Christopher Randels
Chris Randels is the founder and director of Complete Streets Bellevue, an advocacy organization looking to make it easier for people to get around Bellevue without a car. Chris lived in the Lake Hills neighborhood for nearly a decade and cares about reducing emissions and improving safety in the Eastside's largest city.
At the end of last Monday's Bellevue City Council meeting, Mayor Lynne Robinson announced the cancellation of the following week's regularly-scheduled meeting. This was intended to give councilmembers a much-needed break after their annual retreat, a three-day affair originally scheduled for March 31st through April 2nd at the Cedarbrook...
A non-profit organization called "Keep Kids Safe" filed a lawsuit Thursday afternoon to block the opening of permanent supportive housing in Kirkland. This action comes nearly a month after King County announced the purchase of the La Quinta Inn and Suites as part of its Health Through Housing program....
Among other actions taken at Monday's meeting, Bellevue City Council voted to lower speed limits on some residential streets, discussed guidelines for awarding arts grants, and provided feedback on staff's update to the City's Parks and Open Spaces plan.
Speed limits on local roads in Eastgate lowered to 20...
The historic Move Ahead Washington package, a nearly $17 billion investment in transportation infrastructure over the next 16 years, included $29 million in projects for Eastrail. This north-south trail spine, which will span 42 miles when fully completed, will connect Renton to Snohomish through Eastside communities like Bellevue, Kirkland,...
Study session discussions at Monday's Bellevue City Council meeting centered around communicating timelines for important land use planning work from staff, approving 12 new Full Time Employees in the Development Services department, and deciding on whether to allow remote participation for members of the City's board and commissions.
Important planning...
Despite public perception, our region’s homelessness crisis affects our Eastside communities and is not just a Seattle problem. Supportive services, including permanent supportive housing and transitional housing, are part of a suite of proven solutions, but recent implementations on the Eastside have faced undue pushback from disgruntled residents. Providers...
Discussions at this week's Bellevue City Council meeting centered around three topics: reviewing Juneteenth as a paid holiday for city staff, approving funding allocations for A Regional Coalition on Housing, and providing comments on the city's Conflict Resolution Center and their program to mediate landlord-tenant repayment plans.
Juneteenth Now...
King County's second largest city began its budget season on Monday evening with a foreboding presentation. With lagging property tax revenues, increased demands for services as the city grows, and inflation impacting nearly every economic sector, City staff project a $3 million deficit in Bellevue's General Fund for 2023....