Council Roundup: Updates on public safety statistics and Eastgate Housing Campus

Published September 19 2025

Plus, Comprehensive Plan updates in Crossroads, Newport and Downtown

At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, councilmembers received an update from Bellevue Police on key public safety statistics and community engagement efforts so far in 2025.

Highlights included a reduction in overall crime citywide by 28% year-to-date compared with last year, a 21% decrease in traffic collisions, a 117% increase in speeding tickets and an average response time under four minutes. The department indicated that the lower crime trends are regionwide but strong partnership with the Bellevue community is creating lasting, positive influence in the city over the long term through strategies of prevention, intervention and enforcement.

The report also highlighted the department's efforts to curb speeding and racing concerns, an issue of great concern for community members, and successes with the Community Crisis Assistance Team and the Bellevue Light Rail Unit.

The full presentation is available on Bellevue Television.

Eastgate Campus update on PorchLight and Plymouth Crossing

The Bellevue City Council received an informational report on the PorchLight men's shelter and the Plymouth Crossing permanent supportive housing facility at the Eastgate Campus, as well as the ongoing collaboration between these two agencies and the city to address neighborhood concerns and support a safe and welcoming community for all in Eastgate.

Plymouth Crossing offers 92 apartments with supportive services for formerly homeless adults and the PorchLight men's shelter and day center serves more than 800 people a year. Bellevue is committed to supporting housing and shelter for vulnerable community members. Staff shared an action plan for program and neighborhood improvements to reduce impacts in the surrounding community and provide essential services for residents and shelter clients.

The full meeting materials are available in the meeting agenda item.

Comprehensive Plan updates to the Crossroads and Newport neighborhood area and Downtown Subarea plans

The council directed staff to prepare legislation for final adoption for three proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments. The first two amendments were to update the Crossroads and Newport Neighborhood Area Plans, which stemmed from the 2024-25 Great Neighborhoods planning process.

Following the Great Neighborhoods launch in Crossroads and Newport, staff conducted community engagement designed to equitably engage with community members from both areas to define values and policies for each neighborhood. This included a wide variety of activities, such as frequent email communications, community surveys, meetings with community leaders and in-person and virtual meetings. After reviewing community feedback and the staff recommended neighborhood area plans, the Planning Commission recommended the plans for adoption to council.

The third Comprehensive Plan amendment was to update the Downtown Subarea Plan, which included redesignating Downtown Bellevue as a Regional Growth and Metro Center, as part of the Puget Sound Regional Council's Regional Centers Monitoring and Redesignation process. The redesignation would ensure Bellevue remains eligible for competitive federal transportation funding and meet new requirements for Regional Centers under Vision 2050.

Staff plans to return to council with final legislation adopting the three proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments in October this year.

Further detail on the amendments are in the meeting materials.

Council proclamations

The council also proclaimed Teen Mental Health Awareness Week, National Hispanic Heritage Month and National Diaper Need Awareness Week.