Come ready to speak Dec. 10; Council still has not directly addressed public concerns

Bothell residents are concerned. And if you are one of the concerned, we implore you to COME TO TUESDAY’S CITY COUNCIL MEETING READY TO SPEAK OUT - thoughtfully, respectfully and clearly. We’ve given guidance below.

The reason? We have sent emails. We have spoken at Council meetings. We have attended community meet-and-greets with Council Members. We have asked for office-hour meetings.

At this time, Council has not offered any significant, sincere and meaningful engagement to the Delay The Vote Bothell movement. Since the Nov. 19 City Council meeting, more than 600 of us have asked Council to address our concerns regarding late-breaking, unclear and seemingly extensive zoning changes across Bothell. By Tuesday night’s next City Council meeting, we expect that number to surge to almost 1,000.

How we’ve directly engaged. We met with two city staff members, who were generous with their time and kind in their efforts. They also are limited on what they can say or how they can engage. They’re bound to remain objective and allow the Council to provide direction for the staff. But they did spend the time with us.

At a public meet-and-greet last week, we engaged two council members, both of whom defended their positions and did not seem to be working to understand concerns. “What do you expect us to do,” was what one Council Member asked when we asked why they weren’t engaging with curiosity and partnership. We responded, “We expect you to seek to understand our position, perspective, and concerns.”

We also spoke with an official in the City Manager’s office at this week’s meet-and-greet. She was the most engaging, spent time with us, took our questions, and followed up the next day. And, still, no movement from any councilmember to engage with those of us who are representing the Delay The Vote movement. 

Our expectations. If it’s not already clear, Bothell citizens expect councilmembers NOT to dismiss us with snap-explanations and defensiveness, not to inaccurately accuse us of misinformation and not to proliferate misleading views that we are too late to the discussion. We expect the opposite: curiosity, dialogue and a demonstration of partnership with citizens’ concerns. 

Our concerns: 

• Community engagement is not a box to check. Council and Staff have promoted the fact that they have held a significant number of community events since 2023. What type of engagement occurred at those events? What detail was shared? What dialogue was had about turning Bothell neighborhoods into high-density opportunity zones? How much has the plan changed since those events?
• Not one of these events detailed the zoning changes that have appeared in the plan on Nov 14.
• The depth, detail and expanse of these changes have been complicated even for Staff and Council to simply and clearly explain during engagements last week. It is clear that even their own depth of knowledge is evolving, just as the plan itself is. It is a highly complex topic and issue.
• There is nothing in the plan that delineates how it creates affordable housing, how infrastructure will be created to support the increased density, and there are no examples in the US that demonstrate the viability of such a plan.
  City staff has transmitted the final recommended Comp Plan and Zoning Changes to the Council for their adoption and approval this coming Tuesday, Dec. 10th at 6 PM. There are no specific changes that address the concerns that the community has expressed from the public hearing. 

What You Can Do. How do you want your Council Members to be engaging on this issue?

We can let Council Members know what we expect from our elected officials. Please plan to speak during the Visitor’s Section of the Council Meeting at City Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 PM and - calmly and professionally - let Council know your concerns and expectations.

We are not out for conflict. We’re not asking for anger and shouting. We are simply asking the Council to engage seriously, respectfully, curiously and thoughtfully. And for thoughtful residents to engage, thoughtfully, to let Council know how and whether they are meeting your expectations for engagement and meaningful resolution to our concerns.