Downtown Bothell Revitalization Project Starts Taking Shape

Bothell’s plans to revitalize its downtown, including a major hotel project, are taking shape.

One apartment building will be ready for pre-rental tours in May, a boutique hotel and entertainment complex is set to open next summer — and a major traffic realignment will start next year, The Seattle Times reports.

The realignment of Highway 522 and Bothell Way Northeast reportedly will allow the city to add three acres to the existing 14.5-acre Park at Bothell Landing. The park features an amphitheater, bridge crossing to the Sammamish River Trail, connecting to the Burke-Gilman Trail, picnic areas, water features and several historic buildings, including the Historical Museum and Lytle House.

Planners say the result will include equal parts of “hip” and “charm,” and Bothell Assistant City Manager Terrie Battuello told The Seattle Times the changes are the “largest publicly led downtown revitalization in the state, a transformation that connects old Bothell to new Bothell.”  

What do you think of the progress made so far in Bothell's downtown and landing areas? Tell us in comments.

Developers of the underway and proposed projects include MainStreet Properties, Wiedner Apartment Homes, Boulevard Place Associates, and the redevelopment of the historic Anderson Building by McMenamins, the well-known Oregon brewpub and hotel company.  

In June 2010, the to purchase 5.41 acres from the city. McMenamins will open a 70-room hotel including a restaurant, pub, movie theater, live music entertainment, spa, community garden, community pool and community meeting space, while preserving the Anderson Building. Doors are expected to open spring 2014.

In all, the projects add up to an estimated 1,500 units of new downtown housing and over 144,000 square feet of commercial space.

“The investments are important, but what is even more important is that the community’s vision is becoming a reality,” City Mayor Mark Lamb said previously. “What we are seeing now is the implementation of a multi-year planning effort to redevelop downtown with new residential, retail, office, mixed-use and an expanded park system. The citizens showed a tremendous amount of visionary leadership when they developed the revitalization plan for downtown and that vision is yielding results.”