City of Bothell eyeing school-district property

Published 11:03 pm Monday, February 23, 2009

By an unanimous vote, Bothell City Council on Feb. 17 acted to move forward with the $20.6 million, 18-acre purchase of Northshore School District property just west of State Route 527.

City officials have been looking at acquiring the property since at least 2007, when Bothell and school leaders signed a memorandum of understanding on the purchase.

If all goes as currently planned, the land eventually will become home to a greatly revamped downtown Bothell.

“The proposed purchase would allow our citizens and their representatives to determine the nature, scope and design of our downtown for generations to come,” Mayor Mark Lamb said prior to the council vote.

According to City Manager Bob Stowe and others, the next step is approval of the sale by the Northshore Board of Directors. District Director of Communications Susan Stoltzfus said she expected the board to take up the issue at its Feb. 24 meeting with potential passage slated for March 10.

In a press release, city officials said the purchase is supported in Bothell’s 2009-2010 budget and in its seven-year capital-facilities plan.

Stowe added the purchase agreement spells out the district will receive the majority — about $18.7 million — of the asking price in 2011.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take 100 years of history and continue Bothell’s legacy as a city that is innovative, courageous and intelligent,” Stowe said. “This property purchase, if approved by the district, is one that will positively affect the future for generations to come.”

Before council formally approved the purchase, Stowe talked about how obtaining the property would allow the city to move forward with its downtown revitalization plan and further prepare the location for development.

According to Bothell Public Information Officer Joyce Goedeke, benefits to the city include:

• Preservation of the Anderson Building as a historic structure.

• Providing a potential location for a public or joint public/private parking structure to serve the downtown, as well as possible future public amenities.

• Further acquisition of land needed for a multi-way boulevard along SR 527 and other street revisions that are part of the overall downtown plan as currently envisioned.

For her part, Stoltzfus said the sale could provide numerous advantages for the district, as well.

“The timeline just benefits both organizations,” she said.

But before describing any possible benefits for the schools, Stoltzfus said she wanted to make it clear that proceeds from the sale only can go toward capital-improvement projects. By law, the dollars cannot be used to offset any future deficits in the school system’s operating budget.

With that in mind, Stoltzfus said she expects proceeds from the sale to augment a bond issue passed by district voters in 2006. Most immediately, those funds will go toward a new and improved transportation hub and the relocation of the Secondary Academy for Success, a specialized high-school program now located in the Anderson Building.

Stoltzfus said district officials long have intended to move the academy to a facility in the Canyon Park Business Center. Officials should let bids on both projects in the next 30 to 60 days. Stoltzfus estimated the total cost for both projects as approximately $45 million. She said that figure also includes completion of what were described as some minor renovations to Pop Keeney Field.

Regarding the athletic field, Stoltzfus added that Bothell’s purchase of surrounding property could benefit the facility by providing additional parking, spaces being at a premium when the field hosts major events.

The school board of directors has the final decision, but Stoltzfus added she expects officials to consider floating another bond issue for capital projects before voters in 2010. She said capital-improvement work by the district could amount to roughly $83 million in the next few years.