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CEO Report: How to Read What Happened Tuesday Night
CEO Report: How to Read What Happened Tuesday Night

A CEO Message on the August 4 Washington primary: Why the results signal a Republican party that has lost voters' confidence, and a rejection of the extremes in both parties rather than a leftward turn. Continue Reading

Date posted08/6/2026


Bellevue goes green, partners with Lime for citywide launch
Bellevue goes green, partners with Lime for citywide launch

Lime launches shared scooters, e-bikes, and seated gliders across Bellevue on August 10. Community Engagement Manager Nikki Stuck answers questions on safety, top usage areas, first-ride routes, and who to contact, plus details on the August 21 community launch event at Amazon Meadow. Continue Reading

Date posted08/5/2026


Visit Bellevue launches Light Rail Shuttle pilot program
Visit Bellevue launches Light Rail Shuttle pilot program

The pilot program — which is funded by Amazon and Visit Bellevue, with support from Circuit, the City of Bellevue, and Sound Transit — will run through December 2026 thanks to these partners. Continue Reading

Date posted08/4/2026


City Council Recap: A $1.5 Billion Question, and MFTE's Last Step
City Council Recap: A $1.5 Billion Question, and MFTE's Last Step

Bellevue City Council sent the MFTE Catalyst housing ordinance to a future consent calendar and studied a Transportation Benefit District that could add about $250 million against a $1.5 billion, 20-year transportation need. Chamber-convened coalitions testified on both items. Continue Reading

Date posted07/21/2026


CEO Report: Hope, Pride, and Joy
CEO Report: Hope, Pride, and Joy

Bellevue Chamber CEO Joe Fain on what Seattle's World Cup summer taught him about hope, pride, and joy, and why fighting cynicism, not just bad ideas, is the region's next great civic project. Continue Reading

Postedby Joe Fain
Date posted07/15/2026


City Council Recap: Old Bellevue Keeps Its Design Rules, and a BIA Takes Shape
City Council Recap: Old Bellevue Keeps Its Design Rules, and a BIA Takes Shape

Bellevue City Council adopted Ordinance 6929, renewing Old Bellevue's Main Street design controls with a reworked facade incentive, reviewed a draft business improvement area policy, and started the Bellevue College rezone. Continue Reading

Date posted07/14/2026


Policy Council Recap: A Volatile 2026 Ballot and an Oregon-Sized Hole in the Grid
Policy Council Recap: A Volatile 2026 Ballot and an Oregon-Sized Hole in the Grid

Inside the July Policy Council: AWB's Morgan Irwin maps the 2026 legislative races and the income tax repeal fight, while PSE's Matt Perry details Bellevue's grid capacity study, the planned Vernell substation, and the Oregon-sized power gap coming in 2030. Continue Reading

Date posted07/8/2026


PLUSH Recap: Downtown Livability 2.0, the BelRed Street Grid, and a Looming Power Crunch
PLUSH Recap: Downtown Livability 2.0, the BelRed Street Grid, and a Looming Power Crunch

Our June PLUSH Committee recap: Bellevue's Downtown Livability 2.0 code refresh (no height or FAR changes), the push to fix BelRed's rigid 300-foot street grid, parking reform, and a looming electricity-capacity crunch that could throttle Eastside growth. Continue Reading

Date posted06/25/2026


East King Chambers Coalition: Retirement Savings, Road Costs, and a Grid Under Pressure
East King Chambers Coalition: Retirement Savings, Road Costs, and a Grid Under Pressure

The June East King Chambers Coalition meeting covered Washington Saves, the new state retirement program launching in 2027; Senator Marko Liias on rising transportation costs and SR 18 safety; and a new AECOM study warning of an electric grid shortfall across Bellevue and Redmond. Continue Reading

Date posted06/25/2026


VIBe Check 2026
VIBe Check 2026

Every year, the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce asks a simple question: what are Bellevue voters actually thinking? Answering it well takes a rigorous instrument, a consistent method held steady over time, and the patience to listen even when the answers are complicated. Continue Reading

Postedby Joe Fain
Date posted06/25/2026


Ranking Washington
Ranking Washington

Every few weeks a new economic ranking shows Washington at the head of the pack, or scraping bottom. Here's the analysis and the tool to help explain the contradiction. Continue Reading

Postedby Joe Fain
Date posted06/24/2026


Mobility Coalition Presses for Master Plan Funding as Bellevue Reworks Its Transportation Budget
Mobility Coalition Presses for Master Plan Funding as Bellevue Reworks Its Transportation Budget

The Bellevue Mobility Coalition met June 17 with city transportation leaders on a proposed $500,000 Transportation Master Plan, a redesigned five-program capital budget, and 17 underperforming intersections, then set its priorities for the city's upcoming budget hearing. Continue Reading

Date posted06/18/2026