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Bothell launches ambassador program and walking tours as part of downtown plan outreach
Summary
Staff reported progress on the downtown subarea plan, including a 24-member ambassador work group, walking tours and photo-voice exercises. Early themes: concerns about development scale, parking and connectivity, gaps in bike/ped facilities, and opportunities for public-space activation.
City planning staff updated the Planning Commission on March 18 about engagement work for Bothell’s downtown subarea plan and the next steps toward a draft expected in July.
Staff said consultants and city staff recruited more than 40 volunteers for an ambassador work group and selected 24 members to represent people who live, work, study or visit downtown. The ambassadors completed photo-voice walking tours to catalog opportunities and problems; staff then held public discovery walks to broaden input.
Common themes from ambassadors and early public outreach included concern over the pace and scale of recent development, worries about affordability and displacement, multiple underused lots that create connectivity gaps between main activity hubs, and a perceived shortage of downtown parking compounded by enforcement and signage issues. Participants also flagged gaps in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and several intersections where crossings and signal timing create safety concerns.
Staff said privately owned public spaces and existing public-art opportunities are not well known and could be better activated. The team plans to return with an initial draft of the downtown plan in July, host a public workshop or charette on design and code options, and then advance toward fall work sessions and final adoption steps.
Commissioners praised the outreach strategy and walking tours, suggested specific follow-up actions (parking signage and enforcement analysis, construction-parking plans, and pedestrian-safety coordination with state transportation agencies), and encouraged staff to bring policy alternatives for design and connectivity improvements when the draft is presented.
Staff will continue working with the ambassador group and community members, compile an existing-conditions inventory informed by walking tours and stakeholder interviews, and prepare the July draft for public review.
