EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated to clarify the vote to call the question on the Levy Lid Lift ballot language, Councilmember Mora’s abstention, and the final 5–2 vote on placing it on the consent agenda.
The Burien City Council convened on Monday, June 30, 2025, to address pressing community issues, from youth programs to zoning changes and public safety concerns.
Key discussions included an update on the successful Outdoor Explorers program, a call for an ordinance requiring federal agents to be identifiable after a concerning encounter with ICE officers, and a reminder from City Manager Adolfo Bailon about the city’s fireworks ban ahead of July 4th.
The meeting also saw extensive public commentary and a significant vote on controversial zoning changes, along with approval of the language for an upcoming public safety ballot measure.
Parks & Rec Update
Burien Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PaRCS) Director Casey Stanley shared a presentation on the Outdoor Explorers program. Outdoor Explorers is a free, six-week program that teaches leadership and outdoor skills, and includes internship opportunities. This program has helped get 36 youth outside and involved in many different activities each year, often at Seahurst Park. The program has been grant-funded since 2022; however this year, due to a funding shortage, the program can only accommodate 18 kids.
PaRCS Director Stanley also shared a game that all families can participate in this summer throughout Burien parks. It is called the Play In The Parks Game, and a free game board and instructions can be found at the above link. There are participation and completion prizes to help motivate kids to have fun exploring local parks.
ICE Officers In Burien
Councilmember Hugo Garcia said he recently confronted ICE officers wearing tactical gear, including face-covering ski masks, in Burien. The officers were armed with semi-automatic weapons. He said these officers, when requested, would not show him their badges or identification. When he explained that he was a city councilmember and expressed concern for the safety of the community, they brought out an unmasked person to speak with him, who said that the team was “executing a federal warrant.”
After sharing this experience, Councilmember Garcia requested an ordinance that would require federal agents to be identifiable in Burien. This would compel ICE agents to show their badges, especially if they’re going to have automatic weapons. This idea will be run by the King County Sheriff’s Office and the legal department.
City Manager’s Report
City Manager Adolfo Bailon warned, as July 4th approaches, that many accidental fires have been caused by ground level fireworks. Fireworks remain illegal in the city of Burien. Information on the fireworks ban can be found at this link.
Bailon also explained the reasoning behind not selecting a “Citizen of the Year” for 2025. He said that in the past, only a small number of people were engaged in the selection process, meaning the chosen citizen was not representative of the full population. He said staff are looking into ways to engage more than a few dozen people in the process. Getting more public involvement will make the Citizen of the Year more meaningful in the future.
Zoning Changes Approved
Twenty three public commenters signed up to speak at this meeting, and most of them were against proposed zoning changes. Among the concerns they raised was that the changes were confusing to the public, and the online maps should be clarified. They mentioned that reducing parking requirements was irresponsible and would cause serious issues. They said the city should not go beyond the basic changes required by the state. They warned that taxes will increase with rezoning, even if lots are undevelopable. They asked the council to delay adoption of the changes until the Comprehensive Plan can be updated. They also said proper notice was not given to residents before enacting these changes.
A few commenters spoke in support of the ordinance. They said future generations will be hurt by housing shortages, and that the housing market will be overinflated due to scarcity of supply. They said the city needs to upzone to accommodate the population, and NIMBYs (“Not In My BackYard“) shouldn’t be heeded. They said the people against this ordinance are privileged voices pushing modern segregation. A developer spoke, ensuring that changes in actual development would be gradual.
It was explained by staff that Burien needs to comply with multiple state housing bills, as well as the city’s own Comprehensive Plan. The Comp Plan cannot legally be amended until September, except in an emergency situation. Councilmember Stephanie Mora did not receive support for tabling Monday’s vote until the Comp Plan can be updated. The Comp Plan can be changed in a process that will likely begin in September, and after that the council could then amend the zoning code. Potential updates to the Comp Plan will be discussed more at the July 14th meeting.
Councilmember Linda Akey said that in one city where it was decided to cap growth of housing at 1% per year, housing prices grew at an extraordinary rate due to rising demand. She said the housing stock needs to go up, but that critical areas will continue to be protected. Councilmember Alex Andrade added that city staff have been open and honest throughout this discussion, and there has been no secrecy around this process. Councilmember Stephanie Mora said that Burien is defined as a Tier 2 City according to the Department of Commerce, required by the state to be zoned for two units per lot, and more if the lots are near transit or if the units are affordable housing.
Councilmember Mora did not receive support for an amendment to remove critical areas from upzoning. Staff explained that it would then require a lot-by-lot determination as to what percent of each lot was a critical area. It is much more practical to determine a lot’s suitability for development when the owner applies for a building permit. While some corrections to zoning were made in the Three Tree Point neighborhood since the previous meeting on this, staff said the city cannot go through parcel by parcel and determine each zone on an individual basis.
