Bothell

with the development community as well as the regulatory agencies,we were able to daylight that stream and make it an amenity in our downtown. It’s a natural amenity in our fairly urban environment. In addition to daylighting the stream itself, and having some nice vegetation that goes along with that,we created a walking corridor that draws people to the stream and then down to a regional trail system on the south edge of downtown.” CityManager, Jennifer Phillips, explains that the overall vision for Bothell’s redevelopment is to build residential and commercial density in a downtown that is bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, with rapid transit,“where indi- viduals can have less depen- dency on cars, have shopping, have restaurants, and use the bus to get to other parts of the metropolitan area. Land use planning has really changed over the last couple of years andWashington is trying very hard not to have suburban sprawl. It engenders car dependency, and you’re more disconnected from your community,” she avers.“The vision of our plan was to have this sense of community and sense of place.” Mixed-use buildings and town homes intend- ed to appeal to both Millennials as well as empty nesters now have a prominent place in Bothell’s new architectural landscape.“That’s verymuch how we designed the downtown,”Phillips states.“In our downtown,we try to provide for a good balance, so some of the parcels have to have office space.We have a couple of nice restaurants coming in with some office space.We also have the mixed use space. Things like The Junction are mixed use- there are restaurants and offices and apartments above.And the townhomes are selling.They started at $650K and now they’re in the low $800Ks. So you’re seeing that demand.And then,we’re enhancing our Main Street’s small businesses.Main Street got quite old and out of date and so we’ve got a $5 million grant to revitalize it.And we’re looking for a specialty grocer so that people who live downtown can just walk out the door, and pick up dinner, pick up breakfast for the SERVICES Civil and Structural Engineering Architecture Land Use Planning Environmental and Natural Resources Landscape Architecture Public Involvement Construction Management and Support Dive Inspection www.abam.com BOTHELL, WASHINGTON next morning.We’re trying to have that combination of commercial experience and place making so that people can live here and enjoy being here.” Bothell also built a newCity Hall that is a LEED Gold Certified building.“What we were trying to tele- graph to developers is that the citymade its invest- ment in an environmentally-conscious building, so follow us,”Phillips adds.“We feel as if we are leading by example.And it’s a beautiful building.We’re also focused on open space preservation and we’ve pur- chased a 64-acre forest right next to the university; we’re looking at purchasing another forest up in the northern part of the city; we’re looking at purchasing an 89-acre golf course for the preservation of open space and some economic development.And we’re really proud of the Park at Bothell Landing [on the Sammamish River] which is the anchor to all of the downtown development; it’s connected to a county trail that goes for 25, 30 miles in each direction–a Class 1-A bike trail and walking trail.” “So, this balance is really important for Bothell,” Phillips says in summing up the city’s continuing re- naissance.“We want to have place making; we want to have the ability to offer some urban amenities but also not lose sight of what Bothell is; to stay connect- ed to the trees and the open space, and have that as part of our community.” JENNIFER PHILLIPS n Berger/ABAM www.abam.com Established in 1951, BergerABAM is a multidisciplinary consultant firm specializing in civil and structural engineering for transportation facilities planning, design, and construction manage- ment. Projects include roadway, bridge, grade separation, corridor, interchange, and elevated structures.This full-service background provides clients with carefully designed, functional, and cost-effec- tive transportation facilities that meet the ever-increasing demand for public-pleasing transportation improvements.  PREFERRED VENDOR