Bothell Planning Commission took up Phase 1 sign code amendments at its March 5 study session

What the records say

The Bothell Planning Commission's March 5, 2025 hybrid meeting agenda listed a study session on a Sign Code Update, and the packet includes a staff memo and draft amendment text for Chapter 12.22 BMC ¹. The memo describes the proposal as Phase 1 (Q1/Q2 2025) of a broader update, aimed at constitutional compliance after Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) and City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising (2022) ¹. Key Phase 1 changes include removing distinctions between on-premises and off-premises signs and eliminating content-based distinctions between commercial and noncommercial signs, consolidating categories around neutral criteria such as location, size, and display duration ¹. The draft amendments would delete the separate noncommercial, real estate, and campaign sign sections and amend the definitions and category tables ¹. The memo states no action was required at the March 5 session — staff were seeking initial feedback — and planned to return March 19, 2025 for final discussion before moving to City Council for hearing and ordinance consideration ¹. The supplied record does not establish what happened at the March 5 meeting itself ¹.

• The March 5, 2025 Planning Commission agenda listed a study session on a Sign Code Update, with a staff memo titled 'Consideration of Updates to Chapter 12.22 BMC – Sign Code' ¹.
• The memo identifies the proposal as Phase 1 (Q1/Q2 2025), with Phase 2 (Q3/Q4 2025) planned as a comprehensive modernization of the entire sign code ¹.
• Phase 1 changes include removing on-premises/off-premises distinctions and content-based commercial/noncommercial distinctions, driven by Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015) and City of Austin v. Reagan National Advertising (2022) ¹.
• The draft amendments would amend the definitions and sign-category sections and delete the separate noncommercial, real estate, and campaign sign sections (12.22.065, .075, .085, .095, .096, .098) ¹.
• No action was required at the March 5 session; staff planned to return March 19, 2025 for final discussion before City Council hearing and ordinance consideration ¹.
• The packet does not record what was said or decided at the March 5 meeting itself ¹.

Why it matters

Sign rules affect what signs residents, businesses, and campaigns can display and how large, where, and how long. If adopted as drafted, the changes would rework the categories used to regulate signs citywide — including deleting the current real estate and campaign sign sections — so homeowners, landlords, and businesses with signage interests have a direct stake in the outcome ¹. Because the March 5 item was a briefing with no action required, nothing in the supplied record shows any rule change taking effect; the operative decision point is the stated path to a City Council hearing and ordinance ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The Bothell Planning Commission held a study session on draft Phase 1 amendments to the sign code (BMC 12.22) at its March 5, 2025 meeting; the session was a briefing with no action required, and the record does not show the meeting's outcome ¹.
• Staff stated they planned to return to the Planning Commission on March 19, 2025 for final discussion before the proposal moves to City Council for hearing and ordinance consideration; the supplied record does not show the result of the March 5 session or any subsequent action ¹.
• The draft Findings document references a SEPA Determination of Non-Significance with the date field left blank, and the draft ordinance is described as forthcoming, so final adoption language was not in the packet ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.