Initial designs for a new $8 million Bellevue Youth Theatre complex were unveiled Monday at the Bellevue City Council meeting.

The 11,700 square-foot facility will be located at Crossroads Park, just off NE Eighth St. in the Crossroads neighborhood.

The complex will be built into an existing slope to reduce rainwater runoff and conserve energy. Much of the roof will consist of park lawn.

The building will have room for 150 guests and allow multiple seating configurations. A small outdoor stage is also expected on one side of the building.

Final designs are expected by the end of 2010.

Funding from 2008 Parks and Natural Areas Levy and the city’s capital investment program will pay for the new theater. The Bellevue Youth Theatre Foundation also plans to raise $1 million for the project, beginning in January.

The Bellevue Youth Theatre program started in 1990, and now offers nine performances per year, summer day camps, and theater classes.

The program is currently housed in the former Ivanhoe Elementary School building on Northup Way. Prior to that, it was located in the Crossroads Community Center.