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Bothell council approves ARCH funding resolution; Bothell Urban project recommended for largest ARCH award

City of Bothell City Council · January 21, 2026

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Summary

Bothell City Council on Jan. 20 approved a resolution authorizing ARCH-administered funding agreements for seven regional projects, including a recommended $1.5 million award for the Bothell Urban Project; the council also heard that the state awarded $1 million in CHIP funds for the same Bothell project.

The Bothell City Council voted unanimously on Jan. 20 to authorize ARCH(the Regional Coalition for Housing) to execute funding agreements for seven projects recommended in the 2025 ARCH Housing Trust Fund package, including the Bothell Urban Project.

City Manager Stannard told the council that the stateDepartment of Commerce had also awarded the Bothell Urban Project $1,000,000 through the Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program (CHIP). "The maximum allocation or award of this program is $1,000,000, and I'm pleased to share that the city of Bothell was awarded $1,000,000 for the Bothell Urban Project," Stannard said. The ARCH recommendation before council proposed a $1,500,000 ARCH award for the project.

The recommended Bothell Urban Project is a 200-unit development led by Bridge Housing in partnership with the Bothell United Methodist Church. Stannard summarized the planned income mix and unit types, saying the project includes units at 30%, 50% and 60% of area median income (AMI) with family-sized two- and three-bedroom units in each band. He said the ARCH review prioritized projects that are ready to move quickly, that maximize units per dollar, and that demonstrate cost-effective approaches such as preservation or reuse of existing structures.

Council members pressed staff on timing and next steps. Stannard said the city is the permitting authority and that building permits are expected to arrive this year; the CHIP award carries a construction-start requirement within 24 months. "So, we would anticipate that permits will come into the city sometime this year," Stannard said, while noting additional funding work remains.

Council member Kurt moved adoption of a resolution authorizing the administrating agency for ARCH to execute all documents necessary to fund the recommended projects using funds from the city's housing trust fund; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote of 7-0.

The ARCH package submitted to council includes seven projects across East King County, financed from a mix of ARCH member contributions, loan repayments, interest earnings and some Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) dollars from member cities. Stannard said Bothell's budgeted contribution to ARCH for 2025 was $119,000 and that ARCH has distributed roughly $120 million regionally over its history.

Next steps: staff will return with any follow-up items related to permit review and will inform the council as partner organizations (developers and faith partners) move the project toward permitting and construction.