The Urbanization of Downtown Bellevue

When you hear of a city that is “something between an urban jungle and the classic picture of suburbia,” Bellevue may not be the first place that comes to mind. However, that’s exactly how one young couple describes downtown Bellevue in a recent article from The Seattle Times – and they aren’t the only ones.

When and how did downtown Bellevue transform into a dense, urban, mini-Seattle?

According to the article, downtown Bellevue is the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city, so much like the growth in Seattle it happened fairly quickly. Most of it has occurred over the past four years as developers have built more than a dozen new apartment projects in the neighborhood – and more are in the works. Permit data from the city shows that since the latest development cycle began in 2013, downtown has seen $800 million worth of new projects come up and $100 million more about to begin.

The current wave of projects is a little different than the last. This time the surge is mostly apartments, which are seen as a safer investment, but at least two companies are planning the city’s first new condos in a decade. Additionally, office construction in this current development cycle has added 1.5 million square feet of office space to downtown, most of which has already been leased.

Residents of downtown have been experiencing the effects of this growth and they are welcoming some changes more than others. Millennials are starting to think of downtown Bellevue as a lively, energetic, interesting neighborhood and residents and visitors have given the area high marks for safety and cleanliness. Less welcome changes include added gridlock on the roads and an increase in housing costs.

Luckily, our region is no stranger to adjusting to expansion so the future of Bellevue looks bright.

Read the full article from The Seattle Times.