Planning staff propose neighborhood‑scale commercial rules, parking changes and administrative cleanups for Phase 2 code update

Jacqueline Sampson, long-range planner for the City of Bothell, presented draft Phase 2 development‑code amendments May 7 that would: define and scale neighborhood‑scale commercial uses; revise parking and related bicycle/ride‑share provisions; simplify coverage standards by removing maximum building coverage where appropriate; and clarify several administrative procedures.

Sampson said the neighborhood‑scale commercial approach follows Department of Commerce guidance and, after City Council feedback, staff proposes a scale that sets the maximum commercial footprint at the greater of 1,800 square feet or 30% of the lot’s net billable area, capped at 2,500 square feet. "That ensures even very small lots can support functional commercial space, while preventing very large lots from producing out‑of‑scale commercial buildings," she said.

On parking, Sampson told commissioners that Senate Bill 5184 had cleared the 2025 legislative session and was signed by the governor that morning; staff will verify the final text but noted the state action informed local work. City Council has also asked staff to consider eliminating citywide off‑street parking minimums; staff presented a draft that would decouple bicycle and rideshare parking calculations from vehicular parking minimums (using Bellingham’s approach for bike parking and an independent calculation for rideshare/loading). Sampson said the city is weighing whether to retain parking minimums as an incentive for affordable housing or remove them entirely.

Sampson described other proposed changes: no immediate revisions to recently adopted hard‑surface coverage limits (implemented Jan. 1), deletion of redundant references to maximum building coverage in several sections to reduce code complexity, and administrative updates to variance criteria, net billable area definitions, and docketing procedures (including an option to route site‑specific rezone recommendations through the hearing examiner before City Council decision).

Commissioners generally supported the Department of Commerce‑based neighborhood scale approach; Commissioner Westerbeck praised the 1,800/2,500 hybrid as a reasonable starting point. On parking, commissioners were split: Commissioner Sarah Gustafson and Commissioner Westerbeck expressed support for eliminating off‑street parking minimums, emphasizing the need for multi‑department parking management (public works, police, finance) to prevent spillover impacts; Commissioner Levert and Commissioner Robson urged caution, noting possible disproportionate impacts on workers and residents who rely on personal vehicles and urging protections for seniors and the chronically ill.

Sampson said staff will prepare findings and bring recommendations back to the commission on May 21, with a planned City Council public hearing in June and a potential final ordinance in July. No action was required at the May 7 meeting; commissioners provided feedback to guide code drafting.

Next steps identified by staff include verifying statutory details of recent state bills, finalizing draft code language reflecting commission feedback and council direction, preparing findings and recommendations for the May 21 commission meeting, and conducting the Council public hearing in June.