Editing Bothell, Washington (section)

==History==

The [[Sammamish River]] valley from [[Lake Washington]] to [[Issaquah Creek]] was first inhabited by the indigenous [[Sammamish people]] ({{Langx|lut|sc̓ababš}}),<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite book |last1=Bates |first1=Dawn |last2=Hess |first2=Thom |last3=Hilbert |first3=Vi |author-link3=Vi Hilbert |year=1994 |title=Lushootseed Dictionary |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |location=Seattle |pages=50–51 |isbn=978-0-295-97323-4 |oclc=29877333}}</ref> a [[Coast Salish]] group with an estimated population of 80 to 200 around 1850.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Wilma |first=David |date=June 12, 2003 |title=Bothell — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/4190 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=May 13, 2008}}</ref><ref name="CityHistory">{{cite web |title=History of Bothell |url=https://www.bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/315/Bothell-History-PDF |publisher=City of Bothell |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219075122/https://www.bothellwa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/315/Bothell-History-PDF |archive-date=February 19, 2022 |accessdate=February 19, 2022}}</ref> The Sammamish had a major winter village, {{Langx|lut|ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis|label=none}}, at the mouth of the Sammamish River, between what is now Bothell and Kenmore.<ref name="CityHistory"/><ref name="KC-Streams">{{cite web |date=October 24, 2018 |title=King County Streams Monitoring Update for September 2018: Sammamish River |pages=3–5 |url=https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/topic_files/WAKING/WAKING_993/2018/10/23/file_attachments/1093754/stream_monitor_2018_09__1093754.pdf |publisher=[[King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks]] |accessdate=February 19, 2022}}</ref> Although the Sammamish resisted removal efforts by settlers, they were eventually removed to [[Fort Kitsap]] following the 1855–1856 [[Puget Sound War]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Buerge |first=David |date=August 1984 |title=Indian Lake Washington |pages=29–33 |work=[[Seattle Weekly]]}}</ref> Some Sammamish continued to live in the area and worked as laborers and farmers, but the village of {{Langx|lut|ƛ̕ax̌ʷadis|label=none}} was later destroyed.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Malinowski |editor-first=Terri |year=2003 |title=Kenmore by the Lake: A community History |page=16 |url=http://kenmoreheritagesociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/kenmore-by-the-lake-ebook-full.pdf |publisher=Kenmore Heritage Society |oclc=52826119 |accessdate=June 24, 2024}}</ref>

The first [[Homestead Act]] claims to modern-day Bothell were filed in 1870 by Columbus S. Greenleaf and George R. Wilson, an English immigrant, on adjoining plots of land. The area along the lower Sammamish River, then named Squak Slough, was mostly [[marshland]]s and had not been surveyed at the time of Wilson's arrival;<ref name="Herald-Recap">{{cite news |last=Worl |first=Marva |date=August 3, 1970 |title=Bothell's History Recapped |page=A9 |work=[[The Everett Herald]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-bothells-history-recap/146948376/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=May 9, 2024}}</ref> Greenleaf filed for his claim in June 1870 on land that Wilson had originally sought.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Stickney |first1=Amy Eunice |last2=McDonald |first2=Lucile |author-link2=Lucile Saunders McDonald |year=1977 |title=Squak Slough, 1870–1920: Early Days on the Sammamish River |pages=2–5 |publisher=Friends of the Bothell Library |location=Seattle |oclc=3483758}}</ref> Eight families settled in the area in the next six years and were followed by Canadian businessman George Brackett, who began commercial logging in 1877 on {{convert|80|acre|ha}} on the modern-day site of Wayne Golf Course.<ref name="Herald-Recap" /> Brackett also established Brackett's Landing, which had a [[sawmill]] and [[steamboat]] dock served by traffic from [[Seattle]] and [[Issaquah, Washington|Issaquah]].<ref name="Herald-Recap" />{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=25}}

