OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

June 2, 2026 Bellevue Parks Board: Naming, Neighborhood Plans, Farewells

City Council — Tuesday, June 2, 2026
BodyBellevue, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, June 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:11:27
Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening and welcome to the May Parks and Community Services Board meeting.

0:06

Eileen is absent today.

0:08

Otherwise, everyone else is here.

0:10

We are at quorum, and so this meeting is now called to order.

0:14

Is there a motion to approve tonight's agenda?

0:18

I move to approve tonight's agenda.

0:20

Thank you.

0:21

Is there a second?

0:25

Second.

0:26

Thank you.

0:27

Let's vote.

0:28

All in favor to approve tonight's agenda, say aye.

0:31

Aye.

0:33

Any opposed, say no.

0:37

The agenda is approved unanimously.

0:41

Next up, is there a motion to approve the April 2026 meeting minutes?

0:48

So moved.

0:49

Thank you.

0:50

Is there a second?

0:53

Oh, second.

0:55

Thank you, Eric.

0:56

All right, let's vote.

0:58

All in favor to approve the April 2026 meeting minutes.

1:02

Uh say aye.

1:03

Aye.

1:05

Any opposed, say no.

1:09

All right.

1:10

The minutes are unanimously approved.

1:13

All right, next up is oral communications.

1:16

The Parks and Community Services Board values community input and looks forward to hearing from you during its meeting.

1:22

Please be aware that in compliance with Washington state campaign laws regarding the use of public facilities during an election.

1:28

No speaker may support or oppose a ballot measure or support or oppose a candidate for an election, which includes your own campaign.

1:35

Any speaker who begins discussing topics of this nature will be asked to stop.

1:40

There are rules adopted by the city council limiting the topics about which the public may speak during our meetings.

1:46

Under ordinance 6752, the public may only speak during public comment about subject matters that are related to City of Bellevue government and are within the power and duties of the Parks and Community Services Board.

1:58

Following the board's bylaws, the total time allowed for oral communications shall not exceed 30 minutes.

2:04

Each speaker will be allowed to speak one time for up to three minutes.

2:08

We will follow the order in which individuals signed up.

2:11

If you do not get a chance to speak this evening, you're always invited to email your comments to us at Parkboard at Bellevue.gov.

2:18

So now I'll turn it over to Ryan, who will read names from the online and in-person sign-in sheet.

2:24

Thank you, Chair.

2:26

We have three pre-registered speakers this evening.

2:29

Excuse me.

2:31

And there's also one written communication that I'll get to after those three.

2:36

Yeah.

2:37

So our first speaker this evening is Amy Hirataka.

2:47

Yes.

2:53

Hi, and thank you for your time this evening.

2:55

My name is Amy Hirotaka.

2:57

I am a fourth-generation Japanese American Yonsei.

3:00

My great-grandparents and grandparents were farmers in Bellevue and returned some years after the war.

3:05

My father graduated from Smanish High School here in Bellevue.

3:09

And except for their incarceration at Pine Dale and Thule Lake and the time directly following, my family has lived and worked in this region for over a century.

3:17

I'm here tonight representing ESON Bellevue, a community-based nonprofit organization.

3:22

We celebrate the history and resilience of the Japanese American community in Bellevue through place-based art installations and historical markers of remembrance.

3:30

Our purpose is to increase knowledge and understanding of the agricultural history and contributions of Japanese Americans in Bellevue and the surrounding areas to share the impact that racism and incarceration had on this once thriving community and engage current and future Bellevue residents with local history.

3:47

Most recently, as many of you probably know, ESON collaborated with King County Parks and local artists for installations along East Rail and the Northeast 8th Street Crossing, which was the site of the former Bellevue Growers Association Packing and Shipping Warehouse.

4:01

Prior to World War II, this was the only location from which Japanese American farmers could distribute their produce.

4:08

My hope tonight is to honor the experience and legacy of the Bellevue Japanese American community through the naming of this special park.

4:16

I'd like to thank the City of Bellevue for their partnership throughout this process, and thank you for your time and consideration.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████63%
Community Engagement██████████14%
Procedural█████7%
Historic Preservation████5%
Miscellaneous██3%
Public Safety██3%
Public Engagement█2%
Active Transportation█2%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Bellevue Parks and Community Services Board Meeting - June 2, 2026

