Land deal could launch a new Bothell

Bothell took a significant step toward remaking its downtown by authorizing the purchase of a key parcel of land that would allow it to realign a road and build a mixed-use development.

The City Council on Tuesday approved having the city manager move ahead with an option to buy a 2.8-acre Bothell Landing site at the intersection of highways 522 and 527.

Beta-Bothell Landing LLC owns the parcel, and the purchase agreement calls for the city to pay from $6.5 million to $6.7 million for the site, with closing expected late this year.

The action is the first step toward re-creating downtown Bothell, City Manager Bob Stowe said.

"I don't know of any city in the state that's had the opportunity to redevelop its downtown like this," Stowe said Wednesday.

One of the key features of the plan, which will be made possible largely by the land purchase, is the realignment of Highway 522 to the south, which will radically alter the intersection of 522 and 527.

The purchase would improve traffic flows by eliminating a hairpin turn and create a more navigable "T" intersection.

Information

Bothell downtown plan:

Details are available on Bothell's Web site: www.ci.bothell.wa.us

Proposals show a mixed-use development on the 2.8-acre site, probably with buildings of two to five stories, Stowe said. Highway 527, the Bothell-Everett Highway, would become a tree-bordered boulevard, he said.

The downtown redesign, years in the making, gained major momentum a year ago when a "visioning process" began, which included residents offering their views of how the city should change.

Construction on the total plan is expected to take place over the next three to five years, Stowe said, with much of the work to be finished by 2012.

Beyond the initial land purchase, the downtown plan envisions up to 400 residential units west of the 2.8 acres.

To the north, better pedestrian access would be provided to Pop Keeney Field, a major part of the city's heritage, partly through acquisition of surplus Northshore School District property along Highway 527, all with the intent of getting people to live downtown.

"That's what makes a downtown vibrant and alive, when people are able to walk," said Stowe.

Also part of the plan is extending Main Street, which now is the heart of the city's downtown, some two to three blocks to the west — a project that will be made possible by changing Highway 522. That would add several blocks of retail space.

The expectation, he added, is that the city will become owner of the 2.8-acre Bothell Landing site and will probably hire a property-management company to run it.

Also part of the plan is to re-create connections to the river, where the city started, said Stowe.

The city expects to spend some $10 million of its own money on the work in the next several years, added Stowe, but also is seeking additional federal and state funding.

The city also hopes to attract some big-name businesses downtown, stores able to draw the estimated 100,000 high-end consumers who live within 15 minutes of downtown, Stowe said.

"For this downtown plan to be successful, we know we have to attract some anchors," he said.

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