Downtown Bellevue residents can now help decide how $975,000 will be spent on small local projects through the Neighborhood Enhancement Program. Postage-paid request forms were sent to every downtown household in January, and suggestions are being accepted through March 3, focusing on improving quality of life and neighborhood character. City staff will review the ideas and present feasible projects for residents to vote on.
How to submit ideas
Residents have two main options to get ideas on the list. They can return the prepaid NEP Project Idea Request Form that landed in mailboxes in January, or they can fill out the online Project Idea Requests form on the city's NEP page. According to the City of Bellevue on their Facebook page, there is no cap on how many ideas a single household can send in, but every submission must be postmarked or received by March 3.
What's at stake and how NEP works
Downtown has $975,000 reserved from a citywide $7 million NEP pot that cycles through 14 neighborhood areas. After the idea phase closes, city staff will sort through the submissions for feasibility and cost, then turn the qualified concepts into ballot-ready projects. Those will be previewed at a public open house before ballots are mailed to households for a vote. Projects that win resident support move into design and construction, typically within five years. As outlined by City of Bellevue, operational issues such as police patrol, drainage problems, parking complaints or code enforcement concerns are not part of NEP and should instead be submitted through the MyBellevue system.
What NEP projects have looked like
Past NEP rounds have paid for the kinds of neighborhood upgrades you actually notice on a daily walk: public art pieces, crosswalk and pedestrian-safety improvements, trail connections, added street lighting, picnic shelters, play structures and general streetscape upgrades. Coverage from the Downtown Bellevue Association has highlighted how these modest, block-level investments can reshape corners of the city without massive construction projects.
Timeline, contact and next steps
All project ideas must be postmarked or received by Tuesday, March 3. After that, staff will vet the suggestions and share the qualified project list at a public open house before residents cast their ballots. Per the City's NEP page, NEP coordinator Theresa Cuthill can be reached at [email protected] or 425-452-4186, and mailed or hand-delivered forms may be submitted to City Hall at 450 110th Avenue NE, Bellevue.
For downtown residents, this is a rare chance to steer small but tangible capital changes that can make daily life smoother and more inviting. Safer crossings, shaded seating or small pocket plazas are the sort of ideas that tend to fit NEP criteria. When you pitch a project, think about durability and neighborhood character; staff will run the numbers and check feasibility before anything ever appears on a ballot.
