The Burien City Council convened its regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, addressing a wide array of community concerns.

Highlights from the meeting include updates on Burien’s new Police Chief, public arts funding, and ongoing discussions about zoning regulations and affordable housing.

Council Reports

Councilmember Linda Akey shared info about the grand opening of the new track and mini soccer pitch at Sylvester Middle School. She said they removed the red gravel from the old track and installed a new, synthetic running track. The center of the field is now a synthetic soccer pitch, one of 26 planned soccer fields by the year 2026, in time for the Seattle World Cup. Local business owner Danny House helped out with seed funding for this project, which was also funded by state money and the Seattle Sounders. Watch the video we streamed live from the opening on Friday, Sept. 6 here.

Councilmemeber Hugo Garcia said that he was one of many Burien residents affected by the recent large-scale power outage. He said there have been rumors circulating that the outage was related to cyber attacks, but according to Seattle City Light the massive outage was caused by vegetation.

City Manager Adolfo Bailon formally introduced Burien’s new Chief of Police, Tom Calabrese. Chief Calabrese has been meeting with local residents and business owners to determine the most important public safety issues that need to be addressed. Calabrese has been serving as interim chief, and formerly served as Captain of the Burien Police Department.

Public Comments

One speaker expressed concerns about errors she found in the city’s proposed zoning updates. She said the area around Lake Burien needs to be governed by the shoreline master plan, as it is waterfront.

Another speaker asked how the city is going to ensure that the homeless camp in the courthouse parking lot is cleared out by Sept. 30. The camp is on county property, and the speaker said Burien should plan to fine the county for every day they are late in removing the campers. The county, she said, should also be responsible for the entire cleanup of the camp.

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permitting fees were brought up as well. It was pointed out that ADUs are a wonderful way to increase the affordable housing stock, but that the permitting fees are currently a huge added expense. She said that Renton recently reduced their ADU permit fees to encourage growth.

Lastly, one speaker mentioned that holding the private executive sessions at the beginning of council meetings is a disservice to the public, since they have to show up and then wait 50 minutes for the public meeting to begin. If the executive sessions were at the end of the council meetings, the public could leave once their portion was over.

Arts Commission Work Plan Approved

Council gave unanimous approval to both the Arts Commission Work Plan, and the Art In Public Places Project. The Arts Commission said they are reviewing annual grant proposals this week, and will be reviewing applicants for smaller, ongoing arts grants throughout the year. 

Last year, their funding supported free and low-cost concerts, Hi-Liners Musical Theatre, and a new community zine which was distributed at local businesses. In addition, they helped with funding public murals and many popular local festivals including Arts-A-Glow, Dia De Los Muertos, and Empty Bowls. To view an interactive map of art installations throughout the city, follow this link.

Zoning Code Discussion

According to the presentation, Burien is already fairly close to being in compliance with the state’s mandates around ADUs. Currently, the vast majority of Burien is zoned to allow ADUs on what has been single family residential, in compliance with state requirements. Coming changes will allow up to four units on lots that are within a quarter mile of bus routes.

Other changes that would encourage denser development were discussed, including expanding multifamily housing tax incentives to last 20 years. The process of getting approval for building could be streamlined and fast-tracked, with the intention of encouraging growth and removing barriers to density.

These changes and more will be discussed at several upcoming council meetings, with final adoption planned on Nov. 18, 2024.

Video

Watch video of the full council meeting here.

Mellow DeTray is a Seattle native who has spent the last 16 years raising her family in Burien. She has volunteered at many local establishments over the years, including the Burien Library, Burien Actors...