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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Bellevue Planning Commission Meeting – September 24, 2026

City Council — Thursday, September 24, 2026

BodyBellevue, Washington

SessionCity Council

DateThursday, September 24, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:17:01

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:03

All right.

0:04

Great.

0:05

Um, good evening and welcome to the September 23rd meeting of the City of Bellevue Planning Commission.

0:11

This evening's meeting is held via hybrid format with both in-person and virtual options via Zoom.

0:16

Tonight's meeting will provide an opportunity for public comments during the oral communications portion of the agenda.

0:21

All written comments that have been submitted prior to 11 a.m.

0:24

today, Wednesday, September 23rd, will be summarized into the record.

0:27

We have two public hearings on the agenda tonight.

0:30

First is the final public hearings on the Eastgate neighborhood area plan, and the second is the Factoria neighborhood area plan.

0:37

Now let's move forward to roll call.

0:39

Uh Commissioner Kennedy.

0:41

Present.

0:42

Commissioner Ferris.

0:43

I am here.

0:44

Commissioner Nilchan.

0:46

Here.

0:47

Commissioner Conlu.

0:48

Here.

0:48

Vice Chair Via Vases.

0:50

I'm here.

0:50

And then Councilmember Bargava is remote attending remotely.

0:53

Is he here?

0:54

Yes.

0:55

Great.

0:55

And then uh Commissioner Geppel will be absent.

0:57

And I am Chair Liu.

0:59

Uh so Commissioner Kennedy, I understand you have an announcement to make.

1:03

Thank you, Chair Lou.

1:04

Um I will be resigning as as my colleagues from the planning commission.

1:09

No, I'll be resigning from the planning commission this evening is my last meeting.

1:14

It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to serve on this planning commission and to help the city of Bellevue.

1:22

I am so heartened to know what wonderful people we have working as staff, as fellow commissioners, as council members, and as the mayor.

1:30

And I am so impressed with the dedication that they give to this city.

1:35

So thank you for the opportunity.

1:37

Um, and I hope to continue to stay involved.

1:41

Yeah, thank you so much.

1:42

Um, and just a few words for me.

1:44

I, you know, since you joined last year, I thought you've done a great job of being extremely thorough, detail-oriented, and offering just a really balanced perspective on things.

1:51

Uh, you know, we've already worked on some really important things with us too.

1:54

I think just a few, there's critical areas, ordnance, there's HOMA, um, I think, and all the work that we've been doing on Bell Red.

2:02

So really appreciate your perspective through all of those.

2:04

It's gonna be really hard to find somebody to step into your shoes and just appreciate you being a public servant.

2:09

Um, Commissioner or uh uh Councilmember Bargava, do you have anything to say?

2:14

I do.

2:14

Can you hear me?

2:15

Okay, first of all.

2:17

Yes.

2:18

Yeah, I just want to say, first of all, it's been a real pleasure, and thank you so much for your service to the city, uh, Commissioner Gary.

2:27

It's just uh um uh you know, one of those moments where you feel like we had an incredible team on the planning commission.

2:35

The planning commission does such an important job for the city of Bellevue.

2:39

It has some of the more complex challenges, uh, everything from land use to infrastructure to affordable housing to the environment.

2:47

And your perspective has always been objective.

2:50

Your perspective has always been uh informed.

2:53

You do such a lot of preparation.

2:55

Uh really appreciate all of the work that you've done.

2:58

Um, and uh our chair named a few of the more consequential projects that you were involved in.

3:03

And um, I appreciate that there is a personal reason for which you can no longer continue to finish out your term, but wish you the very best and want to thank you again uh for an incredible um uh round of service to the city of Bellevue.

3:16

Much appreciated on behalf of the entire council and uh the city.

3:22

Thank you.

3:25

Chair, I would just like to also echo my appreciation for all the work that you've done.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Land Use and Zoning████████████████████████████████████████40%

Transportation Safety█████████████████17%

Procedural████████████████16%

Public Engagement████████████12%

Community Engagement███████7%

Budget Equity Analysis███3%

Parks and Recreation███3%

Environmental Protection█1%

Public Safety█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Bellevue Planning Commission Meeting – September 24, 2026

The Bellevue Planning Commission met on September 24, 2026, at 6:45 PM in a hybrid format. The meeting included farewell remarks for departing Commissioner Kennedy, a council update, oral communications, and public hearings on the Eastgate and Factoria Neighborhood Area Plan comprehensive plan amendments. Both plans were recommended for adoption with minor amendments.

