Bothell Sound

Community · Mar 11, 2026

Minutes record Landmark Preservation Board approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness for Bothell's First Schoolhouse; the March 11 meeting was cancelled

The city's March 11, 2026 agenda packet — for a meeting that was cancelled — includes minutes recording that the Landmark Preservation Board approved a Certificate of Appropriateness application for Bothell's First Schoolhouse at its February 11, 2026 meeting 1.

What the records say

The City of Bothell's agenda packet for the March 11, 2026 Landmark Preservation Board meeting, which was cancelled, includes the minutes of the board's February 11, 2026 regular meeting 1. Those minutes record a public hearing on a Certificate of Appropriateness application for Bothell's First Schoolhouse, a presentation by consultant Sean Kelly of SHKS Architects on the property's history and proposed design updates and modifications, and a motion approving the application as submitted that passed with all present members in favor 1. The recorded motion found that the proposed scope of work meets the requirements of BMC Title 22, Chapter 28 and Standards 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 of the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, provided the applicant complies with conditions imposed by the Landmark Preservation Commission, as the motion text reads 1. Analysis: a Certificate of Appropriateness is the local historic-review approval a property owner needs before making changes to a designated landmark, so this recorded motion sets the terms for the schoolhouse rehabilitation work.

  • The minutes record that the Certificate of Appropriateness application for Bothell's First Schoolhouse was approved at the February 11, 2026 meeting, with the motion passing with all present members in favor.
  • Consultant Sean Kelly of SHKS Architects presented the property's history and the proposed design updates and modifications.
  • The motion's findings cited BMC Title 22, Chapter 28 and Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10, subject to conditions imposed by the Landmark Preservation Commission, as written in the minutes.
  • The March 11, 2026 Landmark Preservation Board meeting was cancelled; its agenda listed only approval of the February minutes, a presentation titled 'Boxes on the Landscape,' and staff and member reports — no Certificate of Appropriateness items.

Why it matters

Analysis: the approval determines what rehabilitation work can go forward on Bothell's First Schoolhouse and under what conditions, shaping how a visible local historic landmark is preserved and altered.

What changed / what's next

  • A Certificate of Appropriateness application for Bothell's First Schoolhouse was approved by the Landmark Preservation Board on February 11, 2026, with findings under BMC Title 22, Chapter 28 and specified Secretary of the Interior rehabilitation standards, subject to stated conditions, per the meeting minutes 1.
  • The minutes record the motion as passed, but the packet does not include the text of the conditions imposed or details of the approved scope of work beyond the motion language 1.
  • The available records do not establish the outcome of the cancelled March 11 meeting.
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.