HOT NEW NEIGHBORHOODS: Bothell Washington

If it’s been a while since you’ve checked out Bothell, you may not recognize it. Bothell has delivered more than $150 million in infrastructure and facility improvements to its downtown, including shifting a portion of State Route 522 through town, changing the landscape of much of the downtown core, and literally paving the way for new and future development that will include hundreds of residential units, restaurants, stores and hotels.

The first phase of Bothell’s multiyear, multiphase redevelopment plan is up and running, and its initial success has surpassed the city’s expectations.   

“In just a few years, we’ve [already] been able to track $300 million in private capital from new vertical development in downtown Bothell,” says Bothell city manager Bob Stowe. “Our economic projections were for $650 million in private capital over a 25-year period.”

One project in the first surge of growth includes the redevelopment of the old Anderson School property into a McMenamins hotel/restaurant/entertainment center—a project several years in the making that opened last October. Not far from downtown is the Village at Beardslee Crossing, a development that is 75 percent complete and offers approximately 450 apartments and nearly 50,000 square feet of commercial space.

In October 2014, the five-story Six Oaks building next door was finished, bringing 203 apartment units atop a restaurant, a coffee shop and a credit union. And across the street: a brand-new city hall complex, with tentative plans for a pair of hotels to break ground on adjoining property this year.

Bothell’s resurgence is part of a deliberate revitalization plan by the city that started in 2006. City leaders hope the efforts will only add to what Bothell already offers: a sizable high-tech and biotech community; the picturesque Sammamish River, which flows through its downtown; and the growing University of Washington Bothell campus, recently ranked the 36th best college in the nation by Money magazine.

Up next: Bothell’s historic Main Street, which comprises several blocks of established shops and restaurants just east of the bulk of the new activity, will be receiving a face-lift of its own in the coming months. The Main Street Enhancement project will preserve the charm of the 100-year-old district while integrating it with the overall development of public spaces in the downtown area. Upgrades include street lighting, landscaping and wayfinding signage.

Other anticipated developments are 100 townhomes and other mixed-use properties, bringing additional housing, retail and office space.

In addition to this growth, Bothell recently received a $6.75 million grant from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board, which will allow the city to continue improvements along Bothell Way NE, the highway that connects new developments in west downtown to the historic east downtown. The Multiway Boulevard Project is a key component of the city’s redevelopment plan, and includes wide sidewalks and tree-lined medians to provide buffers between fast-moving vehicles and slower-paced pedestrians and bicyclists.