At first glance, Six Oaks in Bothell and Voda in nearby Kirkland could be mistaken for near twins. Both mixed-use developments in Washington state rise between four and five stories, anchor prominent street corners on moderately trafficked roads, and feature balconies alongside shared amenities. Six Oaks opened in 2014; Voda followed three years later in 2017.
Their architectural forms are remarkably alike. Yet, an analysis by Urban3 reveals they couldn’t be more different.
Voda’s value per acre nearly doubles that of Six Oaks, coming in at $85.3 million compared to $40.3 million. What’s going on?
Urban3, which specialized in geospatial analysis, found that Voda supports 105,000 square feet of residential space per acre, coupled with 14,000 square feet of commercial space per acre. Six Oaks, on the other hand, offers less than a third of that commercial space per acre and just 89,000 square feet of residential space per acre.
One detail visible from above helps explain this gap: Six Oaks features large enclosed courtyards. While these provide pleasant open areas for residents, they also represent significant “lost productivity” in terms of economic value per acre. Additionally, Six Oaks is about half a story shorter, which contributes to lower overall square footage and economic output.
This is not a critique of courtyards or open spaces themselves—they are important for quality of life and social interaction. Rather, it’s a prompt to reconsider whether inflexible mandates requiring a certain percentage of “open space” always serve the city’s or residents’ best interests.
Open Space Requirements: Blessing or Burden?
Many municipalities require developers to allocate a portion of land to “open space,” intending to guarantee access to nature in denser neighborhoods. But as Adam Carr, senior analyst at Urban3, observes, these requirements often translate into small, awkward green patches that are too cramped to be truly inviting or useful. As a result, the spaces become underutilized and unpopular.
Instead of enhancing a neighborhood, mandated open spaces risk becoming economic dead zones—parcels that neither contribute meaningfully to residents’ appetites for outdoor space nor generate significant economic value.
This micro-level insight is more than just a critique; it can directly inform smarter development decisions. For cities aiming to make the most of their limited land and tax base, choosing to forego or rethink a courtyard or two can translate into more efficient use of space and higher economic returns.
Crunching the Numbers and Seeing the Future in Bothell, WA
This detailed comparison reflects a broader challenge for Bothell. Urban3’s data shows that Bothell’s downtown area is 2.6 times more productive economically than the rest of the city. While this indicates downtown is a key economic driver, it falls short of the roughly 6:1 productivity ratio that Urban3 suggests is optimal.
Why does this matter? A highly productive downtown generates the revenue necessary to maintain essential public goods—parks, utilities, roads, and even undevelopable land—that support the entire city. The more productive the downtown core, the more robust the city’s financial foundation and its ability to sustain services across all neighborhoods.
Luckily, Bothell is already putting these lessons into action. Earlier this year, the city eliminated all off-street parking requirements—a longstanding barrier that made opening small neighborhood businesses difficult.
“I am really excited tonight, because we get to take a big step away from the way we’ve always done things, toward our community’s values a little bit closer,” Bothell’s Mayor said ahead of the 5-to-1 vote. He likewise noted how outdated parking rules tax the very housing and businesses the city wants to encourage, while also increasing traffic and pollution. “I’ve never had a single person say, do you know what? We need more traffic and more pollution. And I’m really excited to get rid of policy that subsidizes both.”
Under the new rules, corner stores, cafés, bars, bike shops, salons, art galleries, child care centers, and artisan-manufacturing with on-site sales can open in any residential zone. The ordinance explains that these uses are designed to “promote neighborhood vitality and compatibility with surrounding residential areas,” serving primarily local residents with “minimal traffic from outside the neighborhood,” supporting walk, bike, and transit access, and helping build “pedestrian-friendly community hubs which eliminate reliance on automobiles.”
Read more: This Summer’s Hottest Trend? Ditching Parking Mandates
The city even revised its open space requirements, which showed local developers like Cary Westerbeck that leadership is committed to listening and learning. Westerbeck recalled one project where the mandate was applied to a small infill site with absurd results. The so-called open space ended up being “about the size of a postage stamp.” It wasn’t functional, it added unnecessary complexity to the project, and at its size, it didn’t even comply with the intentions of the requirement.
Bothell is learning from past developments to strike a better balance between quality of life and economic value. “I'm grateful to be developing in Bothell,” he told Strong Towns earlier this year. “It’s a bright spot.”
With insights like those provided by Urban3, Bothell can continue to reflect on what it is it needs and what can open opportunity for those needs to be fulfilled.
