyond unit count to require access to transit, groceries, medical services, and community spaces for immigrants.
  • Jodi Alberts (Bellevue Chamber of Commerce): Expressed strong support for a 12-year MFTE extension and proposed removal of the parking subsidy requirement near high-frequency transit, viewing the current policy as outdated.
  • Sahara Amini (Habitat for Humanity): Expressed full support for a two-to-four-year look back, a 20-year homeownership extension, citywide MFTE for conversions, and the Wilburton supercharger, provided it is part of a comprehensive system.
  • Annika Zimbrunin (Parent): Expressed deep concern and opposition to the proposed budget elimination of the Bellevue College Parent Education Program, calling it a cornerstone of the community.
  • Pamela Johnston: Expressed support for sending the public benefits waiting list system issues back to King County for system improvements.
  • Joe Kunsler: Expressed opposition to the conduct of a former local politician and called for his exclusion from council proceedings.
  • Alex Zimmerman: Expressed extreme opposition, using inflammatory rhetoric (including terms like "Nazi fascist junta" and "killer") to critique local government officials and transportation fatality rates; was asked to cease disrupting the meeting.

Discussion Items

2025 Affordable Housing Strategy Update

  • Staff Presentation: Director Bianca Siegel and Senior Planner Hannah Bondmiller presented a strategy to meet a newly set 10-year target of 5,700 affordable units. A gap analysis indicated that current tools only project 3,700 units (approx. 65% of the goal), with a significant deficit in units below 50% AMI.
  • Councilmember Lee: Expressed concern that current outreach failed to reach decision-makers in immigrant families; urged ensuring input is accurate and actionable before adopting the strategy in January.
  • Councilmember Hamilton: Asked for examples of leveraging city resources and requested time to review the detailed plan before implementation.
  • Councilmember Bargada: Highlighted the need to clarify trade-offs between increasing total unit counts versus achieving deeper affordability levels (sub-50% AMI).
  • Councilmember Newman House: Requested transparency on the 25 organizations involved in engagement and asked for specific details on the internal processes required to expedite housing acquisition.
  • Councilmember Sumadouria: Emphasized the need for intentional engagement of renters, youth, and underserved workers, suggesting workforce development ties to construction trades.
  • Deputy Mayor Malikuti: Questioned the tone shift regarding the feasibility of the 5,700-unit target; requested metrics tracking homeownership by demographic categories to address housing equity.

Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) Update

  • Staff Presentation: Staff recommended adopting a 20-year homeownership program and extending MFTE to conversion projects citywide. They recommended a "supercharger" policy (allowing unit stacking without deeper affordability) only for the Wilburton district with a four-year look-back, alongside a new eight-year MFTE option to encourage deeper affordability. They declined to recommend a 12-year extension at this time due to insufficient data on long-term benefits.
  • Councilmember Hamilton: Expressed strong support for the supercharger in Wilburton but argued for a faster review period (catalyst-based) and questioned why the program is restricted to Wilburton given the housing crisis. Also requested exploring apprenticeship program linkages, though staff noted the current program is for public works.
  • Councilmember Bargada: Supported the supercharger in Wilburton and the 20-year homeownership option. Supported the 8-year option for flexibility. Expressed strong support for a citywide extension of the supercharger model coupled with mandatory affordability, though staff noted this is currently limited to Wilburton due to fiscal balances.
  • Councilmember Hamilton (Rebuttal/Clarification): Reiterated support for the 12-year extension, arguing it preserves units cost-effectively. Suggested setting deeper AMI levels for the extension if adopted.
  • Councilmember Lee: Stated support for the 20-year homeownership and conversion projects citywide. Expressed conditional support for the 12-year extension and the 8-year option, emphasizing that the program must remain an incentive that developers accept, with a flexible review schedule if market conditions change.

Key Outcomes

  • Agreement on Next Steps: The Council voted to bring back draft code language for the MFTE updates at the next study session on December 2nd. There is no final vote tonight; discussions are informational and for staff refinement.
  • Data Verification: Council requested staff follow up to verify the specific statistics (2,158 units, 368 affordable units) cited by public speaker Jesse Clausen regarding Wilburton development.
  • Research Required: Staff were directed to provide further details on the fiscal implications of the supercharger versus the 8-year option, the metrics for measuring the new program's performance, and the potential for including workforce development elements in future housing strategies.
  • Outreach Review: The Council acknowledged the successful use of community facilitators and requested a list of the 25 organizations that participated in the Affordable Housing Strategy engagement for transparency.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Bellevue City Council meeting for October 24th, the 21st, 2025. Before we begin, we're going to have public comment tonight, and I'm going to ask that there be no signs raised up that blocks people's views. I will warn you and I will call you out on it. I also asked that people speak with nice language and be polite. I know it's possible. We're a very intelligent community, and so I encourage us all to speak civilly to each other while we express our own individual opinions about things. Thank you. Mayor Robinson? Here. Deputy Mayor Malikuti. Councilmember Barkaba. Here. Councilmember Hamilton. Here. Councilmember Lee? Yeah. Councilmember Newman House. Here. Councilmember Sumadowaria. Thank you. Councilmember Suma DeWerria, could you please lead us in the flag salute? And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation undergo indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Sir motion to approve the agenda. I move to approve the agenda. Second. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Okay. Who do we have signed up for oral communications, please? Thank you, Mayor. Uh, this evening there are eight pre-registered speakers on our list. So before I start calling names, I'll go over a few of the rules that council has in place. So the total time for oral communications is not for a period to exceed 30 minutes, and all topics must relate to City of Bellevue government. People speaking to items on tonight's agenda will be called first, and then if time remains, people speaking to items not on tonight's agenda will be called in both of those categories. The presiding officer is authorized to give reference to those who have not spoken to council within the last 60 days, or to those who will be speaking on topics that will come in front of the council within the next 60 days. Each speaker is allowed to speak up to three minutes, and only three speakers are allowed to speak to any one side of a particular topic. And I want to remind everyone that also in compliance with Washington State campaign laws regarding the use of public facilities during elections. No speaker may support or oppose a ballot measure or support or oppose a candidate for election, and that includes one's own campaign. Any speaker beginning to speak on those topics will be asked to stop. And with that, I'll call our first speaker who is Jesse Clausen, who I believe I see oh, okay. She is here. Right now, we have 2,158 residential units either submitted for permit or very close to it in the Wilverton sub-area. That's including pre-ops and applications. That's an incredible amount of housing. Of those, 368 are affordable units, and that's not even counting Bellweather's project on city property, which is separate. For context, there are only 253 MFTE units total currently online in all of Bellevue today. That means Wilburton alone under the supercharger is producing more affordable units than the rest of the city combined. To me, this says two things.

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