This meeting was identified as the May 2026 meeting in the transcript, but the provided date is June 2, 2026. The board discussed neighborhood planning updates, a park naming recommendation, and honored outgoing board member Paul Clark. Public comments addressed Japanese American heritage commemoration, park usage, and the discontinuation of the Bellevue Botanical Garden docent program.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda and April 2026 meeting minutes were each approved unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Amy Hirotaka (ESON Bellevue) spoke about the history of Japanese American farmers in Bellevue and requested the park at Main Street and 112th Avenue SE be named to honor that legacy.
  • Scott Lampy (Maiden Bower Bay Neighbors Association) thanked staff for a recent tour and noted appreciation that 100th Avenue south of Main Street remains open and that a planned community center was postponed or eliminated.
  • Alex Zimmerman (Stand Up America) made comments perceived as hateful and offensive; the board disavowed the speech but allowed it under First Amendment rights.
  • Heather Trescas (former board member, ESON Bellevue) expressed support for the park naming and thanked staff for collaboration.
  • Angela (no affiliation stated) requested more pickleball courts due to high usage of tennis courts by pickleball players, suggesting conversion of underused basketball courts.
  • Nicole Myers (online) thanked the board for commemorative efforts and mentioned the 1930 Bellevue Judo Club and youth groups.
  • Janile Martin (online) and Gordon Pulson (written communication) raised concerns about the sudden end of the Bellevue Botanical Garden docent program without notice; staff will look into it.

Discussion Items

  • City Council Communications: Councilmember Breyer reported on a briefing from ESON Bellevue, expressed support for the park naming, and mentioned council actions including a letter to Sound Transit urging sub-area equity and MFT updates for HOMA (Housing Opportunities and Mixed-Use) areas.
  • Director's Report: Assistant Director Cameron Parker announced July 4th celebrations at Bellevue Downtown Park (with 250th anniversary and World Cup overlap) and honored board member Paul Clark for eight years of service, noting his contributions to many parks projects.
  • Board Communications: Each board member shared recent park visits, observations (e.g., litter, parking issues at 40th boat launch, coal creek trail after windstorm), and community feedback on pickleball, soccer field availability, and native plant landscaping.
  • Eastgate and Factoria Neighborhood Planning: Senior Planner Justin Panganiban presented draft policies and concept maps for both neighborhoods, based on over 1,200 community inputs from 31 events. Board members emphasized public safety (CPTED), walkability, partnerships with faith-based organizations and schools, historical nods (e.g., Airfield Park), and the need for more park space in Factoria (currently none). The feedback will be sent to the Planning Commission.
  • Park Naming Recommendation: Senior Planner Betsy Anderson and Capital Project Coordinator Susan Elup presented background on the park at Main Street and 112th Avenue SE (1.75 acres, built over Sound Transit tunnel, opened 2024). A community survey generated 258 unique name suggestions, narrowed to nine options. Board discussed preferences, with strong support for "Isan Park" (referencing Japanese American heritage). A motion to recommend "Isan Park" to City Council passed unanimously, with additional advice to include Japanese characters on signage.

Key Outcomes

  • The board unanimously approved the agenda and April 2026 minutes.
  • The board voted unanimously to recommend the name "Isan Park" for the park at Main Street and 112th Avenue SE to the City Council.
  • Feedback on Eastgate and Factoria neighborhood plan policies will be forwarded to the Planning Commission for their June meeting.
  • The June 2026 meeting is scheduled as a special meeting at Robinswood Park, starting around 5:00 PM, focusing on a park tour and budget discussion; attendance conflicts were noted due to graduations.
  • The concern about the Bellevue Botanical Garden docent program will be investigated by staff.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the May Parks and Community Services Board meeting. Eileen is absent today. Otherwise, everyone else is here. We are at quorum, and so this meeting is now called to order. Is there a motion to approve tonight's agenda? I move to approve tonight's agenda. Thank you. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. Let's vote. All in favor to approve tonight's agenda, say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say no. The agenda is approved unanimously. Next up, is there a motion to approve the April 2026 meeting minutes? So moved. Thank you. Is there a second? Oh, second. Thank you, Eric. All right, let's vote. All in favor to approve the April 2026 meeting minutes. Uh say aye. Aye. Any opposed, say no. All right. The minutes are unanimously approved. All right, next up is oral communications. The Parks and Community Services Board values community input and looks forward to hearing from you during its meeting. Please be aware that in compliance with Washington state campaign laws regarding the use of public facilities during an election. No speaker may support or oppose a ballot measure or support or oppose a candidate for an election, which includes your own campaign. Any speaker who begins discussing topics of this nature will be asked to stop. There are rules adopted by the city council limiting the topics about which the public may speak during our meetings. Under ordinance 6752, the public may only speak during public comment about subject matters that are related to City of Bellevue government and are within the power and duties of the Parks and Community Services Board. Following the board's bylaws, the total time allowed for oral communications shall not exceed 30 minutes. Each speaker will be allowed to speak one time for up to three minutes. We will follow the order in which individuals signed up. If you do not get a chance to speak this evening, you're always invited to email your comments to us at Parkboard at Bellevue.gov. So now I'll turn it over to Ryan, who will read names from the online and in-person sign-in sheet. Thank you, Chair. We have three pre-registered speakers this evening. Excuse me. And there's also one written communication that I'll get to after those three. Yeah. So our first speaker this evening is Amy Hirataka. Yes. Hi, and thank you for your time this evening. My name is Amy Hirotaka. I am a fourth-generation Japanese American Yonsei.

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