Mayor Kevin Schilling said the city does need to do a better job informing the public of changes in the future. He added that Burien needs to grow, but in a way that makes sense. City Planners said they are absolutely open to suggestions from the public on how to better communicate. The zoning changes passed in a 6–1 vote, with Councilmember Mora opposed.
Levy Lid Lift Ballot Language
Revenue shortage is not just a Burien issue. Funding public safety is costly and challenging. Burien has not been able to match revenue to its costs, despite budget cuts and revenue increases where available. The public time and again have asked for more police officers, improved pedestrian safety, and an increase in the popular co-responder program, which is currently only funded through 2026. Thus, our November ballots will see a measure funding public safety by voluntarily increasing property taxes. The full language of the ballot measure, as well as the explanatory statement, can be found at this link.
The public safety levy lid lift would raise revenue to add two new officers each year through 2031, as well as fund enough co-responder teams to cover each shift throughout the week. In addition, street, sidewalk, and lighting improvement projects would take place along sections of Des Moines Memorial Drive and S. 128th Street. The levy would cost the average homeowner $474 per year.
Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore expressed concerns that voters would not approve the measure if the ballot language was ambiguous. She thought they would want to know specifically what would be funded. The limitations of the ballot were explained, including simply a lack of space – there can only be 75 words, so there is no opportunity to go into detail on the ballot. In addition, staff explained that being too specific would bar leftover money from one public safety project being shifted to another. However, funds raised will all go toward public safety. Deputy Mayor Moore added that “This levy may be the most important thing we do in our time on council.”
The vote to call the question took place, with Councilmember Hugo Garcia and Deputy Mayor Moore voting no on calling the question, which would end the discussion, and Councilmember Mora abstaining. When asked her reason for abstention, Mora said thank you for asking but there is no requirement to give a reason. Councilmember Garcia pointed out that when he and Deputy Mayor Moore had abstained from a vote in a recent meeting, they were treated quite differently. Both had been berated for failing to perform their duties as council members, and told they should only abstain in situations where they have a conflict of interest.
After this discussion, Mayor Kevin Schilling moved on to other business. Finally, Deputy Mayor Moore brought up the need to actually vote on the motion to accept this ballot language, and a vote commenced. The motion to place this on the consent agenda of the next business meeting passed in a 5–2 vote, with Councilmember Hugo Garcia and Deputy Mayor Moore opposed.
Video
Below is the full, raw video of the council meeting:
” privileged voices pushing modern segregation” What a shame you even printed her rant. This is what our education system has produced. “Gen (pick an alphabet)”….. argues for climate change prevention, tree retention, clean oceans and water. But when “older citizens” (the evil boomers I guess) who have worked their entire life to buy a home point out zoning plan errors inconsistent with Tree ordinance, Shoreline Management, etc they all become systemic racists. Uninformed, hard left leaning voices and regulations like this, are a primary reason why this country overreacted and put the current US administration in office. Get a clue – sit down and listen to the adults in the room. You might learn something.
“City planners said they are open to suggestions from the public on how to better communicate.”
If that statement above came from a city planner(s), they/he/she should be fired immediately. What kind of planners need the public to teach them how to communicate? That’s not a strategy — it’s an outright display of incompetence. Absolutely pathetic.
-Good to see ICE actually doing their job.
-These zoning changes will destroy Burien, just like they’ve hurt countless other cities. You’re not the first to go down this path — take a look around, zoom out, and learn from the failures. Pushing ahead blindly only shows a serious lack of judgment.
-The far-left policies being pushed here need to be stopped. The consequences won’t be good. Just look at the U.S. as a warning — open your eyes before it’s too late.
I note that councilmember Moore’s very reasonable motion to change just two words to clarify what the Public Safety fund would apply to was not accepted either. That change would not have contstrained the funds for the stated reasons given. Her concerns may be validated by the voters now.
I also noted that no councilmembers would address the issue of near immediate increased property taxes as a result of the upzones, whether the lots are developed or not. No one questioned or discussed any mitigation or relief for the displacement issues in the R2 upzones, especially along the Ambaum corridor, which their own zoning map indicates has a high level of displacement risk. Those that oppose the upzones are not limited to the wealthier parts of Burien. They are more impacted by the threat of economic eviction.
In addition, no discussion of how the MFTE would impact R2 middle housing zones. It allows for 6 units and with a height of 75ft, not 35ft. That is big difference for most of those neighborhoods too. The example shown of what a 7200 sq ft lot would look like with a 3 unit stacked building was a lot taller than 35 ft.
Shifting the responsibility to permitting and building inspectors should also have a check and balance on their decisions by allowing public review of their preliminary decisions to allow any variances before they can issue site and construction permits. As they are unelected, this is important. Not doing this was a major reason Ballard became overdense with cheaply built housing that was not at all affordable and made things more congested.