Bellevue opens nearly $25M affordable-housing funding opportunity
Bellevue has opened a combined affordable-housing funding solicitation that could make up to $24.95 million available for eligible projects, but no money has been awarded and no projects have been selected.
The City of Bellevue Office of Housing made the solicitation available June 17. It combines the Housing Stability Program, which may provide up to $13.95 million, with $11 million from the Bellevue Housing Reserve.
For developers and housing operators, the immediate deadline is Aug. 14, when required preapplication conferences must be completed. Applications are due to A Regional Coalition for Housing, known as ARCH, by 5 p.m. Sept. 11.
Funding opportunity, not an award announcement
The combined request for proposals puts potential local gap funding before applicants working on affordable-housing projects in Bellevue. The city’s materials describe eligible work that can include new construction, rehabilitation and other uses, rather than limiting the opportunity to one type of project.
That distinction matters: the nearly $25 million is the maximum amount of resources identified for the two programs, not a commitment to spend the full amount and not a list of grants already approved. The solicitation does not identify developers, project sites or a number of homes that ultimately could receive funding.
Applicants will need to address Bellevue neighborhood issues and the city’s relocation requirements. Those requirements are significant for proposals that could involve relocation or displacement planning. The solicitation also includes projects serving specified income groups, according to the city’s description of the funding opportunity.
Key dates for applicants and council review
The application process has several steps after the Sept. 11 deadline. City staff recommendations are expected in December 2026. Bellevue City Council review is planned for the first quarter of 2027.
Those dates establish a decision path, rather than an immediate construction schedule. Any funded projects would still depend on the applications received, staff recommendations and council review. The available information does not establish when construction or rehabilitation work might begin.
ARCH is receiving the applications, while Bellevue’s Office of Housing issued the solicitation. That arrangement places the near-term focus on proposal development and review before the council considers recommended funding decisions.
How the solicitation fits Bellevue policy
Bellevue’s Affordable Housing Strategy for 2026 through 2032 identifies affordable housing as a city policy priority, along with local hiring and transit-oriented density. The new solicitation is a concrete funding opportunity within that broader policy setting, though it does not itself guarantee an outcome for any particular project.
For Bellevue residents, the practical significance is the scale of the potential funding pool and the city’s forthcoming choices about where it may be directed. The programs could support affordable-housing development or rehabilitation, but the number of homes, locations and final awards remain undecided.
The next known public milestones are the Aug. 14 preapplication-conference deadline, the 5 p.m. Sept. 11 application deadline, staff recommendations anticipated in December and planned City Council review during the first three months of 2027.
Sources
- Housing Stability Program and Affordable Housing Fund, Combined RFP, City of Bellevue, Washington
- Affordable Housing Strategy 2026-2032, City of Bellevue, Washington
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