Bothell, WA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

The density bonus lives in the public access section of the Shoreline Master Program, Bothell Municipal Code § 13.09.050(Q). It covers the shoreline residential and high intensity environment designations inside shoreline jurisdiction, and it excludes territory in the Bothell downtown subarea plan. Subsection Q says the number of dwelling units in an attached residential development, or the number of lots in a detached residential development, can be increased under Table 13.09.050-1 when the owner builds a new publicly accessible trail on the property that parallels the shoreline water body.

The trade has conditions. A general public access easement must be recorded in the same location as the physical trail, at least 25 feet wide and permanently dedicated for public use. That easement must connect to a public right-of-way through a minimum 15-foot-wide public access easement. Trail widths follow subsection L of the same section: 16 feet total for regional trails (12 feet of paved travel way plus two two-foot gravel shoulders) and 12 feet total for city trails (10 feet of travel way plus two feet of gravel shoulders and clear zones). Trails must also meet subsections J through P, which cover accessibility, completion before occupancy, signage and compatibility with neighbors.

Table 13.09.050-1 sets two tiers. A parallel trail covering 50 percent to 75 percent of the shoreline length earns a 10 percent increase in the number of dwelling units or lots, a lot circle reduction of up to 15 percent, and a lot area reduction of 20 percent. A parallel trail covering 76 to 100 percent of the shoreline length that allows future connections to adjoining properties earns a 20 percent increase, a lot circle reduction of up to 30 percent, and a lot area reduction of 50 percent. If extra lots land outside shoreline jurisdiction, the community development director can reduce the lot areas and lot circle dimensions of lots located outside shoreline jurisdiction to fit them.

Two other Bothell incentives are easy to confuse with this one. BMC 12.07.020 offers affordable housing height bonuses, not extra units: an additional 10 feet in R-M3, R-M4 and SVV, and an additional 20 feet in R-AC, DN, DC, DT, GDC and SR 522, when at least 10 percent of new dwelling units are affordable. BMC 12.48.190, the Canyon Park bonus floor area ratio section, is printed as Reserved.