Bothell Sound

City Hall · Aug 19, 2025

Bothell council subcommittee scheduled to finalize letter rejecting Snohomish County growth-area expansion

Ahead of an Aug. 19, 2025, special meeting, a three-member Bothell City Council subcommittee was scheduled to finalize a letter opposing Snohomish County's urban growth area expansion and refusing to absorb it into Bothell's MUGA. 1

What the records say

A special meeting of a three-member Bothell City Council Subcommittee (Councilmembers Curd, Dodd, and Mahnkey) was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025, at Bothell City Hall to consider finalizing a letter to the Snohomish County Council. 1 The drafted letter, attached to the agenda, states that Bothell 'cannot accept the assignment' of an urban growth area that Snohomish County expanded into rural lands adjacent to the city's existing unincorporated Municipal Urban Growth Area (MUGA), and that the city lacks the resources to provide municipal services there. 1 The recommended action was to approve, by motion, finalization of the letter and direct staff to transmit copies to the Snohomish County Council on the city's behalf. 1 The full City Council authorized the subcommittee to draft the letter on July 15, 2025, according to the agenda bill. 1

  • The subcommittee's recommended action was to approve by motion the finalization of the drafted letter and direct staff to transmit copies to the Snohomish County Council on Bothell's behalf. 1
  • The drafted letter states Bothell cannot accept assignment of the expanded UGA under its MUGA claim and lacks resources to support municipal services there, now or in the foreseeable future. 1
  • The letter says the county's December 2024 expansion (Ordinance 24-030) would convert 387 acres of rural land to low-density development with 821 units of potential additional housing capacity. 1
  • The letter describes the expanded area as transit-underserved and outside Community Transit's benefit district, and asks the county to stop further consideration of assigning the area to Bothell. 1

Why it matters

The letter puts Bothell on record refusing to claim the expanded area into its MUGA, meaning the county — not Bothell — would remain responsible for services and development in the 387 acres the county added to its urban growth area. 1 The letter argues the expansion converts 387 acres of rural land into low-density sprawl with only 821 units of potential housing capacity, in an area the letter describes as transit-underserved and outside Community Transit's benefit district. 1 Analysis: For residents near the affected area, the dispute concerns who provides future municipal services and what development pattern applies; the record does not establish the meeting's outcome or whether the letter was ultimately sent.

What changed / what's next

  • The proposed action was to finalize the drafted letter opposing the Snohomish County UGA expansion and direct staff to transmit copies to the Snohomish County Council. 1
  • These are pre-meeting records; they do not establish whether the subcommittee approved the letter on Aug. 19, 2025, or whether the letter was actually transmitted to the county. 1
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.