Report Panel Services Advisory ULI a Bellevue Cover.Indd 2 a ULI Advisory Services Panel Report May 15–20,2016 Bellevue, Washington Wilburton Commercialarea
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A ULI Advisory ServicesReport Panel Wilburton Commercial Area Bellevue, Washington May 15–20, 2016 Advisory ServicesReport Panel A ULI Bellevue_Cover.indd 2 10/24/16 6:04 PM Wilburton Commercial Area Bellevue, Washington Envisioning a Vibrant Future for Bellevue May 15–20, 2016 Advisory Services Panel Report A ULI A ULI About the Urban Land Institute THE MISSION OF THE URBAN LAND INSTITUTE is ■■ Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in and advisory efforts that address current and future creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. challenges. ULI is committed to Established in 1936, the Institute today has more than ■■ Bringing together leaders from across the fields of real 39,000 members worldwide, representing the entire spec- estate and land use policy to exchange best practices trum of the land use and development disciplines. Profes- and serve community needs; sionals represented include developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, planners, ■■ Fostering collaboration within and beyond ULI’s real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, membership through mentoring, dialogue, and problem financiers, academics, students, and librarians. solving; ULI relies heavily on the experience of its members. It is ■■ Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, regen- through member involvement and information resources eration, land use, capital formation, and sustainable that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in development; development practice. The Institute has long been rec- ■■ Advancing land use policies and design practices that ognized as one of the world’s most respected and widely respect the uniqueness of both the built and natural quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, environments; growth, and development. ■■ Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, publishing, and electronic media; and Cover photos: Steven Gu, ULI. © 2016 by the Urban Land Institute 2001 L Street, NW Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036-4948 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy- right holder is prohibited. 2 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services THE GOAL OF THE ULI ADVISORY SERVICES program to provide recommendations in a compressed is to bring the finest expertise in the real estate field to amount of time. bear on complex land use planning and development proj- A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique ability ects, programs, and policies. Since 1947, this program to draw on the knowledge and expertise of its members, has assembled well over 600 ULI-member teams to help including land developers and owners, public officials, sponsors find creative, practical solutions for issues such academics, representatives of financial institutions, and as downtown redevelopment, land management strate- others. In fulfillment of the mission of the Urban Land gies, evaluation of development potential, growth manage- Institute, this Advisory Services panel report is intended to ment, community revitalization, brownfield redevelopment, provide objective advice that will promote the responsible military base reuse, provision of low-cost and affordable use of land to enhance the environment. housing, and asset management strategies, among other matters. A wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit or- ULI Program Staff ganizations have contracted for ULI’s advisory services. Thomas W. Eitler Senior Vice President, Advisory Services Each panel team is composed of highly qualified profession- Beth Silverman als who volunteer their time to ULI. They are chosen for their Senior Director, Advisory Services knowledge of the panel topic and screened to ensure their objectivity. ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide a holis- Daniel Lobo Senior Director, Awards tic look at development problems. A respected ULI member who has previous panel experience chairs each panel. Paul Angelone Director, Advisory Services The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is intensive. Kathryn Craig It includes an in-depth briefing day composed of a tour of Senior Associate, Advisory Services the site and meetings with sponsor representatives; a day Kladé Hare of hour-long interviews of typically 50 to 75 key commu- Senior Associate, Advisory Services nity representatives; and two days of formulating recom- Steven Gu mendations. Long nights of discussion precede the panel’s Associate, Advisory Services conclusions. On the final day on site, the panel makes an James A. Mulligan oral presentation of its findings and conclusions to the Senior Editor sponsor. A written report is prepared and published. Laura Glassman, Publications Professionals LLC Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for signifi- Manuscript Editor cant preparation before the panel’s visit, including sending Betsy Van Buskirk extensive briefing materials to each member and arranging Creative Director for the panel to meet with key local community members Deanna Pineda, Muse Advertising Design and stakeholders in the project under consideration, Graphic Designer participants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments are able Craig Chapman to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’s issues and Senior Director, Publishing Operations Wilburton Commercial Area, Bellevue, Washington, May 15–20, 2016 3 Acknowledgments ULI WOULD LIKE TO THANK the city of Bellevue for al- the Wilburton study area, as well as providing neces- lowing the panel to assist in the future vision of the Wil- sary data and information to help the panel make these burton Area. In particular, the panel would like to thank recommendations. Community Development Program Manager Bradley Cal- The panel would also like to thank all the approximately vert, Planning Director Dan Stroh, and Director Chris Salo- 60 stakeholders who participated throughout the panel mone from the city of Bellevue’s Planning and Community process and gave their enthusiasm, thoughts, and insights Development Department, who aided the panelists’ under- for the study area. standing of the challenges and opportunities surrounding 4 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff ...............................................................................................................................6 Background and the Panel’s Assignment ..........................................................................................................7 Market Potential ............................................................................................................................................11 Opportunities and Vision .................................................................................................................................15 Design Opportunities and Strategy ..................................................................................................................20 Implementation ..............................................................................................................................................27 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................35 About the Panel .............................................................................................................................................36 Wilburton Commercial Area, Bellevue, Washington, May 15–20, 2016 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff Panel Chair Zane Segal Project Director Andrew Irvine NorthGulf ZSP Principal, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture Houston, Texas RNL Design Denver, Colorado Jamie Simchik Principal Planner Panel Members Fort Hill Places Boston, Massachusetts Dan Conway President, Director of Marketing and Economics Melani Smith THK Associates Inc. Urban Planner Denver, Colorado Los Angeles, California Allen Folks Director of Design and Planning ULI Project Staff Ascent Environmental Beth Silverman Sacramento, California Senior Director, Advisory Services April Anderson Lamoureux Kladé Hare President Senior Associate, Advisory Services Anderson Strategic Advisors LLC Steven Gu Boston, Massachusetts Associate, Advisory Services 6 A ULI Advisory Services Panel Report Background and the Panel’s Assignment LOCATED ON THE EAST SIDE of Lake Washington, Bellevue is a thriving city that has long been regarded as “Bellevue is a prosperous and vibrant international a great place to live and work. Bellevue enjoys the nearby city with innovative and entrepreneurial businesses natural amenities of the Cascade Mountains, a high- and a high quality of life for its residents.” performing public school district, and a vibrant and grow- —City of Bellevue Economic Development Plan, ing technology employment sector. Home to approximately July 2014 12,000 residents and 50,000 jobs, the Bellevue down- town has enjoyed strong growth in recent years, with a “Bellevue welcomes the world. Our diversity is large concentration of high-quality retail and Class A office our strength. We respect our past while looking space, complemented with a more recent influx of residen- to the future.” tial apartments and condominiums. —City of Bellevue Vision Statement Bellevue is often described as a “City in a Park.” The powerful descriptor reflects the importance of community Referred to throughout this report as the study area, the places in parks