Planning Commission was scheduled to vote on a $9,928 transportation impact fee rate and code updates

What the records say

In materials published ahead of the Feb. 4, 2026 Planning Commission meeting, the record said the commission was scheduled to review and vote on draft Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations for a Transportation Impact Fee (TIF) update and changes to Bothell Municipal Code Title 17, choosing to approve, approve with revisions, or deny ¹. A TIF is a fee the city charges new development to help pay for road and transportation improvements needed because of that growth ¹. The proposed per-person-trip rate is $9,928, replacing the fee schedule last updated in 2019 by Ordinance No. 2298 ¹. The update also proposes new fee reductions for affordable housing and for residential development near transit or in growth centers, plus a change-of-use exemption ¹. The city's consultant, Fehr & Peers, estimated about $99 million of the $370 million transportation project plan serves new growth and can be funded through TIF, with 12-year revenue estimated between $75.8 million and $93 million ¹. The Title 17 code changes would also shift Bothell's transportation concurrency system — the state-required check that roads and services keep pace with growth — from a vehicle-based measure to a multimodal level of service framework, and would streamline permitting and align concurrency reviews with subdivision and building permit timelines ¹. A SEPA determination was completed Jan. 8, 2026, and no public comments were received at the commission's Dec. 17, 2025 public hearing ¹.

• The proposed Transportation Impact Fee rate is $9,928 per person trip, the first major update since 2019.
• About $99 million of an estimated $370 million project plan serves new growth and could be TIF-funded; 12-year revenue is estimated at $75.8 million to $93 million.
• New fee reductions are proposed for affordable housing and residential development near transit and in growth centers, plus a change-of-use exemption.
• BMC Title 17 updates would adopt a multimodal level of service concurrency framework and streamline permitting.
• The commission was scheduled to approve, approve with revisions, or deny the draft findings, with its recommendation going to the City Council.

Why it matters

The fee affects what new development pays toward Bothell's transportation network, and the proposed reductions would lower costs for affordable housing and transit-adjacent residential projects ¹. The Title 17 changes would also speed up how quickly developers get concurrency decisions, which can affect how fast housing and commercial projects move forward ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The proposed TIF rate would be set at $9,928 per person trip, replacing the schedule last revised by Ordinance No. 2298 in 2019 ¹.
• Title 17 revisions would replace vehicle-based traffic concurrency corridors with a person-trip multimodal level of service framework ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.
• Per the record, the Washington State Department of Commerce review was scheduled to be completed by Feb. 16, 2026, the Council's public hearing was set for Feb. 3, 2026 — the day before the Commission meeting — and Council adoption was scheduled to be considered March 10, 2026 ¹.