Bothell planning commissioners review downtown subarea community engagement plan, offer outreach suggestions

City of Bothell planning staff presented a community engagement plan for the Downtown Bothell subarea update at the Planning Commission’s Feb. 19 study session and asked commissioners for input; no formal action was taken.

The engagement plan lays out goals of inclusive participation, meaningful engagement, public education, relationship building and future‑oriented visioning for a downtown plan intended to guide the city’s downtown for roughly the next 20 years. Planner Megan Rigney said the plan draws on Bothell’s 2009 downtown subarea plan, the 2012 and 2024 Imagine Bothell comprehensive plans, the city’s July 2024 community engagement toolkit, and best practices from Bellevue and Kirkland.

“Engagement matters because this is a plan for people,” Megan Rigney, Planner, City of Bothell Community Development, said. “We’re designing the downtown for the community that live, work, and enjoy downtown Bothell.”

The nut graf: The plan sets a multi‑pronged outreach approach — combining digital tools, in‑person tabling and workshops, targeted stakeholder outreach and translation/ADA accommodations — to reach people who live, work, visit or aspire to live or do business downtown, with an emphasis on…