East King News

Plus, comments on Supreme Court decision and review of regional legislative issues

Note: The next City Council meeting will be Tuesday, July 5, due to the holiday Monday.

The city’s Mobility Implementation Plan (MIP) received the VISION 2050 – Planning Ahead Award from the Puget  Sound Regional Council (PSRC) at the General Assembly in May. On Monday,  Paul Inghram, Director of Growth Management for PSRC, presented the  award to the council. The Planning Ahead Award recognizes plans,  programs or efforts that shape a positive future for the four-county  region of King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.

The Council adopted the MIP on April 18 on the recommendation of the  Transportation Commission. The purpose of the MIP is to ensure that all  of Bellevue’s transportation plans are compatible with each other and  with the city’s land use plan. It is a long-range planning framework  that was developed with public input and has four main goals: improve  safety; consider equity; support growth; and improve access and  mobility.

The MIP provides the platform for Bellevue to meet the multimodal  future – one where members of the public have many transportation modes  to choose from – envisioned locally in the Comprehensive Plan and  regionally in PSRC’s VISION 2050 and Regional Transportation Plan. It  will help the city make decisions on project investments based on what  people want in their transportation system, the quality of life they  expect, and what users of all ages and abilities need to reach their  destinations, whether walking, biking, driving or taking transit. 

Councilmembers voted unanimously to take consent calendar action at a  future meeting on an ordinance containing the code amendments  recommended by the transportation commission. More details are available  in the meeting materials and on video replay through Bellevue Television.

Comments on Supreme Court decision

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Robinson noted that the council  had discussed the recent Supreme Court decision to overturn the court’s  prior decision in Roe v. Wade, which places control over abortion rights  at the state level. The three women councilmembers present at the  meeting shared their individual thoughts on the ruling and the implications for women and our communities.  

Review of regional legislative issues 

In other business, the council received an informational update on  federal appropriations and grants funding as well as the city’s work to  advocate for Bellevue priorities with legislators at all levels.

The city recently formed a cross-departmental team to develop local  strategies for securing funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law  (BIL), signed into law by President Biden in November 2021. The BIL  dedicates $1.2 trillion over the next five years for key transportation  and infrastructure improvements, including power and water utilities,  environment, high-speed internet and more.

The city adopted in April a federal legislative agenda for Bellevue  priorities. That agenda will guide the BIL cross-departmental team as  they develop a priority project pipeline, establish and build key  stakeholder relationships, and explore funding requirements and  opportunities.

The full presentation to council is available on Bellevue Television.

_{Source:https://bellevuewa.gov/city-news/council-roundup-city-wins-regional-transportation-award}