City Council Regular Meeting Summary: 01/30/2023

Roll Call: All members present but H. Garcia (excused)

Proclamations: Lunar New Year Proclamation

Agenda Confirmation

Presentations

City Manager

• Port of Seattle seeks representatives of member cities from STaRT (Stakeholder Advisory Round Table) to fly in to Washington to lobby on their own behalf. K. Schilling and S. Moore volunteered to attend. Interested community members encouraged to speak with Burien staff.
• Information regarding policing options and the staircase at Eagle’s Landing is still being worked on for future presentations.

Public Comment

• Anna D. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – Long-time resident prior to Burien’s foundation; opposed to residential high-density rezoning called for in the plan; single-family homes in an established neighborhood. Contradictory zoning, called for filling downtown apartments first.
• Joann P. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – Resident of proposed “red zone”, only area in Burien that is being rezoned from single-family homes to high-density housing; first time she has heard about it, even though it has been being worked on since 2021. Called for rejection of the plan until the public has had a chance to give feedback.
• John W. – Eagle’s Landing Park – Thanked council for putting discussion on the agenda; cited collapsed bridges in 1994 at Santa Monica following an earthquake. He was involved in the rebuilding and says that the stairs are easy work, and will continue to give his feedback.
• Marilyn Y. – Repeal of Unconstitutional Fixed-Term Leases – Small-scale rental housing offers diversity of rental housing types and affordability, equitable ownership/generational wealth for BIPOC people and immigrants, anti-displacement. Longest lasting eviction moratorium and hastily rushed changes to landlord/tenant law have dealt a heavy blow to rental housing. Ask landlords and developers whether current set of laws is encouraging more rental housing or is a barrier.
• Rick S. – Eagle Landing Park – Calling for discussion & repairs to happen on the park which is very important to the community
• Serina N. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – Rents will likely double as a result, cited $3000 Maverick 2 bed/2 bath price; not affordable and not enough space for families. Re-zoning disproportionately forces out people of color, and displaces people in general.
• Kathy P. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – Against rezoning up to 7 story buildings, cited 1st Ave & 112th highrise, creates “canyons”, broken sightlines, extra traffic on 2 lane roads. Negative impact to neighborhoods. Suggested developing on undeveloped/underdeveloped parcels on 11th Ave SW between 146th and 142nd, and 149th/150th between 8th and 6th SW, closer to bus line and existing apartments.
• Kelsey V. – Burien Severe Weather Shelter – Raise awareness on when the shelter is open, and calls for volunteers based on when it is open.
• Tori N. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – Opposes rezoning of Ambaum corridor; resident of the area, found out about it from his neighbor. Not communicated to the community in his opinion. Targets middle income neighborhoods, people of color, income disparities; will push people out of the area. Plan seeks to grow population without addressing supporting areas like roads and police.
• Charles S. – Encouraged concerned parties to attend planning committee meetings to provide input on draft Ambaum Corridor plan. Policing – In agreement with S. Mora in regards to reviewing model for policing. Disagrees with the point that Sheriff’s office is too political, politics will not go away even with a local department. Policing consists of over half the city budget and should be given due attention. Requests feedback and hopes to see discussion on future agendas.
• Marc O. – Ambaum Corridor Plan – In support of Option 3, enhanced version. New resident, architect; Moved to Burien from Seattle due following his area being “upzoned”. Housing is essential and addresses homelessness; plan is thoughtfully made and should be implemented.
• Ginele L. – Blvd Park – Lack of adequate infrastructure led to environmental impacts; Mentioned flood study in Environmental Impact Review; current problems exist and should be addressed, before planning for future. Implement identified fixes as soon as possible.
• Daniel M. – Severe Weather Shelter – thanked for Burien’s funding and support; all 50 beds were filled the previous night. Donate at buriensws.org. ## Consent Agenda
• Approved 4 Yeas (C. Moore, K. Schilling, S. Aragon, S. Moore) – 1 Abstention (S. Mora)

Business Agenda