Burien City Council hears about new development near transit center, homeless outreach, community grants & more at Monday’s meeting

The Burien City Council meeting on Monday, July 15, 2024 began with a proclamation for Parks and Recreation Month, highlighting the importance of parks for residents.

King County presented ideas for a new development near the transit center, aiming for affordable housing with potential community art space.

Council reports addressed available shelter beds for the homeless, a successful partnership for homeless outreach, and a neighborhood matching grant program.

Public comments included concerns about losing Police Chief Ted Boe and the closure of Burien CARES over the Fourth of July holiday.

The council also approved a letter supporting the Climate Commitment Act, and renewed a lease agreement with a local Toyota dealership.

Proclamation for Parks & Recreation Month

The proclamation for Parks & Recreation Month recognizes the physical and mental benefits to people of all ages who live near parks. Recreation programming provides after-school and summer activities for kids, youth sports, and environmental education, as well as programming for adults and seniors. In addition, the proclamation states that proximity to parks increases property values and promotes tourism. Parks also ensure the ecological vibrancy of the community.

The Burien Community Center offers activities for all ages throughout the year. You can stop by in person, or check out their website.

King County Development Coming To Downtown

King County will be starting the process of seeking bids to develop their lot that is adjacent to the Burien transit center and parking garage. This lot is about ¾ acre, and could accommodate a 5-story building with 100-130 housing units above a commercial space. The housing is likely to be affordable housing for those earning 50% to 60% area median income (AMI). The county has $10 million dollars allocated for the development. King County has met with the community and together came up with priorities for the development that include affordable family housing, with potentially an art space on the ground floor.

According to the presentation, construction alone will take 18 to 24 months, but the project is possibly three years out from that stage, with things like the bidding and permitting processes to come first. Mayor Kevin Schilling reiterated multiple times that the city will do whatever it can to speed along this process and hopefully get this built in fewer than five years.

It was mentioned that Metro plans to electrify the entire bus fleet by the year 2035, so homes adjacent to the transit center should be cleaner and quieter in the near future.

It was also mentioned that Metro plans to remove the public restrooms from the transit center soon. Mayor Schilling asked them to seriously reconsider, saying bathrooms are necessary at that location. The response from Chris Arkills of King County was that it was out of their hands, and that “society as a whole has a bathroom problem” right now.

Council Reports

Councilmember Linda Akey once again shared the many organizations throughout King County that continue to have dozens of treatment beds available for the people living on our streets.

Deputy Mayor Stephanie Mora said that in less than 24 hours after starting a new contract with The More We Love, the organization had helped five of the people in the tent encampment to accept assistance which successfully got them off the street.

City Manager’s Report

City Manager Adolfo Bailon shared an update on Burien’s matching grant program. Community groups can apply for a $5,000 grant, which they must match either in funds, goods, or labor. Four programs were selected for the grant, including public art through Mural Masters, a beekeeping program at New Start Community Garden, a Lunar New Year celebration, and a Solar Punk festival. The festival is on August 10 from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Shark Garden. Find out more about these grants and apply on the city’s Neighborhood Grants Program information page.