In 1884, Brackett sold {{convert|80|acre}} of his timberland to David Bothell, a settler and [[American Civil War]] veteran from [[Pennsylvania]].<ref name="Herald-Recap"/> Bothell and his two sons built a home and [[wood shingle|shingle]] mill on the property the following year and later opened a [[boarding house]] with his wife.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=28}} The boarding house was destroyed by a fire and replaced by the Bothell Hotel at another location, where the townsite was [[plat]]ted on April 25, 1888.<ref name="Times-Birth">{{cite news |last=Vinh |first=Tan |date=October 15, 1998 |title=The birth of Bothell |page=B3 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19981015&slug=2777725 |work=[[The Seattle Times]] |access-date=February 19, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Bagley">{{cite book |last=Bagley |first=Clarence B. |year=1929 |title=History of King County, Washington, Volume I |pages=856–851 |publisher=[[S. J. Clarke Publishing Company]] |location=Chicago |oclc=16690641}}</ref> The settlement was named for the Bothell family by the first [[postmaster]] Gerhard Ericksen, who had bought the boarding house property.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=28}}<ref name="Times-Birth"/> At the time, the area had two hotels, several lumber mills, and a school.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Bothell originally shared schools with [[Woodinville, Washington|Woodinville]] until a separate school district was established in 1885; the first classes at Bothell's schoolhouse were held in March 1886.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=118–119}} The school district was merged with [[North Creek, Washington|North Creek]] in 1897 and ten years later, a dedicated school building was constructed to accommodate the growing student population.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=126–127}}

The [[Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway]] was constructed along the Sammamish River to connect Seattle to the transcontinental [[Northern Pacific Railway]] as well as coal from mines near [[Issaquah, Washington|Issaquah]]. The tracks reached Bothell in November 1888 and a [[boxcar]] was placed at Brackett's Landing to serve as a temporary station; it was moved east to Bothell in 1890 and later replaced by a depot building.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=47}} A [[county road]] was built between Bothell and neighboring Woodinville to the east.<ref name="Herald-Recap"/> Several [[logging railroad]]s were also constructed in the Bothell area, stretching as far north as modern-day Canyon Park, to transport logs to local mills; one included a [[trestle bridge]] across the Sammamish River.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=57–58}} Bothell grew rapidly following the railroad's opening; by the end of the 1880s, it had [[telegraph]] service, a [[general store]], a butcher, and a drugstore with a practicing doctor.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=76–79, 82}} Many of the new residents were [[Nordic and Scandinavian Americans|Scandinavian]] or [[Eastern Europe|Eastern European]] immigrants, along with emigrants from the [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]].<ref name="Times-Birth"/> The first churches in the area were established by these immigrants in the mid-1880s.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=132–133}} Two of the local mills were destroyed in fires in 1893 and 1894 and were later replaced with a larger facility that produced 80,000 shingles per day.<ref name="Bagley"/>{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=64}}

===Early 20th century===

Bothell was [[Municipal incorporation|incorporated]] as a [[City government in Washington (state)|fourth-class town]] on April 14, 1909, eight days after a narrow 79–70 vote in favor. George Bothell, one of the sons of David Bothell and a former state legislator, was elected as the first mayor.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=151–152}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=April 11, 1984 |title=City of Bothell marks 75th anniversary of its incorporation |page=G2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> At the time, the town had a population of 599 residents, a bank, four general stores, and three saloons.<ref name="Times-Birth"/><ref name="Bagley"/> A dozen buildings on Main Street were destroyed or damaged by a fire on April 11, 1911, including the Ericksen general store where the town's records had been kept. A [[fire department]] was established in 1913 and new building regulations were enacted by the town government in response to the fire.<ref name="Times-Birth"/>{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=156–157}} The [[Pacific Highway (United States)|Pacific Highway]] was completed through the town in August 1912, connecting to [[Everett, Washington|Everett]] and Seattle. A {{convert|4|mi|km|adj=mid}} section west of Bothell was the first to be paved in brick; it was inaugurated on May 29, 1913, by Washington governor [[Ernest Lister]].{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=99–105}}<ref name="Times-GoodRoads">{{cite news |last=Eals |first=Clay |date=October 10, 2019 |title=The Good Roads cause cruises through Bothell's Main Street |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/the-good-roads-cause-cruises-through-bothells-main-street/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 11, 2022}}</ref>

