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About the BDA

We're the people behind the place, the business and civic leaders who champion a healthy Downtown community. Established in 1974, the Bellevue Downtown Association supports its members with best-in-class advocacy, major community events, and strategic programs to help the Downtown area thrive. The BDA works to spotlight member successes and sustain the leadership and collaboration needed to shape Downtown's Bellevue's growth and progress.

Our Mission

To strengthen the economic and cultural vitality of Downtown Bellevue.

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Our Vision

Downtown Bellevue is the economic and cultural heart of the Eastside in an interconnected region. Downtown Bellevue is a:

  • Viable, livable, memorable and accessible city core.
  • Center for creative global talent and innovative businesses.
  • Thriving retail, dining and entertainment destination.
  • Healthy and engaged residential community.
  • Vibrant partner with surrounding cities and neighborhoods.

Values

Leadership and Advocacy - Represent members with a shared vision and strong voice in the planning and development of Downtown.

Growth and Economic Vitality – Cultivate and promote Downtown as the preferred place to live, work, play, visit, and invest.

Collaboration – Convene diverse interests and promote an open and informed dialogue among Downtown stakeholders and constituents.

Celebration – Foster and activate a dynamic, creative and di­verse civic and cultural community.

Critical Issues

  • Access and mobility/transportation
  • Arts and cultural environment
  • Diversity
  • Economic climate
  • Effective civic framework
  • Housing
  • Land use and livability
  • Physical environment & infrastructure
  • Regional leadership

Success Measures

  • Job growth, workforce population
  • Retail and entertainment growth, taxable sales
  • Residential growth, population
  • BDA membership growth and member participation
  • Strategic Plan and annual Work Plan tracking and progress
  • Board composition

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Strategic Direction

Mobility - Prioritize transportation, overall mobility, and access through strong advocacy and TransManage programs.

  • Provide leadership for and champion plans to improve multi-modal mobility, reduce congestion and accommodate growth.
  • Update and implement the BDA’s Downtown Access strategy and priorities for future investment.
  • Refresh and support the strategic plan for TransManage’s growing programs in Bellevue on the Eastside.
  • Represent our members and the downtown community on light rail’s construction impacts and business relations activities.

Presence – Expand the BDA’s role and presence in marketing, activating and serving the Downtown Area.

  • Stage community events, activate public spaces and cultivate employee and customer attraction in the Downtown area.
  • Build and sustain Downtown’s regional and national visibility with defined marketing/public relations campaigns and robust online tools.
  • Publish compelling content and research about downtown’s growth, economy and benefits to the region.
  • Host member-focused events that facilitate dialogue and engagement on key issues and opportunities for Downtown.
  • Celebrate Bellevue’s growing diversity in member and community event programming.

Vitality – Enhance Downtown’s economic vitality, livability, and physical environment.

  • Represent the Downtown community and partner in economic development, infrastructure, public safety, tourism, and cultural initiatives.
  • ​​​Achieve BDA goals in the Downtown Livability Initiative, consistent with the BDA’s Land Use & Livability Strategy and recommendations.
    • Attract and enable the city’s most concentrated development downtown.
    • Optimize development economics and generate desired public benefits.
    • Motivate excellent urban design and strong architectural interest in the built environment.
    • Enhance downtown’s neighborhood identities, character and pedestrian environment.
    • Integrate with transportation and utility planning and support the Downtown Access Strategy.
  • Explore interest and feasibility in forming an improvement district for downtown (clean and safe operations, economic research, wayfinding/banners/signage, marketing, parking resources and management, etc.).
  • Identify planned actions to engage and collaborate with the residential community.

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