Join us for a guided walking tour of Bellevue’s Grand Connection—a key urban initiative that will reimagine the city’s public spaces and connectivity. The event will kick off with a brief presentation from a Grand Connection representative at Bellevue City Hall, offering insights into the project’s progress, long-term vision, and its impact on the community. Afterward, we’ll head outside for a firsthand look at planned improvements along the route and a discussion on sustainable urban design and planning strategies.
Meet your tour guides:
Nathan Torgelson
Nathan, currently heading up the Grand Connection project for the City of Bellevue, Bellevue’s signature downtown place-making initiative, has dedicated his career in the public sector to improving the relationship of people and communities to their built environment, and his true passion is working on place-making initiatives and public-private partnerships. He has dedicated his career in the public sector to improving the relationship of people and communities to their built environment, and his true passion is working on place-making initiatives and public-private partnerships.
Sarah Langton
Sarah has over 30 years experience working on the Eastside delivering projects for clients that positively transform the community. Her work has focused almost exclusively on Bellevue and Eastside projects with expertise in developing stakeholder outreach and community engagement processes for often complicated, multi-year projects. This work has included building grassroots coalitions, advocacy at all levels of government, creating public and private partnerships, providing strategic counsel and advice on project development and implementation, and building communication strategies.
Katherine Hollis
As executive director of Eastrail Partners, Katherine is responsible for the organization’s strategic leadership, management, fundraising, and project recruitment, working closely with the board, community collaborations manager, and partners. Katherine considers herself one of the lucky ones – her parents had her adventuring in nature before she could walk. This connection to the outdoors continues to inspire her focus on catalyzing authentic connections to create sustainable, impactful solutions for people and the natural world. Katherine comes to this role with two decades of nonprofit experience connecting people to place.
This tour is ideal for anyone interested in sustainability, urban design, smart growth, and the future of walkable cities.
*Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather
