Over the past year, the City of Bellevue has been working on a station area plan for the area around the future Wilburton light rail station, located across the freeway just east of Downtown Bellevue. This effort will provide a sweeping new vision for the area, which is poised to serve as Bellevue’s next great urban neighborhood. The city envisions a vibrant and walkable urban neighborhood developing around the station over the coming decades.
The Wilburton District sits at the crossroads of several important transportation corridors. The Sound Transit East Link light rail line is scheduled to open in 2023. This transit line will intersect with Bellevue’s planned Grand Connection, a bike/pedestrian promenade, running from Wilburton through Downtown Bellevue to the Lake Washington waterfront at Meydenbauer Bay. The future Eastside Rail Corridor Trail will also run through the district, connecting Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Woodinville and Redmond.
Feet First continues to monitor and participate in this effort, including attending meetings of the Bellevue Citizen Advisory Committee and submitting written comments. Among the key pedestrian-related issues are:
- The design of major arterials, such as 116th Avenue NE
- The addition of an at-grade crossing of NE 8th Street at the Eastside Trail connecting to the new light rail station, and
- Providing additional walkways to make it easier to walk around the neighborhood
Bellevue recently released the draft environmental impact statement for the area. They are accepting written comments through March 19.
