Upcoming Meetings & Events
Speak at a Meeting
Speak at the Planning Commission!
Speak at the Planning Commission about the importance of the Tree Canopy Code Amendments. Meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month in Conference Room 1E-113 at Bellevue City Hall and on Zoom. Sign up between 5:30 and 6:20 pm on meeting days here.
Speak at the City Council!
Speak to the Bellevue City Council about your support of the Tree Canopy Code Amendments. City Council meets Mondays at 6 pm in City Hall Council Chamber. Sign up to speak in person or virtually before 5 pm on meeting days.
Share the Petition
Signatures and comments on our Tree Code Petition are sent regularly to the City Council. Sign and share the petition to keep pressure on the City to make lasting change.
Make a Donation
Trees4Livability is 100% volunteer and community supported. We can amplify our message with support from our community. Donations allow us to host community events, educational opportunities and internship programs. Our campaign is designed to strengthen tree codes in Bellevue.
In the Community
Eastgate Block Party
Community Listening Session
Community Listening Session
Trees4Livability attends the Eastgate Block party to promote improving tree codes.
Community Listening Session
Community Listening Session
Community Listening Session
Trees4Livability attends the Community Listening Session with City Leaders to promote improving tree codes.
City Council Meetings
Community Listening Session
City Council Meetings
Trees4Livability presents regularly at City Council meetings to promote improving tree codes.
Now is the Time
Millions of Square Feet
We have millions of square feet of office space being built in downtown Bellevue. Large companies such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Symetra, T-Mobile, Appito, OfferUp, Smartsheet, and K2 attract new residents to Bellevue. Amazon's new office, for example, will be completed in 2025 and brings 25,000 jobs and significant demand for housing.
We are a city of transplants. We welcome people from all over the world. We need new and more diverse housing options, but this does not need to come at the expense of our tree canopy. We need to strengthen tree codes in 2023 to preserve our city for current and future residents of Bellevue. Today, old homes are being torn down, and new larger homes are being built in their place. In the process, large quantities of significant trees are coming down. These trees take many decades - or in some cases, many lifetimes, to grow.
In Bellevue, developers can cut down five significant trees without a permit. A significant tree is defined as 8" in diameter. These trees take approximately 25 - 45 years to grow. Additionally, we have no special protections for Landmark Trees that are 100 - 150 years old. Read more about this on the city's website.
You can imagine how quickly these regulations could change the face of our community. You can see it, already...if you look around.
Bellevue's tree code needs to be updated to include:
- Permits for all Significant or Landmark Tree removals
- Minimum tree density requirements
- Special protections for Landmark Trees
- Replacement tree requirements
- & More.
Our Partners
We are honored to work with community partners.
Bellevue defines a significant tree as 8" in diameter...
These trees take 25 - 45 years to grow.
Other major municipalities in the Puget Sound region define significant trees as 6" in diameter.
Can you imagine...
5 Fewer Trees?
With 5 fewer trees, 50% of the trees from the pictured home would be gone. Imagine what a difference that would make in the feel of the street, the neighborhood, and the community.