"Exciting times" ahead, says Bothell City Manager

Poised to celebrate its first 100 years in 2009, the city of Bothell is about to enter "one of the most exciting times in its history," City Manager Bob Stowe said Wednesday.

Delivering the annual "State of the City" address to the Greater Bothell Chamber of Commerce, Stowe said the city's ambitious plans will revitalize downtown. The city will invest more than $170 million in downtown capital improvements by 2013, he added.

The changes include reconfiguring the main roadways through the city, highways 522 and 527; solidifying an agreement with the Northshore School District to acquire 18 acres in the heart of downtown; and creating a five-lane boulevard with angled parking and slower traffic on what is now the hurried route of Highway 527.

Also in the planning stages is a new City Hall, with three possible locations under consideration, and the creation of a regional aquatics center.

"It will be a pedestrian-oriented community," Stowe said. "A place to meet friends."

Tentative plans call for construction to start by 2010.

Stowe said he also expects the University of Washington, Bothell campus, to continue to be a strong presence in the city, despite plans by the university to possibly expand to a campus in downtown Everett.

"I think we will have an opportunity to build an even stronger connection" between the city and school, he said.

The city closed last week on a property deal to acquire 2.8 acres next to the city-owned Park at Bothell Landing site, clearing the way for a major piece of the downtown-improvement project.

The final price for the property was $6.5 million, the city announced.

The transaction was with Beta-Bothell Landing LLC. Fourteen businesses presently lease space at the site, with those leases expected to continue through 2010, when construction is to begin.

The property purchase is part of transactions involving the construction of the Bothell Crossroads Highway 527 realignment project, which will reconfigure the intersection of highways 522 and 527, allowing for the expansion of Main Street to the west, and supporting a downtown revitalization.

The project is expected to cost more than $40 million and includes $25 million from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board through a program known as LIFT, or Local Infrastructure Financing Tool. Money is also coming from the city capital-facilities plan and additional sources.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com.