On the agenda for Monday night’s (May 15, 2023) regular Burien City Council meeting: proclamations in honor of Affordable Housing Week and Peace Officer Memorial Day, discussion of Blake decision and neighboring city ordinances, and a proposed lease agreement for the City property where a homeless encampment is in downtown Burien.
One item of major interest on the agenda will be regarding leasing property owned by the City at SW 152nd Street and 6th Ave SW – which currently serves as a homeless encampment – to local nonprofit Burien CARES. If a lease is approved, it would likely result in a sweep of the homeless encampment and subsequently turn the lot into an official dog park. According to the agenda, “negotiations with the interested party have remained active and positive.”
The meeting will start at 7 p.m., and can be viewed in person at Burien City Hall, on Comcast TV Channel 21, via Zoom here, or online here.
Download the full agenda packet here.
Here are highlights from the agenda:
PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS:
- a) Affordable Housing Week Proclamation: Councilmember Cydney Moore
- b) Peace Officers Memorial Day: Deputy Mayor Kevin Schilling
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
BUSINESS AGENDA:
- a) Educational Session on Recent State Legislature Actions regarding the Blake Decision and Status Update of Neighboring Cities with Blake Ordinances: Garmon Newsom II, City Attorney
- b) Proposed Lease Agreement of City property: Adolfo Bailon, City Manager
- c) City Council Planning Calendar: Adolfo Bailon, City Manager
I fully support the City initiated Dog Park lease arrangement and honestly feel anyone against the proposal or decision might as well be promoting drug addiction, or untreated mental illness. Your put all the pressure to provide a solution on the City of Burien/King County/KCRHA/WA., but just raise a pitchfork but never actually use it to sort the wheat from the chaff and solve your anything yourself.
I just watched the meeting and all the absolutely foolish actions of Cydney Moore, the funniest thing is she voted to approve the CARES lease in an attempt to delay the decision by bending the rules. Now she’s on record voting for it much to her chagrin which is so fitting.
The City Council likes to make proclamations but consistently is not able to deconflict their lofty ideals with their actual policy and ordinances. In the midst of the region’s biggest housing affordability crisis and availability the council has done nothing but make it harder and more expensive to add housing. Most people love tree’s, as I do, but most property owners have no idea what the recently enacted tree ordinance means to them. So, City Council with regard to your 24,000 sq ft lot in the heart of the city I would like to know where your tree plan is for the lot ? First you will need a certified arborist to do an assessment and establish how may tree credits the city demands that you place on the lot. That will run you about $3,000. Then you will need a surveyor to plot where these trees will be – another $3,000. Not just seedlings mind you – we need some trees of substance – that will cost $2,000. Of course, you will need to post a bond to guarantee that the trees you plant will continue to grow. Oh, so let’s not forget your permitted and approved irrigation system – $15,000. So you’re going to need more than $2,000 of annual lease revenue to cover your $23,000 for trees. But of course the rules won’t apply to the city will they……..?