Wilburton residents could soon see an 11-story, 449-unit apartment building rise on the vacant lot where AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Bellevue once sold cars at 120 116th Ave NE, about a half-mile walk from the Wilburton light rail station on the 2 Line.
Bellevue-based developer American Capital Group filed applications with the City of Bellevue for the project, reported by the Downtown Bellevue Network on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The mixed-use building would sit on the 3.41-acre lot that has been empty since the dealership closed Feb. 5, 2025.
Ninety of the 449 units would be reserved as affordable housing for households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income. The plans also include 11,412 square feet of ground-floor retail, 19,700 square feet of resident amenity space and 507 parking spaces across four garage levels.
What the building would look like
The "E"-shaped structure would feature two courtyards facing west and a rooftop deck above the ninth floor. Amenities listed in the application include lounge and club rooms, a game room, coworking space and a fitness center.
The façade draws design cues from the nearby Wilburton Trestle, with bronze-toned columns and beams paired with brick and metal panel detailing along the street front.
Along 116th Avenue NE and at the building's southwest corner near Main Street, roughly 16,884 square feet of public-facing open space would include landscaping, seating and terraced steps marking the main residential entrance behind the retail storefronts.
Parking and bike access
Of the 507 parking spaces, 456 would serve residents, 42 would go to retail customers and nine to leasing staff. The project also includes 90 bicycle parking spots, 14 of them short-term spaces near building entrances.
The city began construction in July 2026 on a $1.3 million bike infrastructure project along 116th Ave NE between Main Street and NE 4th Street, according to Bellevue's transportation department. That's the same corridor where the apartment building would stand.
Part of a Wilburton building wave
The proposal is the latest in a surge of development since the Bellevue City Council approved new zoning for the 300-acre Wilburton neighborhood in June 2025 to encourage walkable, transit-oriented growth near the 2 Line. Developers have since submitted applications for more than 2,300 housing units in the area, according to a Bellevue Chamber of Commerce panel recap.
Other Wilburton projects include a 442-unit apartment tower by Alliance Residential that cleared design review in May, a 198-unit building, a 225-unit project and a proposed 174-room Hyatt House hotel.
American Capital Group, founded nearly four decades ago, manages more than $1 billion in development value and assets. The firm's current Eastside pipeline includes a 198-unit project elsewhere in Bellevue, a 453-unit complex in Kirkland and a 735-unit development in Redmond, plus a separate 222-unit building it filed for in West Bellevue in July 2026.
What's next
No timeline has been set. The application is at an early stage, with no design review hearing date, public comment period or construction schedule announced. Residents who want to track the project can monitor the city's permit bulletin for updates on the 116th Avenue NE Apartments.
