Planning Recommendations for a South Bellevue Mini City Hall
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CITY OF BELLEVUE In Partnership with the University of Washington PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A SOUTH BELLEVUE MINI CITY HALL City of Bellevue Project Leads Mike McCormick-Huentelman Ying Carlson University Instructors Rachel Berney Evan Carver Student Author Emmanuel Salinas Livable City Year 2018–2019 in partnership with City of Bellevue Fall 2018 Livable City Year 2018–2019 in partnership with City of Bellevue www.washington.edu/livable-city-year/ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We would like to express our gratitude to the participants who completed our online surveys and provided valuable insights. Their willingness to share their thoughts and sentiments helped to advance the depth of this report. We would also like to thank the community stakeholders who took the time to talk and meet with us. Thank you to Community Advocate Coordinator S/B Blanca Lujan-Westrich and Community Advocate Miran Hothi, from International Community Health Services (ICHS), for educating us about the work your organization does, and for helping us form recommendations for a new Mini City Hall to serve South Bellevue. Thank you to Mercedes Córdova-Hakim, from the Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC), for providing an in-depth description of the work you do at Bellevue’s current Mini City Hall, for taking the time to explain the history of your organization, and for advising us in our work on this project. Thank you to Sapan Parekh, Associate Director of Service-Learning and Community Engagement at the RISE Learning Institute, for detailing various programs Bellevue College offers. Thank you to Debbie Lacy, Executive Director of the Eastside Refugee and Immigrant Coalition, for explaining the relationship between Mini City Hall and your organization. Thank you to Jen Newton, Manager of the South Bellevue Community Center, and your staff, for sharing with us the potential of your facility hosting a new Mini City Hall. Thank you to Inger Johnson for sharing information related to the vacant The LCY student team in Gould Hall, from left to right: Vivian Chan, Oskar Abian, Nyles Green, and Emmanuel Salinas (not pictured: storefronts at Eastgate Plaza. Thank you Kalin Berger for sharing with us about the Iliana Gutierrez) TERI THOMSON RANDALL vacant storefronts inside the Factoria Mall. Lastly, we thank Ying Carlson and Mike McCormick-Huentelman, from the City of Bellevue, for their support and assistance over the course of our study. Bellevue’s existing Mini City Hall at the Crossroads Shopping Center primarily serves residents of Northeast Bellevue. CITY OF BELLEUVE CREDITS TABLE OF CONTENTS For this Report City of Bellevue Project Leads About Livable City Year i. Mike McCormick-Huentelman Ying Carlson About Bellevue ii. City Department: Community Development Instructors Bellevue 2035 iii. Rachel Berney Evan Carver Executive Summary 01 University Department: Community, Environment, and Planning Course: CEP 460 Planning in Context Introduction 05 Student Author: Emmanuel Salinas Student Researchers Bellevue’s Mini City Hall 11 Oskar Abian Iliana Gutierrez Vivian Chan Emmanuel Salinas Nyles Green Methods 09 For the City of Bellevue Case Studies 13 Mayor: John Chelminiak Deputy Mayor: Lynne Robinson South Bellevue Demographics 17 Council Members Conrad Lee Outreach and Surveys 25 Jared Nieuwenhuis Jennifer Robertson Site Selection for South Bellevue Mini City Hall 29 John Stokes Janice Zahn Recommendations 37 City Manager: Brad Miyake Deputy City Managers Conclusion 39 Mary Kate Berens Nathan McCommon References 41 LCY Program Managers Nancy LaCombe Appendix 43 Danielle Verwahren For the University of Washington LCY Program Permission to use: This report represents original student work and LCY Faculty Co-Directors recommendations prepared by students in the University of Washington’s Branden Born Livable City Year Program for the City of Bellevue. Text and images Jennifer Otten contained in this report may be used for not-for-profit purposes. Program Manager: Teri Thomson Randall Program Assistant: Michelle Abunaja Recommended citation: Salinas, Emmanuel. Planning Editor: Liza Higbee-Robinson Recommendations for a South Bellevue Mini City Hall. Seattle: Graphic Designers University of Washington, Livable City Year. 2018–2019 Jenny Dieng Ka Yan (Karen) Lee Communications: Daimon Eklund ABOUT LIVABLE CITY YEAR ABOUT CITY OF BELLEVUE The University of Washington’s Livable City Year (LCY) initiative is a partnership Bellevue is the fifth largest city in Washington, with a population of more than between the university and one local government for one academic year. The 140,000. It’s the high-tech and retail center of King County’s Eastside, with more than program engages UW faculty and students across a broad