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Bothell staff outline multiyear Housing Action Plan, promise community engagement and targeted code changes
Summary
City staff briefed the City Council on a Housing Action Plan tied to the recently adopted Imagine Bothell Comprehensive Plan, saying some zoning code changes will be ready by June 2025 while broader affordability strategies will extend into 2026.
City of Bothell Community Development staff told the City Council on Feb. 11 that a Housing Action Plan to implement the Imagine Bothell Comprehensive Plan is underway, with code amendments addressing middle-housing and other zoning gaps targeted for mid-2025 and broader affordability and anti-displacement measures planned into 2026.
The briefing, delivered by Jason Greenspan, Community Development Director, and Ray Sosa, senior planner, summarized a four‑phase schedule (scoping, community engagement, preliminary draft, final draft) and described the city as currently in phase 1. “No action is required,” Sosa said, adding the plan “will help us meet those goals, including ensuring that there’s housing for people of all incomes, ensuring that there’s housing diversity and ensuring that we are meeting our workforce and housing goals.”
The nut graf: staff said they will return with draft zoning amendments by June 2025 to satisfy council direction to accelerate “middle housing” (allowing up to four dwelling units per lot in residential zones) while continuing an extended public engagement program to shape permanent affordability tools through summer 2026.
Staff described the plan’s priorities as (1) targeted code updates to fill gaps after the December 2024 comprehensive plan adoption, (2) a continued emphasis on community engagement that reaches underrepresented groups, and (3) exploration of implementation tools such as use of surplus city-owned sites and transit-oriented development near future BRT stations.
Council members used the study session to press staff on specifics. Councilmember Aldrichs pointed council and the public to the Engage Bothell page and said outreach should prioritize those most affected by housing insecurity. Deputy Mayor Alcabara asked about timing; staff said code amendments to meet the council’s March 2024 directive on middle‑housing production would be returned by June 2025 but that more complex affordability mechanisms require additional community work and may extend into 2026. Councilmember Kurt and others asked whether parking-minimums review would be part of the Housing Action Plan; staff said parking will be addressed both within the housing plan and as a separate, expedited workstream.
Staff also listed items they plan to consider in coming months: revisiting parking minimums citywide, exploring use of city surplus property for affordable housing, coordinating with Sound Transit and King County on underused parking lots near transit, and incorporating permanent supportive housing in plan tools. Several council members said they want the city to prioritize projects and investments that benefit neighborhoods and populations with the highest needs.
Ending: Staff said the city will launch broader community engagement after preliminary study sessions; the council is scheduled for a standalone study session on the Housing Action Plan in March and additional check‑ins as the plan moves to a draft code package in mid‑2025.
