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Council studies a private request to redesignate a Canyon Park site from employment‑low to mixed‑use employment
Summary
An applicant requested a comprehensive‑plan amendment to change an employment‑low designation to mixed‑use employment for a parcel in Canyon Park. Staff recommended declining immediate action and noted the Canyon Park subarea plan and recent comprehensive plan update had intentionally preserved employment capacity; council asked staff to return
City planning staff briefed the Bothell City Council on March 4 about a private request to amend the comprehensive plan’s future land use map for a parcel in Canyon Park, seeking a change from an employment‑low designation to a mixed‑use employment designation.
Deputy Community Development Director Christian Getz summarized the application, which the city received in October as part of the annual docketing process for plan amendments. Staff said the Canyon Park subarea plan (adopted in 2020) and the 2024 comprehensive plan update intentionally assigned lower‑intensity employment designations to the parcel and surrounding areas to balance employment and housing capacity across the city and to preserve jobs target capacity in the subarea.
Staff recommended that the council decline the amendment for immediate study because changing the land‑use designation could have citywide implications for residential and employment targets, transportation and capital facilities planning; staff noted the council can also initiate a broader subarea review earlier than the planned 2027 timeline if it decides that path is a priority.
Josh Friedman, representing City Office REIT and the property owner, spoke during the public comment period and described the parcel’s configuration — three low‑scale office buildings and surface parking on a 10‑acre site he said two‑thirds comprised parking — and argued the market for suburban office is uncertain after tenant changes. He asked the council to docket the amendment so the city and applicant could work on a compromise approach that keeps employment while allowing multifamily near transit if the office tenant leaves.
Council discussion emphasized the tradeoffs: several council members said they value preserving employment capacity in Canyon Park and want to avoid piecemeal changes, while others said the request exposed larger questions about whether the subarea should be reevaluated sooner. Several council members suggested waiting for the Puget Sound Regional Council’s upcoming center‑certification work (which reviews how centers are meeting regional targets) and the city’s economic vitality work before deciding whether to advance a city‑initiated or applicant‑initiated subarea review.
No action was taken. Staff said it would return with options and a resolution describing next steps, including the possibility of advancing a broader Canyon Park review earlier than 2027 if council directs it.
