What Will a $1.2B Bellevue Collection Expansion Look Like?

Downtown Bellevue could see the proposed $1.2 billion expansion of the Bellevue Collection -- the retail, office and hotel area in downtown Bellevue owned by Kemper Development Company -- start as soon as 2014, with a completion target date of 2016, the company announced on Monday.

The 2 million square foot expansion would include more than 375,000 square feet of new space for stores, restaurants and entertainment, 700,000 square feet of office space a new hotel, and about 500 high-end residential units, the company announced.

The company's intentions for the area have been in the news for several months, but now the public can see what developer Kemper Freeman and the Kemper Development Company has in store for the properties that include Bellevue Square, Bellevue Place and Lincoln Square on its website: http://lincolnsquareexpansion.com.

In a Monday press release, the company explained what will go into the new development:

In addition to more than 375,000 square feet of new retail, dining and entertainment space, The Bellevue Collection’s mixed-use expansion plans include 700,000 square feet of Class-A office space, with unobstructed views of Mount Rainier to the south and Lake Washington and the Olympics to the west; a 250-room luxury hotel, an additional boutique hotel, approximately 500 high-end residential units and an additional 3,700 free parking spaces in two 6-level underground parking garages. Construction is slated to begin in 2014, and to be completed by fall 2016.

Freeman's family has developed much of the area around Northeast 8th Street and Bellevue Way since 1946, when the developed Bellevue Square mall. Today the three properties clustered around Northeast Eighth and Bellevue Way Northeast includes 250 stores and restaurants, a movie theater, the Bellevue Westin and Hyatt Regency hotels, 148 luxury condominiums, over a million square feet of office space and 10,000 free retail parking spaces, according to the company.

Previous coverage of the Bellevue Collection
Would You Live at Bellevue Square? Report Says Two Residential ...
Bellevue Square Gearing for Expansion

How do you feel about these upcoming changes to downtown Bellevue? Tell us in the comments.