Great Neighborhoods - Crossroads

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Photo of entrance to Crossroads Mall with sign and landscaping

Welcome to Bellevue's Great Neighborhoods Program

Bellevue is known for its diverse, vibrant, and welcoming neighborhoods. The high quality of life that residents enjoy is no accident - it’s the result of thoughtful and collaborative planning with the people who live, work, and play here.

The Great Neighborhoods program is the process for developing neighborhood area plans that reflect the community’s values and vision for the future. Neighborhood area plans inform future growth and change by providing guidance to city staff and developers about the kinds of improvements people want to see.

Neighborhood area plans are part of the city’s overall Comprehensive Plan, which outlines citywide policies on issues like housing, transportation, parks, environmental sustainability, and more. Neighborhood area plans are important tools for addressing the changing needs and conditions at the local level.

The neighborhood area planning process will develop policies and direction for:

  1. Neighborhood Identity: Define the unique aspects of each neighborhood and develop strategies to highlight them.

  1. Enhanced Community Gathering Spaces: Define and strengthen community hubs and “third places” that foster social interaction and connectivity.

  1. Urban Design Framework: Establish guidelines to support neighborhood design, focusing on opportunities to activate spaces and improve the look and feel of public spaces.

  1. Neighborhood Connectivity: Make it safe and convenient for people to get around their neighborhood, connect to transit and use other modes of transportation.

  1. Public Realm Improvements: Identify needs and priorities for future improvements, such as streets and trails, through community engagement.


This is our online engagement hub. Here you can find opportunities to share stories, ideas, and feedback. You can also download documents, presentations, and other key information.

Welcome to Bellevue's Great Neighborhoods Program

Bellevue is known for its diverse, vibrant, and welcoming neighborhoods. The high quality of life that residents enjoy is no accident - it’s the result of thoughtful and collaborative planning with the people who live, work, and play here.

The Great Neighborhoods program is the process for developing neighborhood area plans that reflect the community’s values and vision for the future. Neighborhood area plans inform future growth and change by providing guidance to city staff and developers about the kinds of improvements people want to see.

Neighborhood area plans are part of the city’s overall Comprehensive Plan, which outlines citywide policies on issues like housing, transportation, parks, environmental sustainability, and more. Neighborhood area plans are important tools for addressing the changing needs and conditions at the local level.

The neighborhood area planning process will develop policies and direction for:

  1. Neighborhood Identity: Define the unique aspects of each neighborhood and develop strategies to highlight them.

  1. Enhanced Community Gathering Spaces: Define and strengthen community hubs and “third places” that foster social interaction and connectivity.

  1. Urban Design Framework: Establish guidelines to support neighborhood design, focusing on opportunities to activate spaces and improve the look and feel of public spaces.

  1. Neighborhood Connectivity: Make it safe and convenient for people to get around their neighborhood, connect to transit and use other modes of transportation.

  1. Public Realm Improvements: Identify needs and priorities for future improvements, such as streets and trails, through community engagement.


This is our online engagement hub. Here you can find opportunities to share stories, ideas, and feedback. You can also download documents, presentations, and other key information.

  • Neighborhood Scan

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    Welcome to the Crossroads Neighborhood Scan! We want you to explore your neighborhood and share your thoughts about streets, parks and open space, community spaces, and art along your journey. Here is how you can participate!


    Step 1: Download the Neighborhood Scan (11x17) below, or pick it up at one of our Public Space Series events in the neighborhood.


    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (English)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Chinese - Simplified)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Chinese - Traditional)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Spanish)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Korean)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Russian)

    Crossroads Neighborhood Scan (Vietnamese)


    Step 2: Do the Neighborhood Scan! Watch the short video below to see how it's done!


    Step 3: Share your completed scan to City staff in one of several ways:


    1) Turn it in at one of our Public Space Series events


    2) Turn it in at one of these drop-off locations:

    • Mini City Hall (Crossroads Shopping Center, #E1, 15600 NE 8th St)
    • Bellevue City Hall (450 110th Ave NE) (Drop it off at the Service First desk)


    3) Scan or type up your feedback online using the following link:

    https://www.engagingbellevue.com/great-neighborhoods-crossroads/surveys/submit-your-neighborhood-scan

  • What is Urban Design?

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    Urban design improves the experience, attractiveness, and identity of neighborhoods through their design. Rather than focusing on the design of a specific place, urban design considers how different elements throughout a neighborhood come together to create memorable places.

    Elements of Urban Design (8.5" x 11" PDF)

    Draft Guiding Urban Design Principles (February 13, 2025)


    The neighborhood area planning process uses an urban design framework to better understand what community’s priorities are for accessing and improving neighborhood public places. The framework includes: 1) events and activities to understand and establish urban design priorities; and 2) maps and narrative to document and visualize where new urban design opportunities may be.



    Urban design can help... Examples of places
    Community Gathering Spaces
    • Foster a sense of belonging and community within these spaces
    • Emphasize these areas as the “heart” of the neighborhood, including for special events
    Schools, libraries, community centers, community parks
    Parks and Plazas
    • Offer opportunities for leisure, people- and nature-watching, and exercise
    • Gives people from all backgrounds a place to meet, socialize, and build relationships
    Neighborhood parks, pocket parks, playgrounds, sportsfields, gardens
    Streets
    • Enhance a street’s usability and visual appeal
    • Invite more people to hang out on the sidewalk and interact with their neighborhood
    Boulevards, local streets, sidewalks, transit stops
    Trails and Natural Areas
    • Highlight wildlife habitat, streams, and other ecological resources
    • Gives people more physical and visual access to nature
    Greenways, nature trails, wildlife corridors, wetlands
    Neighborhood Art and Identity
    • Make a neighborhood more memorable and unique
    • Reflect the neighborhood’s community, heritage, and history
    Murals, sculptures, signage, gateways
Page last updated: 02 Apr 2025, 10:12 AM