Steamship traffic on the Sammamish River waned after the arrival of the railroad and completion of the Pacific Highway. The river itself was dredged and straightened by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] in 1916.{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=99–105}} The water level on Lake Washington was lowered by {{convert|9|ft|m|spell=in}} by the opening of the [[Lake Washington Ship Canal]] in Seattle the following year; the lowering prevented several steamships and other riverboats from traversing the mouth of the Sammamish River.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|p=179}} By the end of the decade, Bothell had a water system, telephone service, a library, and several fraternal organizations with chapters or lodges in the area.<ref name="Bagley"/>{{sfnp|Stickney|McDonald|1977|pp=165–159}} The logging economy declined during the early 20th century and was replaced by agriculture on the cleared land, including dairy and poultry farms.<ref name="Times-Birth"/> Passenger traffic on the railroad, now under the management of Northern Pacific, ceased in 1938.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

A new [[high school]] was opened in 1923 and followed by an adjacent [[junior high school]] building in 1931, now known as the [[Anderson School (Bothell, Washington)|Anderson School]].<ref name="CityHistory"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Vaughn |first=Alexa |date=May 26, 2014 |title=McMenamins project in Bothell may transform old school |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/mcmenamins-project-in-bothell-may-transform-old-school/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref> Several civic projects were completed during the [[Great Depression]] by the [[Works Progress Administration]], including construction of a new [[city hall|town hall]] that also housed the fire department and library when it opened in 1938.<ref name="CityHistory"/><ref>{{cite news |date=February 9, 1977 |title=Bothell about to remodel its city hall |page=H3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Bothell remained a rural community until the development of [[suburb]]an housing areas after [[World War II]] as the [[Seattle metropolitan area]] experienced a major population boom. A new high school opened in 1953 along with five [[elementary school]]s by the end of the decade to accommodate a growing number of students.<ref>{{cite book |last=Klein |first=Fred |year=1992 |title=Slough of Memories: Recollections of Life in Bothell, Kenmore, North Creek, Woodinville 1920–1990 |page=34 |publisher=Peanut Butter Publishing |location=Seattle |isbn=9780897164085 |oclc=26473735}}</ref> The first major [[annexation]]s in the town's history were made in 1954; by the end of the decade, the boundaries extended south of the Sammamish River.<ref name="Annexations">{{cite map |date=January 2020 |title=City of Bothell Annexations Map |url=https://wa-bothell.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/243/Annexations-PDF |publisher=City of Bothell |accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref>

