Bothell's proposed transportation impact fee overhaul: $9,928 per new trip, new affordable-housing discounts, Council hearing Feb. 3

What the records say

The City of Bothell's agenda packet for the January 21, 2026 Planning Commission meeting — titled as cancelled — includes a staff report proposing a major update to the Transportation Impact Fee (TIF) and amendments to BMC Title 17, the city's development and concurrency code ¹. The proposal would raise the base fee to $9,928 per new PM-peak person trip, with per-unit rates such as $13,387 for a detached single-family dwelling, $7,341 for an attached single-family unit, $3,311 for an accessory dwelling unit, and $7,485 for lowrise multifamily ¹. The update moves the fee system from vehicle trips to person trips, adds bicycle and pedestrian projects to the fundable project list, and creates new reductions: 20–80% for deed-restricted affordable housing depending on income tier, reductions for early learning facilities, and a 10% reduction for residential uses near rapid transit and in growth centers ¹. The last major TIF update was completed in 2019 ¹. The staff report states the City Council will hold a public hearing on February 3, 2026, and consider adopting the Title 17 updates on March 10, 2026 ¹. Because the January 21 commission meeting was cancelled, the available records do not show whether the commission acted on its draft recommendation or when it will ¹.

• The proposed base TIF rate is $9,928 per new PM-peak person trip, with per-unit fees including $13,387 for a detached single-family dwelling, $7,341 for attached single-family, $3,311 for an ADU, and $7,485 for lowrise multifamily.
• New fee reductions are proposed: 20%, 50%, or 80% for deed-restricted affordable housing depending on income tier, reductions for early learning facilities, and a 10% reduction for residential uses near rapid transit and in growth centers.
• The Title 17 amendments would shift concurrency from vehicle-based to multimodal (person-trip) level of service, simplify permitting and concurrency evaluation, and raise the transportation impact analysis threshold from 10 vehicle trips to 25 person trips.
• The staff report estimates $99 million of an estimated $370 million project list is growth-related and fundable through TIF over a 12-year period, with projected TIF revenue of $75.8 million to $93 million.
• The January 21, 2026 Planning Commission meeting was listed as cancelled; the packet's agenda bill had called for a commission vote on draft Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations, whose final recommendation would go to City Council.

Why it matters

These fees are charged on new development in Bothell and fund transportation improvements tied to growth; the proposed rates and new discounts would directly affect what developers pay, which can influence housing costs and how much money the city has for road, sidewalk, and bike projects residents use ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The proposed amendments would replace the 2019 fee schedule with a 2026 person-trip-based schedule, add non-motorized projects to the TIF-eligible list, and rewrite BMC 17.03, 17.04, and 17.045, per the agenda packet ¹.
• The staff report states the City Council will hold a public hearing on the Title 17 updates on February 3, 2026, and consider adoption on March 10, 2026; Washington State Department of Commerce review is scheduled to be complete by February 16, 2026 ¹.
• The records do not show whether the cancelled Planning Commission meeting was rescheduled or whether the commission issued its recommendation ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.