NBBJ is the project's master plan architect, though individual buildings developed by Security Properties and AMLI Residential are being designed by GGLO.

The full development is anticipated to be completed by 2028, adding 5.3 million square feet (490,000 m2) of housing, office space and retail to the area.

[7] The Bellevue City Council adopted a rezone of the Bel-Red area in 2009, allowing for buildings up to 13 stories tall, approximately 150 feet (46 m), as well as mixed-use development incorporating residential units and retail.

[8][9] In December 2007, Seattle-based real estate developer Wright Runstad unveiled plans for a transit-oriented urban village named the "Spring District" to be located in the Bel-Red industrial area.

The firm had, together with Shorenstein Properties, bought a 36-acre (15 ha) lot in the Bel-Red area in May 2007 for $68 million; the land was formerly owned by Safeway, who had a distribution center for its supermarkets at the site.

[10] The first phase of the project was to be completed in 2010, pending zoning changes approved by the city, and replace existing warehouses and light industry with 1,000 residences and 3 million square feet (280,000 m2) of offices along with 16 acres (6.5 ha) of open space.

[18] Freeman had filed an appeal with the city prior to the election, arguing that the environmental impact of additional automobile traffic generated by the Spring District would require further study than the current master plan.

Architecture firm NBBJ, inspired by the Pearl District in Portland, Oregon, designed the neighborhood with small blocks and a grid of interconnected streets integrated with the station and amenities, including parks, open space and mid-block pedestrian passages.

[33] The Spring District is planned to consist of 24 buildings on 36 acres (15 ha) of land, totaling 5.3 million square feet (490,000 m2) of leasable space.

[44][45] The company announced in August 2020 that it would sell the headquarters building and 8-acre (3.2 ha) campus within the Spring District due to the surge in remote working amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

[46][47] Facebook (now Meta) announced its purchase of the unfinished campus the following month for $368 million, while an undeveloped 2-acre (0.81 ha) lot was sold back to Wright Runstad.