===Mid-to-late 20th century===

Bothell was reclassified as a city in 1960 after its population had surpassed the state's threshold for cityhood—1,500 residents.{{sfnp|Klein|1992|p=143}} The city's sewer system was completed that same year and the water system was switched from local [[well]]s to the [[Tolt pipeline]], operated by [[Seattle Public Utilities]], in 1963.<ref name="Times-1965">{{cite news |date=November 28, 1965 |title=Bothell Hopes to Remain Residential Community |page=40 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The sewage system was incorporated into the [[Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle]] system in 1967, which bypassed its outflow to Lake Washington but restricted new residential development south of the Sammamish River.<ref>{{cite news |last=Moody |first=Dick |date=March 22, 1967 |title=Sewer Trunks To Bothell Are Put in Service |page=38 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=November 12, 1978 |title=Bothell asked to OK Norway Hill subdivision |page=M6 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Bothell developed further into a [[bedroom community]] after the completion of [[Interstate 405 (Washington)|Interstate 405]] in 1968, which passes east of downtown and intersects [[Washington State Route 522|State Route 522]].<ref name="PI-Before">{{cite news |last=Iwasaki |first=John |date=April 13, 1988 |title=Before high-tech: Golf, farming and thistles |page=B2 |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]}}</ref> Another routing for the freeway west of the city was also considered before it was rejected, along with a later proposal to route State Route 522 on a freeway around the south side of downtown.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=January 3, 2003 |title=Eastside history: I-405 radically altered life east of the lake |page=B3 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030103&slug=fourohfive03e |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Steve |date=June 7, 1988 |title=Bothell-bypass plans draw little support |page=C3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> By 1970, Bothell had annexed neighborhoods as far east as the outskirts of Woodinville, then seeking annexation or incorporation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schwartz |first=Susan |date=March 9, 1969 |title=Some Woodinville Interests Put Out Annexation Feelers |page=30 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Pryne |first=Eric |date=December 22, 1976 |title=Woodinville—'identity' area in search of a city |page=D7 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The city's [[mayor–council government]] was replaced by a [[council–manager government|council–manager]] system in 1973 following voter approval of a proposition the year before.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Buckley |first=Mike |date=November 6, 1972 |title=Bothell To Vote On City System |page=A7 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref>

In 1974, plans to build a regional [[shopping mall]] were announced on the site of a {{convert|142|acre|ha|adj=mid}} [[truck farm]] adjacent to the Interstate 405 and State Route 522 interchange east of downtown Bothell.<ref>{{cite news |last=Young |first=Dick |date=April 13, 1975 |title=Bothell Is Divided Over Proposed Shopping Center |page=A6 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> It was described as similar in size to [[Southcenter Mall]] in [[Tukwila, Washington|Tukwila]] and would include a motel, two [[movie theater]]s, and office space.<ref>{{cite news |last=Andrews |first=Paul |date=August 4, 1974 |title=Merits, drawbacks of proposed Bothell complex are weighed |page=A5 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The city government sought the new shopping mall to improve its local tax base and approved a rezoning of the property for commercial use, but the proposal was opposed by local environmental groups due to the potential impact on North Creek, which flows through the site.<ref name="PI-Before"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Daniel |first=Linda |date=November 17, 1974 |title=Family seeks balance of ecology, commerce |page=D2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The environmental groups filed a lawsuit against the city government over the rezoning, which the [[King County Superior Court]] found to violate state laws on land use fairness and conflicts of interest within the planning commission.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sanger |first=S. L. |date=June 13, 1976 |title=Bothell Shop Mall To Fight Court Ban |page=A11 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The ruling was upheld by the [[Washington Supreme Court]] in 1978 and the property was instead rezoned into an [[office park]] under new regulations for the North Creek Valley, which was designated as a [[special district (United States)|special district]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=August 18, 1982 |title=Council approves business park on Vitulli farm |page=F1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

The remaining farmland in the North Creek Valley was developed into facilities for [[high tech]] and light industrial companies beginning in the 1980s, encompassing {{convert|1.8|e6sqft|sqm}} of office space.<ref>{{cite news |last=Matt |first=Imbert |date=August 28, 1985 |title=North Creek's new stream bed should improve habitat for fish |page=H7 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=June 4, 1986 |title=Koll seeks rezoning for business park |page=H2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The developments were required by the special district to restore wetlands along North Creek and other waterways as part of environmental mitigation, but the artificial wetlands initially saw limited success in controlling invasive species and regulating soils.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hadley |first=Jane |date=March 22, 1988 |title=New wetlands: Fooling with Mother Nature |page=B3 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> Bothell continued to develop into a center of high tech employment alongside Canyon Park, an unincorporated area to the north in Snohomish County, with a combined 4,300 jobs added between 1985 and 1987.<ref>{{cite news |last=Erickson |first=Jim |date=April 13, 1988 |title=Technology corridor is taking root |page=B2 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> Several office parks were also developed in nearby Woodinville, which Bothell unsuccessfully attempted to annex in 1985 for a shopping center;<ref>{{cite news |last=Williams |first=Scott |date=June 28, 1991 |title=High-tech firms shop the suburbs |page=B3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Schulz |first=Blaine |date=May 8, 1985 |title=Woodinville may get it together |page=H2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> the community later incorporated as a separate city in 1993.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilma |first=David |date=March 11, 2006 |title=Woodinville residents celebrate incorporation on March 27, 1993. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/7677 |work=HistoryLink |accessdate=February 9, 2021}}</ref>

