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Middle Housing
Middle Housing Meetings + Events
City Council:
- Study Session - January 17
- Study Session - February 7
- Public Hearing - February 28 (tentative)
- Public Hearing - March 7 (if needed)
Walking Tour of Lower Maywood:
- January 31, 2023 - 10am-12pm (Completed)
- February 11, 2023 - 10am-12pm;
The City of Bothell is hosting a Middle Housing Walking Tour of the Lower Maywood neighborhood. We'll be looking at examples of middle housing types, like duplexes, fourplexes, and ADU's. We'll be leaving from Bothell's City Hall at 10:00 am - meet us there! The Walking Tour is anticipated to take about 2 hours. - Download the map!
Middle Housing FAQs
Download a copy of our Middle Housing FAQs!
Study Sessions are an opportunity for the public and elected officials to hear about the proposals. There is not dedicated time for public testimony.
Public Hearings have dedicated time for public testimony. City Council can take action on proposed legislation at a Public Hearing. City Council may choose to take action at the February 21 Public Hearing.
Want to be involved?
Stay informed:
Sign up for the Imagine Bothell...Notices that go out prior to each month with the anticipated meetings, public hearings, and events.
Participate via Planning Commission and City Council:
Planning Commission and Council meetings are available for viewing via the City's YouTube channel.
For recent agendas, minutes, and direct links to the YouTube recordings, visit the Agenda Center.
Provide feedback anytime:
Have some feedback or questions? Feel free to email imaginebothell@bothellwa.gov at your convenience.
Thank you for joining us at the Virtual Forum on May 31st!
At this forum, we talked about ways the City is considering to add more housing, in more affordable forms, to single family zones. There was also an opportunity to give your input.
Known as “middle housing,” these are structures the same scale as single-family homes that have multiple units, providing housing types between single family homes and larger apartment complexes and tend to be priced between those housing types.
Weren't able to attend?
Please check out the link below for the recording of the zoom meeting. The recording does not include the breakout sessions.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/m9vonKitDx-GxSLSz6CNGp68OL8W-E9KLcwU2Ak5__cBwrojvZX3V0er3p0vGuo.utww0U36zW1QwbPj?startTime=1654045375000
You'll need this passcode: TmuV5ng&
View the Middle Housing overview here!
This was the data surrounding the survey questions. It's also a great resource for what the City of Bothell is proposing in its Middle Housing conversation.
Check out the summarized survey results here:
Middle Housing Survey Summary with Pie Charts (PDF)
These questions were part of the initial Middle Housing survey conducted in May 2022. Each question shown in the summary came after an introduction of the topic as well as context for the proposed code amendments. Survey results have been summarized to capture the sentiment of the responses. There were a total of 263 responses to the survey.
Have questions, comments, or feedback?
Email imaginebothell@bothellwa.gov.
Duplexes Allowed on Corner Lots
One of the early changes to integrate more middle housing opportunities into our residential neighborhoods was a code update that allows duplexes to be built on all corner lots in residential neighborhoods. There are additional incentives when the original home is retained. See more about this in our code.
Missing Middle Walking Tour
*please note, this is NOT a City sponsored event

The City of Kenmore is hosting some events regarding Middle Housing conversations in their City.
"Missing Middle" Housing Presentation
by Karen Parolek from Opticos Design
Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
Online at https://kenmorewa-gov.zoom.us/j/83443034254 or the presentation also can be viewed at Kenmore City Hall
Kenmore City Council Public Hearing
Monday, September 26, 2022 at 7:00 p.m.
In-person at Kenmore City Hall and online at https://kenmorewa-gov.zoom.us/j/83352870241
Affordable Housing Week events: May 8 - 14, 2022
Tuesday, May 10 at 6:00 pm
The City Council presented a proclamation on the regional commitment to affordable housing. View the meeting live via zoom, or stream it on YouTube at your convenience.
Wednesday, May 11 at 12:00 pm
NUHSA (North Urban Human Services Alliance) celebrated the work North King County (NKC) cities are doing to create more options for affordable housing! This event provided a snapshot of the landscape in NKC, with brief presentations from city council members and staff from Bothell, Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and Shoreline. There was an opportunity for Q&A and information for becoming more involved in your city.
Middle Housing Walking Tour - December 18, 2021
Recently, the Planning Commission hosted a tour of the “Missing Middle” Housing in the Lower Maywood neighborhood. We were joined by Council and Planning Commission members from both Bothell and Kenmore as well as City staff. This rainy-day tour looked at what “missing middle” housing currently exists in Bothell and how to potentially expand it into other neighborhoods.
Want to join us on a future Middle Housing Walking tour? Email imaginebothell@bothellwa.gov and let us know!
November 3rd Agenda Packet with Missing Middle Study Session
Photos from the December 18th Walking Tour
What is Middle Housing?
"Missing Middle Housing is a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units--compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes--located in a walkable neighborhood." - Opticos Design
In this diagram from Opticos, you can see that there are many different types of Middle Housing options both in size and building type. The City of Bothell is specifically discussing duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage housing, and accessory dwelling units. Middle housing can be provided in a transitional zone between Single Family and Multi-family zones, or scattered throughout many traditional residential areas.
Housing-type definitions:
What do we mean when we say "house sized building" in single family zones? Structures that have the same height and setback regulations as single-family homes.
What is an ADU? Accessory dwelling units, sometimes referred to as “granny flats” or “mother-in-law apartments,” are relatively small dwelling units that are accessory to a primary allowed use, like a single family home. Currently, ADUs are only allowed with single-family homes except in the Downtown Subarea, where they could also be accessory to a multifamily unit, like a townhome. Detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are sometimes referred to as “backyard cottages.”
What is a duplex? Structure with 2 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is a triplex? Structure with 3 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is a fourplex? Structure with 4 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is cottage housing? These tend to be smaller scale, detached single family units, built around a shared common courtyard or outdoor space.
What are townhomes? Side by side attached units that often have multiple stories and individual entrances.
Have questions or comments?
Send us an email at imaginebothell@bothellwa.gov.