range of disciplines to 150,000 jobs and a skyline of gleaming high-rises. While business booms downtown, work on city-defined projects that promote local sustainability and livability goals. much of Bellevue retains a small-town feel, with thriving, woodsy neighborhoods Each year hundreds of students work on high-priority projects, creating momentum and a vast network of green spaces, miles and miles of nature trails, public parks, on real-world challenges while serving and learning from communities. Partner cities and swim beaches. The community is known for its beautiful parks, top schools, and benefit directly from bold and applied ideas that propel fresh thinking, improve a vibrant economy. Bellevue is routinely ranked among the best mid-sized cities in livability for residents, and invigorate city staff. Focus areas include environmental the country. sustainability; economic viability; population health; and social equity, inclusion The city spans more than 33 square miles between Lake Washington and Lake and access. The program’s 2018–2019 partner is the City of Bellevue; this follows Sammamish and is a short drive from the Cascade Mountains. Bellevue prides itself partnerships with the City of Tacoma (2017–2018) and the City of Auburn (2016– on its diversity. Thirty-seven percent of its residents were born outside of the US 2017). and more than 50 percent of residents are people of color, making the city one of LCY is modeled after the University of Oregon’s Sustainable City Year Program, and the most diverse in Washington state. is a member of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network Bellevue is an emerging global city, home to some of the world’s most innovative (EPIC-N), an international network of institutions that have successfully adopted this technology companies. It attracts top talent makers such as the University of new model for community innovation and change. For more information, contact Washington-Tsinghua University Global Innovation Exchange. Retail options abound the program at [email protected]. in Bellevue and artists from around the country enter striking new works in the Bellwether arts festival. Bellevue’s agrarian traditions are celebrated at popular seasonal fairs at the Kelsey Creek Farm Park. Bellevue 2035, the City Council’s 20-year vision for the city, outlines the city’s commitment to its vision: “Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is our strength. We embrace the future while respecting our past.” Each project completed under the Livable City Year partnership ties to one of the plan’s strategic areas and many directly support the three-year priorities identified by the council in 2018. i. | LIVABLE CITY YEAR MINI CITY HALL | ii. BELLEVUE 2035: BELLEVUE 2035: THE CITY WHERE YOU WANT TO BE THE CITY WHERE YOU WANT TO BE Planning Recommendations for a South Bellevue Mini City Hall supports the High- Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is our strength. Performance Government target area of the Bellevue City Council Vision Priorities We embrace the future while respecting our past. and was sponsored by the Community Development Department. The seven strategic target areas identified in the Bellevue City Council Vision Priorities are: HIGH PERFORMANCE GOVERNMENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Bellevue is characterized by high performance government. Our residents live Bellevue business is global and local. in a safe, clean city that promotes healthy living. The perception of safety contributes to the success of businesses and neighborhoods. Police, fire and emergency personnel are seen by citizens every day, and we ensure that these services reflect TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY high standards and pride. Transportation is both reliable and predictable. Mode choices are abundant and safe. People are attracted to live here because they see that city government is well managed. Our high quality of customer service ensures that residents realize a HIGH QUALITY BUILT AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT direct link between their tax dollar investments and the services they receive. From a livable high-rise urban environment to large wooded lots in an We make public investments wisely, assuring taxpayers that we are living within equestrian setting, people can find exactly where they want to live and our means, while also ensuring that we have superb infrastructure to support work. growing businesses and desirable residential opportunities. We have beautiful public buildings that residents point to with pride. Government plays its role in BELLEVUE: GREAT PLACES WHERE YOU WANT TO BE supporting the careful balance of neighborhoods, commercial and retail growth, Bellevue is a place to be inspired by cuilture, entertainment, and nature. diverse residential living opportunities, and amenities that characterize Bellevue.