In 1990, the [[University of Washington]] opened its [[University of Washington Bothell|northern branch campus]] in Bothell at an office park building. A permanent campus, shared with [[Cascadia Community College]], opened in September 2000 at a site that was originally proposed for a separate shopping mall east of downtown;<ref>{{cite news |date=September 17, 2000 |title=Cascadia, UW open Bothell campus |page=B2 |work=The Everett Herald |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-cascadia-uw-open-bothe/147419193/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Griffin |first=Tom |date=September 2000 |title=UW Bothell has a place to call home |url=https://magazine.washington.edu/feature/uw-bothell-has-a-place-to-call-home/ |work=UW Magazine |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> the mall had been blocked by the [[Washington State Department of Ecology]] due to its effects on wetlands near North Creek.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnston |first=Steve |date=July 7, 1989 |title=Bothell shopping center blocked again |page=C3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Bothell annexed the Canyon Park area in 1992, becoming a dual-county city and nearly doubling its population by adding 11,400 people.<ref name="PI-History1997">{{cite news |last=Carlton Harrell |first=Debera |date=February 15, 1997 |title=A logging and farm town yields to people and high technology |page=D1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The annexation prevented the competing proposal for a new city, tentatively named [[North Creek, Washington|North Creek]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=August 9, 1991 |title=New city of North Creek or Bothell annexation? |page=E3 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> from claiming the area and its existing industrial parks that employed 20,000 people.<ref name="Times-Growth1997">{{cite news |last=Lopez Williams |first=Sarah |date=January 15, 1997 |title=Small places hit by growth, too |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Long |first=Katherine |date=March 5, 1992 |title=Canyon Park: Doom or Destiny? |page=F1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19920305&slug=1479290 |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> The addition of Canyon Park and additional development increased Bothell's population by 144&nbsp;percent to over 30,000 residents by 2000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lindblom |first=Mike |date=March 25, 2001 |title=Supersizing from small town to suburb |page=A1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20010325&slug=censusburb25m |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=April 30, 2020}}</ref> The 1990s also saw more technology businesses relocate to Bothell, including [[biotechnology]] firms, [[call center]]s, and manufacturers of medical equipment and electronics.<ref name="Times-Growth1997"/><ref name="Times-Boom1998">{{cite news |last=Ervin |first=Keith |date=October 10, 1998 |title=Call centers, technology lead boom in Bothell |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=C12EB6BE1393489FA580F5880B8B058E&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F0EB5396A6909238C |via=[[NewsBank]] |accessdate=February 19, 2022}}</ref>

===21st century===

The city government commissioned a plan in 2000 to address worsening traffic congestion throughout Bothell that was blamed, in part, on recent development. The plan would use additional street connections to form a more cohesive grid, but was negatively received by residents who opposed higher traffic volumes.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tarpley |first=Catherine |date=March 26, 2001 |title=Bothell road plan drives a wedge |page=B2 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Fisher |first=David |date=January 24, 2001 |title=Street plan for Bothell is stirring opposition |page=B1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> A separate plan to widen portions of [[Washington State Route 527|State Route 527]] (the Bothell–Everett Highway) was completed in 2005 using funding from commercial development along the corridor.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=May 24, 2006 |title=Loggers to latte stands: Route spans history |page=I14 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20060524&slug=highway24n |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> In the late 2000s, the city government adopted a downtown plan to revitalize Main Street and add denser housing and [[mixed-use development]] in the area. The plan involved the acquisition of various parcels and demolition of 15 buildings to allow for roadwork and the expansion of the Park at Bothell Landing.<ref name="Times-Downtown2023">{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=December 17, 2023 |title=Bothell just built a downtown. A new crop of leaders will tackle what's next |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/bothell-just-built-a-downtown-new-crop-of-leaders-will-tackle-whats-next/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=December 17, 2023}}</ref>

