Bothell planners to consider transportation impact fee recommendation

What the records say

In materials published ahead of the Feb. 4, 2026, Planning Commission meeting, the commission was scheduled to consider the draft Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations for the proposed Transportation Impact Fee (TIF) and Bothell Municipal Code (BMC) Title 17 updates. According to the agenda bill, the commission was expected to hold a vote on the draft and could approve it, approve it with revisions, or deny it. The final recommendation would then go to the City Council ¹. The available pre-meeting records do not establish the outcome of the vote.

• The proposed per-person Transportation Impact Fee rate is $9,928, based on a 12-year planning period covering 24 anticipated transportation projects.
• Approximately $99 million of the estimated $370 million total project cost is calculated to serve new growth and can be funded through TIF revenue.
• Proposed fee changes include reductions for affordable housing and residential development near transit and in growth centers, plus a change-of-use exemption.
• The BMC Title 17 updates would adopt a multimodal level of service (MMLOS) framework, replacing the current vehicle-based traffic concurrency corridor approach.
• TIF revenue during the 12-year period is estimated at $75.8 million to $93 million, according to the record.

Why it matters

Transportation Impact Fees are paid by new development to fund system-wide transportation improvements that offset the demands new development places on the network. The proposed update would set the per-person trip rate at $9,928 and introduce new fee reductions for affordable housing and residential development near transit and in growth centers. It would also shift how the city measures road capacity from a vehicle-based standard to a multimodal level of service, which considers walking, biking, and transit, and would simplify the permitting and concurrency review processes for developers ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The proposed per-person trip rate would be set at $9,928 ¹.
• New fee reductions would be added for affordable housing and residential development near transit and in growth centers ¹.
• BMC Title 17 would be updated to incorporate the multimodal level of service (MMLOS) framework, replacing the vehicle-based concurrency method ¹.
• Concurrency and permitting processes would be streamlined, and concurrency determination timelines would align with preliminary subdivision or building permit approval timelines ¹.
• The outcome of the Planning Commission's vote on the draft recommendation is not established by the available pre-meeting records ¹.
• The Washington State Department of Commerce review of the draft Title 17 updates was scheduled to be completed by Feb. 16, 2026 ¹.
• The City Council was scheduled to hold a public hearing on Feb. 3, 2026, and to consider adopting the Title 17 updates on March 10, 2026 ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.