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Bothell council approves expanded affordable- and middle-housing code changes
Summary
The Bothell City Council on Dec. 9 adopted updates to its affordable-housing and middle-housing codes. The affordable-housing amendments passed 5–1; middle-housing amendments passed unanimously. Staff said the changes expand voluntary incentives and add affordable-unit requirements for larger middle-housing proposals.
The Bothell City Council voted Dec. 9 to adopt two packages of zoning changes aimed at encouraging more affordable and middle-housing in the city. Council adopted the affordable-housing code amendments on a 5–1 vote and the middle-housing amendments unanimously.
Ray Sosa, senior planner for Community Development, told the council the affordable-housing updates expand voluntary affordable-housing options into higher-density zones and parts of downtown that previously lacked that option. He said the middle-housing amendments implement requirements tied to HB 1110 (2023) and add standards calling for dedicated affordable units when proposals exceed zone-specific base unit allowances.
The focus of the debate was how to balance incentives and developer feasibility. Council member Kurt said he would vote yes and described the measures as a first step that staff and council would return to and fine-tune. Council member Zorns recorded the lone dissent on the affordable-housing package, saying some neighborhood residents felt their concerns about scale and compatibility were not fully resolved.
The ordinances will allow staff and developers to test the voluntary incentives and the new middle-housing thresholds. City staff said they expect to monitor usage of incentives and return to council with adjustments as needed. No effective dates beyond agenda materials were specified at the meeting.
Votes at a glance: the affordable-housing amendments passed 5–1 (council member Zorns dissenting); the middle-housing amendments passed 6–0. The council heard the presentations from Ray Sosa and Christian Goetz, deputy director of Community Development, before taking the votes. The council did not specify any amendments to the enacted code packages during the Dec. 9 action.
Council indicated they view the package as an iterative tool: staff will track uptake of incentives and report back with recommendations for changes or clarifications.
