Downtown/Riverfront

The Downtown/Riverfront area lies on either side of the Sammamish River and Bothell Way. It is bordered by Maywood/Beckstrom Hill to the north, Westhill to the east, Queensgate and North Creek to the west, and Waynita/Norway Hill to the south.

The Sammamish River is the predominant physical feature, winding through the Subarea generally from east to west. Extensive wetlands are found on both sides of the river. An interesting geological feature is the small hill located between Beardslee Blvd, SR-522 and the east boundary of the Downtown area. This knoll drops off very steeply to SR-522 and contains residential uses and the Bothell Cemetery.

Residential Development

Single family housing is predominant in the Sunrise Drive/Valley View Road area southeast of Beardslee Boulevard. Multi-family dwellings are the primary land use north and south of NE 180th Street at the west edge of the Subarea and north of NE 188th across from Pop Keeney Field. A mix of single, senior and multi-family housing is found along East Riverside Drive and along NE 185th Street. Three sizable mobile home parks are located in the Subarea: south of SR 522 at Kaysner Way and north of East Riverside Drive immediately west of I-405.

Commercial Development

The City of Bothell has its origins in the Downtown/Riverfront area, which remains a retail and services center for the south portion of the city. Commercial development within the area may be further divided geographically into six concentrations:

• NE 190th Street & SR-527: This cluster of businesses includes retail stores and professional office buildings. This area primarily serves the grocery and convenience goods and services needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.
• SR-522 from Wayne Curve to SR-527: This length of Bothell Way contains a mix of neighborhood-, community-and regional-oriented businesses, some of which rely on high-volume traffic exposure. The corridor also contains a number of office uses and smaller retail businesses.
• Historic Downtown: This area extends from SR-527 east to 104th Avenue NE, between NE 186th and SR-522, and comprises Main Street and surrounding streets and avenues. This is the banking and medical/professional services center for south Bothell. While the highest concentration of businesses is along Main Street, several businesses, largely service-oriented, are located to the north. The small lots and grid street system in this area have resulted in a compactness of development which promotes pedestrian access to businesses. Other more recently developed business areas within the City are much more auto-oriented and less pedestrian-friendly.
• Beardslee Boulevard: Beardslee is the link between Bothell's historic downtown, I-405, the city's North Creek employment center, and the University of Washington—Bothell/Cascadia Community College joint campus. Businesses along this corridor primarily consist of professional and medical services, although there is a small amount of retailing.
• Woodinville Drive: This business corridor extends along SR-522 from SR-527 to the alignment of 108th Avenue NE and contains several small businesses.
• East Riverside Drive: This corridor comprises the north side of East Riverside Drive from 102nd Avenue NE east to about 108th Avenue NE. This area contains a scattering of offices and general commercial and industrial-type uses.

Schools

The single biggest property owner in the Downtown/Riverfront area, after the City, is the Northshore School District, which owns about 30 acres west of SR-527 between NE 183rd and NE188th Streets. The District's property contains a variety of uses, including the former district administrative headquarters, a bus maintenance and storage facility, Pop Keeney athletic complex, Ruiz-Costie Northshore Pool, and the Anderson School.

Parks and Open Space

Ten City parks are located within the Downtown/Riverfront area:

• Red Brick Road Park (.5 acre) is located at SR-522 and 96th Avenue NE near the Wayne Golf Course parking lot. This park contains picnic tables, and remnants of the historic Red Brick Road.
• Blyth Park is a 36 acre regional park located on the Sammamish River at the end of West Riverside Drive. The park contains informal play fields, a children's play area, hiking trails, rustic picnic shelters, numerous picnic tables and restrooms.
• The Park at Bothell Landing is a 13-acre regional facility located on the Sammamish River. The park contains four historic buildings – the Lytle House, the Hannan House, Bothell's first schoolhouse, and the Beckstrom cabin – plus a playground, a wetlands interpretive trail, restrooms, picnic areas, and a pedestrian bridge providing access to the Sammamish River trail on the south side of the river. The Park is the setting for numerous community events.
• Memorial Park is located across from the Northshore Pool on SR-527 and comprises one-half acre.
• Triangle Park is located at the intersection of SR 522 and SR 527. This 300-square-foot park, the City's smallest, is dedicated to those who served their country.
• Brackett's Landing Park (.25-acres) is located south of Woodinville Drive on the Sammamish River adjacent to the Sammamish River Trail.
• Sammamish River Park (57-acre), which includes small parcels owned by King County, is located south of the Sammamish River and extends from Blyth Park east to about 108th Avenue NE. The park contains the Sammamish River Trail and extensive wetlands.
• Volunteer Park is a neighborhood park located at the corner of NE 182nd ST and 97th Ave NE.
• An above-ground skate board park is located west (behind) the Northshore (Ruiz-Costie) Pool.
• Kaysner Park is an open space park located adjacent to the Sammamish River and the Sammamish River Trail.

Other Public Uses

The Downtown/Riverfront neighborhood contains a number of public uses in addition to the School District property and parks, discussed above. These include the following:

• Bothell City Hall, constructed in 1938 as a Works Program Administration (WPA) project, is located at 18305 101st Avenue NE.
• Bothell Police Station is located at 18410 100th Ave NE and houses the Bothell Police Department.
• The Municipal Court Building is located at 10116 NE 183rd ST and houses the City’s court functions. The facility also serves as the City Council Chambers.
• The Dawson Building is located at 9654 NE 182nd ST and provides space for City administrative offices.
• Bothell Fire Station 42 is located at 10726 Beardslee Blvd. The Fire Station is a full service station which houses equipment bays, living quarters, training rooms and offices.
• Bothell Regional Library, a branch of the King County Library System, is located at18205 98th Ave NE.
• Hopelink, a multi-service Human Services agency is located at 18220 96th Avenue NE, immediately north of the existing library, on 1 acre. Hopelink provides services for the area's seniors, disabled and low income families, including transportation, food, clothing, shelter and emergency services.
• The Northshore Senior Center, located at 10201 East Riverside Drive, offers a variety of services and activities for seniors.
• The Health and Wellness Center provides for adult day care, treatment, and assistance for seniors in need of specific therapy or physical treatments.
• The Bothell branch of the United States Post Office is located at 10500 Beardslee Blvd.

Historic Sites

The Downtown/Riverfront area contains numerous potentially historic structures or sites. The structures illustrate a mix of development times from the 1880s to the 1940s. Many of the structures retain their historic integrity since there has been little remodeling or few additions.

Several historic districts are described on the History of Bothell page.