Bothell Sound

Development · Mar 18, 2026

Planning Commission was scheduled to get briefed on a program that could fund Bothell infrastructure through development credits

In materials published ahead of the March 18, 2026 meeting, the Bothell Planning Commission was scheduled to receive a no-action briefing on a Transfer of Development Rights and LCLIP feasibility study covering Canyon Park, North Creek/195th Street, and Downtown 1.

What the records say

In materials published ahead of the March 18, 2026 meeting, the Bothell Planning Commission was scheduled to be briefed by city staff, the Washington State Department of Commerce, and consultant ECOnorthwest on a feasibility study for a Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program paired with the Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program (LCLIP). No action was required from the commission; staff were seeking feedback on policy questions 1. TDR is a voluntary, market-based tool: developers building in designated receiving areas buy development credits from owners of farms, forests, and other rural sending areas, which lets them build more than base zoning allows. LCLIP (a state program under RCW 39.108) gives participating cities access to an additional portion of the incremental property tax revenue generated by new development than would otherwise be available, which can fund transportation, utilities, transit facilities, public spaces, affordable housing support, and historic preservation 1. The Puget Sound Regional Council has allocated Bothell 365 TDR credits. To join LCLIP, the city would have to commit to placing between 20% and 100% of those credits over 20 years, with revenue starting once 25% are placed and performance thresholds at 10, 15, and 20 years extending the revenue stream up to 25 years total 1. The study identifies three potential Local Infrastructure Project Areas: Canyon Park, North Creek/195th Street, and the Downtown subarea 1. Bothell already has a TDR framework from the 2020 Canyon Park Subarea Plan, and Ordinance 2398 (adopted June 2023) designated 225,000 square feet of excess development capacity at the future Canyon Park bus base site as transferable; the ECOnorthwest memo separately describes this as a 2024 agreement with Sound Transit, and the supplied records do not reconcile the difference. As of February 2026, no TDR transactions had occurred 1. The study is exploratory; no decisions have been made about program adoption, zoning changes, or infrastructure funding 1.

  • The Planning Commission was scheduled for a no-action briefing on the TDR/LCLIP feasibility analysis on March 18, 2026.
  • PSRC allocated Bothell 365 TDR credits; LCLIP participation requires committing to place 20%–100% of them over 20 years.
  • Three potential Local Infrastructure Project Areas are under study: Canyon Park, North Creek/195th Street, and Downtown.
  • Bothell's existing Canyon Park TDR program includes 225,000 square feet of transferable capacity at the future Sound Transit bus base site, designated by Ordinance 2398 in June 2023 (an ECOnorthwest memo dates the Sound Transit agreement to 2024), with no transactions as of February 2026.
  • LCLIP revenue would begin accruing once 25% of accepted credits are placed, with thresholds at 10, 15, and 20 years extending the stream to 25 years.

Why it matters

If Bothell eventually joins LCLIP, new development in areas like Downtown, Canyon Park, and North Creek/195th Street could generate extra property tax revenue earmarked for local infrastructure — but the city would also be committing to a 20-year pace of development credit placement, and incentives like extra building height could shape how those neighborhoods grow 1. The March 18 briefing was an early, no-decision step in that evaluation 1.

What changed / what's next

  • No change was decided; the record states the study is exploratory and no decisions have been made about program adoption, zoning changes, or infrastructure funding 1.
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.
  • The consultant team was expected to complete its feasibility and market analysis, with staff returning to the Planning Commission with findings and policy options on whether and how to proceed 1.
  • The packet's two documents disagree on when the Sound Transit capacity agreement was reached — the staff report history lists June 2023 (Ordinance 2398) while the ECOnorthwest memo says 2024; the records do not explain the difference 1.