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Bothell board approves mitigation plan for demolition of Dr. Elmer E. Lytle House at Landing
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Summary
The Bothell Landmarks Preservation Board voted to waive a certificate of appropriateness and approve negotiated mitigation for demolition of the Dr. Elmer E. Lytle House at the Park at Bothell Landing, adding a condition that site signage reiterate the house’s historic significance; the vote was unanimous among members present.
The Bothell Landmarks Preservation Board voted Sept. 10 to allow demolition of the Dr. Elmer E. Lytle House at the Park at Bothell Landing and approved negotiated mitigation measures, with an additional board condition requiring clear, interpretive signage referencing the house’s historic significance.
Adam Alsobrook, the city’s historic-preservation consultant, summarized the record and staff recommendation during the quasi-judicial hearing. "Staff recommends that the LPB grant the applicant a waiver of a certificate of appropriateness pursuant to BMC 22.28.060(b)," Alsobrook said, and recommended that the board waive the demolition-alternatives waiting period and "proceed immediately to negotiate mitigation measures with the applicant pursuant to BMC 22.28.060(b)(4)." He also summarized the applicant’s proposed mitigation, dated Sept. 3, 2025, and noted the city’s caveat that tribal contact be made through appropriate government-to-government channels.
Applicant representatives from Bothell Parks and Recreation presented the park redevelopment program and the rationale for demolition. "We are currently just wrapped up the schematic design phase of the project and we'll be moving into design development in the next month," Aaron Milner, planning and development manager for Parks and Recreation, said. Consultant architects said the Lytle House has lost much of its original fabric after removal and additions: the building was moved to the landing in 1977 and expanded in 1984, leaving only roughly 15–25% of original material, the consultants told the board.
The applicant’s demolition report and mitigation proposal listed four primary mitigation measures: salvage and reuse of viable materials, maximize recycling of materials to limit landfill impacts, develop robust interpretive information integrated into the site design, and establish a demonstration garden with native and culturally relevant species. During public comment, longtime community member Vicki and others urged strong commemoration of Dr. Lytle and interpretation of landing history, including river and steamship history.
Board members discussed conditions and asked staff about the building’s condition. Nick Stroop, Parks and Recreation director, said the building requires systems work to reopen for community use, including a nonoperable kitchen venting system and other deferred maintenance. Alsobrook reminded the board that the LPB’s review is limited to demolition and mitigation; the new community building’s design will be reviewed through separate processes.
A motion to approve “Option 2” — that the board find demolition alternatives infeasible under Bothell Municipal Code 22.28.060(a)(3), accept the applicant’s mitigation measures and require an additional mitigation condition to develop clear interpretive signage referencing the historic significance of the Dr. Elmer E. Lytle House and its role in the park’s history — was moved and seconded; the board voted unanimously in favor. The minutes and packet identify the applicant’s mitigation text on agenda packet pages 69–70.
The board’s action: waive the certificate-of-appropriateness waiting period, negotiate and approve mitigation measures (including the added signage condition), and direct the applicant to coordinate fulfillment of mitigation with city staff and the city’s on-call historic preservation consultant, with tribal contact routed through proper government‑to‑government channels.