Public Comments & Testimony

Oral Communications (before public hearings): Alex Zimmerman (Stand Up America) spoke about city budget and was twice warned for off‑topic comments before being asked to leave after a third violation. Heidi Dean (Newport Hills) commented on the Evans Plaza case, noting that a third zoning option (General Commercial) should have been presented, and questioned the use of HOMA as a significantly changed condition.
Eastgate Public Hearing (September 24, 2026): Leslie Geller (Eastgate Community Association president) and Mickey Larmer urged relocation of the Eastgate maintenance facility, citing safety and incompatibility with surrounding residential uses and a school. Alex Zimmerman was again removed for violations. Heidi Dean provided context about similar city facilities located away from homes.
Factoria Public Hearing (September 24, 2026): Michael Boding expressed strong support for enhanced walking/biking connectivity, traffic calming, and third spaces, but argued against a pedestrian bridge. Miriam Estrada agreed and emphasized the need for free parks and safer pedestrian crossings. Heidi Dean criticized outreach efforts, saying they targeted limited groups and missed many residents.

Discussion Items

Resignation of Commissioner Kennedy: Chair Liu and Councilmember Bargava led tributes, praising Commissioner Kennedy’s thoroughness, balance, and service on key projects (Critical Areas Ordinance, HOMA, Bell‑Red). All commissioners expressed appreciation.
Councilmember Bargava Report: Updated on budget deliberations (revenue risks from B&O, sales, property taxes; reserve discussions; IP plan allocations) and the Sustainable Bellevue update (greenhouse gas reduction plan falling behind 2030 milestones).
Eastgate Neighborhood Area Plan: Staff presented policy changes based on July 8 discussion: stronger action‑oriented language, improved clarity (e.g., adding traffic calming glossary term, refining Bellevue College hub policy), and enhanced transit connectivity (light rail integration, safer I‑90 crossings). Commissioner Ferris suggested future sub‑area planning within Eastgate. Commissioner Conlu proposed strengthening the tree canopy policy (N3) to prohibit removal of landmark/significant trees, but the commission did not adopt that amendment; instead, a minor amendment to N17 was approved to add “public safety improvements” to the Eastgate housing campus policy.
Factoria Neighborhood Area Plan: Staff highlighted similar policy enhancements: action‑oriented language for parks and environment, better specificity (driveway consolidation limited to mixed‑use centers), and transportation connectivity (explicit policies on congestion, connections to South Bellevue Station). Commissioners supported the plan and noted that the outdated pedestrian bridge concept has been replaced with at‑grade improvements.

Key Outcomes

Eastgate Plan Recommendation: Motion to recommend adoption of the proposed comprehensive plan amendment (Eastgate Neighborhood Area Plan) to City Council, with the amendment to policy N17 adding “public safety improvements.” Motion passed unanimously (all ayes).
Factoria Plan Recommendation: Motion to recommend adoption of the Factoria Neighborhood Area Plan to City Council, consistent with decision criteria. Motion passed unanimously.
Adjournment: Meeting adjourned after a group photo.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Great. Um, good evening and welcome to the September 23rd meeting of the City of Bellevue Planning Commission. This evening's meeting is held via hybrid format with both in-person and virtual options via Zoom. Tonight's meeting will provide an opportunity for public comments during the oral communications portion of the agenda. All written comments that have been submitted prior to 11 a.m. today, Wednesday, September 23rd, will be summarized into the record. We have two public hearings on the agenda tonight. First is the final public hearings on the Eastgate neighborhood area plan, and the second is the Factoria neighborhood area plan. Now let's move forward to roll call. Uh Commissioner Kennedy. Present. Commissioner Ferris. I am here. Commissioner Nilchan. Here. Commissioner Conlu. Here. Vice Chair Via Vases. I'm here. And then Councilmember Bargava is remote attending remotely. Is he here? Yes. Great. And then uh Commissioner Geppel will be absent. And I am Chair Liu. Uh so Commissioner Kennedy, I understand you have an announcement to make. Thank you, Chair Lou. Um I will be resigning as as my colleagues from the planning commission. No, I'll be resigning from the planning commission this evening is my last meeting. It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to serve on this planning commission and to help the city of Bellevue. I am so heartened to know what wonderful people we have working as staff, as fellow commissioners, as council members, and as the mayor. And I am so impressed with the dedication that they give to this city. So thank you for the opportunity. Um, and I hope to continue to stay involved. Yeah, thank you so much. Um, and just a few words for me. I, you know, since you joined last year, I thought you've done a great job of being extremely thorough, detail-oriented, and offering just a really balanced perspective on things. Uh, you know, we've already worked on some really important things with us too. I think just a few, there's critical areas, ordnance, there's HOMA, um, I think, and all the work that we've been doing on Bell Red. So really appreciate your perspective through all of those. It's gonna be really hard to find somebody to step into your shoes and just appreciate you being a public servant. Um, Commissioner or uh uh Councilmember Bargava, do you have anything to say? I do. Can you hear me? Okay, first of all. Yes. Yeah, I just want to say, first of all, it's been a real pleasure, and thank you so much for your service to the city, uh, Commissioner Gary. It's just uh um uh you know, one of those moments where you feel like we had an incredible team on the planning commission. The planning commission does such an important job for the city of Bellevue.

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