Bellevue Streamlines Middle-Housing Permits to Support More Diverse Home Options

This month, the City of Bellevue will introduce a new permit type designed to speed approvals for middle‑housing projects—townhomes, stacked flats, and cottage clusters with three to six units on a single parcel. The updated process creates clearer steps, reduces complexity, and reflects direct feedback from applicants who regularly navigate the city’s permitting system.

The change aligns with recent updates to Bellevue’s land‑use code and new state housing requirements that allow a broader mix of housing types in most residential zones. Together, these reforms are intended to help translate policy into actual housing units.

"REALTORS® applaud Bellevue City leaders for working hard to improve efficiency, enhance customer service, and ensure high‑quality development across Bellevue," said SKCR VP of Governmental & Public Affairs Matthew Huddleston. "The new middle‑housing permit is an important step toward delivering the diverse, attainable homes our region needs. By creating a clearer and more predictable approval process, the city is helping individual property owners and builders bring forward townhomes, cottage clusters, and other ownership options that fit well in existing neighborhoods."

Bellevue's Development Services continues to expand customer‑support tools, including its Virtual Permit Center and educational events like the recent Residential Permitting Expo.