Bothell staff: city-funded historic inventory to begin Q4; downtown plan outreach will involve Landmark Preservation Board

City staff told the Bothell Landmark Preservation Board on May 14 that the city has funded a comprehensive historic resources inventory scheduled to begin about Q4 2025 and run through mid‑2026, and that staff will engage the board during outreach for the downtown subarea plan.

“— we did receive funding within the biennial budget for a historic resources inventory that is going to kick off, starting around Q4 this year and run through the middle of 2026,” said Christian Gitz, deputy community development director.

The inventory and the downtown subarea plan matter because the inventory will update the city—s regulatory records and inform potential nominations to the Bothell Register of Historic Landmarks, while the subarea plan could affect preservation overlays and how the downtown area manages new growth. Staff described the inventory as a reconnaissance‑level survey intended to correct location errors in the state database, to record properties that have become age‑eligible since the last citywide survey, and to document what still exists.

Staff said the current record of registered properties is maintained in the state database maintained by the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP). Staff explained that many older, paper survey forms have been digitized, and new survey records are now entered directly into DAHP—s WISAARD system (Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Database). Staff cautioned that Bothell is one of the few municipalities that uses WISAARD in a regulatory role and that some location data in older entries can be inaccurate; the inventory will include a broad effort to correct those errors.

Staff asked for the board—s help identifying resources that are hidden from public view, such as properties set back from public rights of way, and said outreach will also solicit theme‑based nominations (for example, midcentury residential types that have become age eligible). Gitz told the board staff will return to provide an overview of outreach findings and to discuss how the downtown subarea plan work will integrate with Landmark Preservation Board review.

Staff also said the city has an aspirational goal — to designate two new resources onto the Bothell Register of Historic Landmarks per year — and that the project will be funded through the adopted biennial budget. Staff noted that public access to existing inventory records requires a DAHP/WISAARD account; staff offered to help board members and residents obtain logins and locate survey forms.

Board members asked for additional clarification about nonbuilding historical resources and archival inventories. Staff said built environment records (buildings, structures, objects) are the inventory—s focus; separate archival, documentary, or archaeological materials are housed in local repositories and with regional institutions. Staff pointed board members to the city—s Engage Bothell portal for information about the downtown subarea plan and other concurrent planning efforts.

Staff additionally updated the board on an outstanding mitigation agreement connected to the Main Street project (the demolition of the former Wells Fargo building). Staff stated the required mitigation materials have not yet been submitted for staff review and that the city is tracking mitigation conditions for cases where the board previously recommended or required mitigation.

On process and scope, staff reminded the board that code changes to Title 22 or formal additions to the board work plan must be dockets or directed by City Council; agendas for the board come from staff consistent with council direction and regulatory requirements. Staff said the inventory will be a multi阶段 effort and that outreach and survey scoping are underway.

Staff said they anticipate returning with an overview of outreach and survey scope in early fall, after the initial summer outreach work that will feed the two‑year downtown planning process.

The meeting included routine board business (officer nominations, approval of minutes) and several procedural votes, but no formal action was taken at that meeting to alter the inventory scope or to adopt changes to Title 22.