With zoning decisions due by June and environmental protections still under review, is Burien putting the cart before the horse?
At its June 11, 2025 meeting, the Burien Planning Commission received a detailed overview of the content, timeline, and process for updating the City’s Critical Area Ordinance (CAO). The update is required under the state’s Growth Management Act (GMA), as the existing ordinance was last adopted in 2014. This effort is part of the broader Burien 2044 Comprehensive Plan update.
The meeting was attended by only four of the seven commissioners, with Turner, Ivey, and Ostrander absent. Public attendance was also low. With only a half-dozen in attendance, it was a stark contrast from recent large audiences concerned about zoning updates.
The CAO addresses sensitive areas, including Wetlands, Fish and Wildlife Habitat Conservation Areas, Critical Area Aquifer Recharges, Frequently Flooded Areas, and Geological Hazard Areas. Shorelines are excluded as they are covered by separate Shoreline Management Ordinances. The review covered the definitions of the various areas and their importance in the complex environmental ecosystem.
Additionally, a new online Interactive GIS Mapping Tool will be available to the public for reviewing areas where CAO designations may impact land parcels. The tool still requires some development, as the demonstration was unable to access many features.
The CAO requires a high level of specialized expertise that does not reside with the planning department or the planning commission, so a consultant has been hired to assist. The contracted consultant has prior experience in the matter, having assisted other local cities in the region.
The update is underway, with work continuing through the summer, followed by public workshops in the fall of 2025.
- Mapping is targeted for completion September 24
- Recommendation to the City Council by October 20
- Final approval by the City Council November 14.
Engagement goals include outreach to the community for education and awareness, as well as collaboration with Federal and State agencies and the Muckleshoot Tribe.
There was only one public comment at the beginning of the meeting.
The speaker asked why “equity” was being used to justify the highest possible density classification of R3 in environmentally sensitive areas, such as shorelines and areas with extensive existing tree canopy. Many of these sensitive areas have very high land values, and resulting development, even with higher density, will not only degrade these sensitive areas but will also remain extremely expensive.
The speaker inquired as to where the “equity” requirement came from, how it is defined, and how those requirements are allocated into the zoning plan. Because of the meeting format, there was no answer to the public comment.
The sequencing of these two major updates—the zoning code and the Critical Area Ordinance (CAO)—seems out of phase. The current schedule calls for the zoning update to be approved by June 30, while the CAO, which should help guide zoning decisions, isn’t scheduled for completion until November 14, 2025.
The next City Council meeting, scheduled for June 16, at 5:30pm, will review the highly controversial recommendations for the zoning plan update.
To make public comments, you must sign in online or in person before 4:30pm the day of the meeting.