Construction of the $150&nbsp;million downtown redevelopment program began in 2010 with the realignment of State Route 522 at its intersection with the Bothell–Everett Highway, which was completed in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Tsong |first=Nicole |date=April 6, 2010 |title=Bothell breaks ground on a grand plan to fix its downtown |page=A1 |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bothell-breaks-ground-on-a-grand-plan-to-fix-its-downtown/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sheets |first=Bill |date=August 12, 2013 |title=Highway 522 project designed to ease Bothell traffic |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/highway-522-project-designed-to-ease-bothell-traffic/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 17, 2022}}</ref> The Bothell–Everett Highway was rebuilt as a wide [[boulevard]] in 2017 that includes separate laneways for parking and landscaped dividers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Slager |first=Melissa |date=August 23, 2017 |title=Bothell leans European with its new multiway boulevard |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/bothell-leans-european-with-its-new-multiway-boulevard/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=February 17, 2022}}</ref> A new city hall opened in October 2015 to consolidate several city departments into one building.<ref name="BR-CityHall"/> The city also annexed {{convert|1,005|acre|ha|adj=pre|additional}} of King County in 2014 and added 6,000 residents.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 26, 2013 |title=Bothell City Council passes ordinance completing the annexation of 6,000 residents |url=https://www.bothell-reporter.com/news/bothell-city-council-passes-ordinance-completing-the-annexation-of-6000-residents/ |work=Bothell-Kenmore Reporter |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> The downtown redevelopment yielded 1,300 new apartment units and townhouses by 2020, including [[Missing middle housing|middle housing]]. Between 2010 and 2020, Bothell's population increased by more than 40&nbsp;percent and the share of minority residents also increased to 33&nbsp;percent.<ref name="Times-Downtown2023"/>

A major fire in downtown broke out at the Mercantile Building on July 22, 2016, damaging and closing more than 20 businesses. Among the destroyed buildings was the Bothell Mall, which housed several small businesses. The fire hindered the Main Street portion of the redevelopment program and required $4.7&nbsp;million in state aid for rebuilding.<ref>{{cite news |last=Coleman |first=Vernal |date=July 22, 2016 |title=Downtown Bothell blaze deals blow to redevelopment efforts |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/buildings-ablaze-as-huge-fire-sweeps-through-downtown-bothell/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=September 2, 2016}}</ref><ref name="Times-Main2016">{{cite news |last=Thompson |first=Lynn |date=December 26, 2016 |title='Our link to the past': Bothell reviving its fire-ravaged Main Street |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/eastside/bothell-reviving-fire-ravaged-main-street-help-from-state-grant/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> Main Street was rebuilt as a [[shared space]] between vehicles and other modes with curbless sidewalks and parallel parking separated by dining areas and planter boxes. A one-block section was closed to all vehicular traffic in June 2020 during the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] to encourage its use as an outdoor gathering space and dining area to revitalize business in downtown.<ref name="Times-MainCars">{{cite news |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Bothell banned cars from Main Street in response to COVID. They may never return |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/bothell-banned-cars-from-main-street-in-response-to-covid-they-may-never-return/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=May 14, 2024}}</ref> The program was successful and became a permanent fixture during the summer months.<ref name="Times-Downtown2023"/><ref name="Times-MainCars"/>