Ahead of the July 23, 2025 Planning Commission meeting, Burien residents communicated with commissioners and City Council, urging them to reconsider the new R3 (high-density) zoning in the Lake Burien, Seahurst, and Three Tree Point neighborhoods. The following letters raise a range of concerns, including property tax shifts, environmental risks, shoreline protections, and impacts on community character and infrastructure.
City Council is not scheduled to meet until September 8, but there will be a community meeting in August to discuss amendments to the Burien 2044 Comprehensive Plan and Ordinance 868 (Residential Zoning Map, passed on June 30, 2025).
Letter From Astrid Sidler and Family:
[Bold type was added by the author.]
To: Burien City Council Members
We recently moved to the Burien Seahurst neighborhood for its tranquility, walkability, and close access to nature. We recently learned from neighbors about the new proposed zoning changes. If she would not have informed us, we wouldn’t even have known about these changes since we haven’t had time to get involved in the community yet.
Here are some of the concerns we have compiled after talking with each other (neighbor to neighbor/neighborhood to neighborhood) and why we feel the current proposal should be an emphatic ‘NO’ vote from the City Council:
1. GOING TOO FAR:
The City of Burien is proposing a comprehensive rezone as if Burien were a Tier 1 City with a population of greater than 75,000. We are in fact a Tier 2 City (population 25,000–75,000) with an estimated population of 52,046 according to the 2024 census data. We are far below Tier 1 City parameters. We lack the infrastructure in our residential neighborhoods to accommodate the growth that would be allowed with this rezone. We rely on the King County Sheriff’s Office for our law enforcement services. Staff shortages at the Sheriff’s Office are already a concern and affect response times. Increased density at the level proposed would critically affect already stretched law enforcement resources and jeopardize public safety.2. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
Seahurst is a bedroom community surrounded by trees, wildlife and water — upzoning will have a significant impact on these delicate features. We’ve seen no plan for developing the necessary infrastructure to handle density of this magnitude, such as sidewalks, sewer, water, gas, etc. In addition, there are fire safety concerns with densely packed housing in wildland-urban interface areas. Western Washington is subject to the same concerns that continue to affect communities during our ever-increasing dry, flammable conditions brought each summer, exacerbated by drought and wind. We have many majestic old Douglas Fir, Hemlock, Locust, Cedar, etc. trees that are habitat for Osprey, Eagles and other wildlife, and also provide shade and wind breaks. What standards will be enforced to maintain these treasures? We have no guarantee the City of Burien will not amend its fairly stringent tree code to make it easier for developers.3. AFFORDABLE HOUSING?
Promoting this rezone of our residential neighborhoods under the guise of creating “Affordable Housing” may check a ‘buzz word’ box but doesn’t really portray reality. Our experience has been that this type of zoning primarily benefits developers, who then rent out these properties. West Seattle has been developed for “affordable housing” & “middle housing” and the median house cost is $861,200, with the average rent being $2,573+. We are at an all-time high in building costs & permits. Currently, Burien’s median house cost is $661,250 as of April 2025. The average rent is $2,000. Upzoning will likely only increase rents and decrease the quality of life for our neighborhoods.4. CONGESTION REALITY:
On one section of 21st Ave SW alone, the proposed upzone to a mix of R3 and R2 has the potential to increase housing units exponentially. Counting both sides of the street, there are currently 22 homes on our long block between SW 152nd and SW 149th. If only 11 properties (half) were to be developed into multi-housing at a very conservative estimate of 3 units per 5,000 sq ft lot and the rest of the homes remained single family, that would still increase the number of housing units to a whopping 77. Again, a conservative estimate that doesn’t take into account that six of the homes on our block are proposed to be zoned R3 and would qualify for even more units.The additional vehicles alone, for which adequate parking will not be required, would be disastrous for the neighborhood. There is also the proximity of St. Francis School, which already has congestion problems at certain times during the day and brings a large number of cars during special events (Christmas, Mother’s Day, Graduation, etc.) that flank our streets. Our current very walkable neighborhood — used all hours of the day by residents, many with children and dogs — would be inaccessible, not to mention dangerous, due to the sheer number of cars and traffic this would bring.
5. COMMERCIAL BUSINESS:
The proposed upzone to R2 and R3, which would include commercial business along 152nd, around Lake Burien Park, and in our quiet neighborhoods, would have a major adverse impact on residents with increased cars (no parking required) and extended hours of operation (which were originally presented to be 8 am–8 pm) now appear to have changed to 7 am–9 pm per the revised SEPA addendum submitted by the city on June 6.We have very walkable cafes/shops/amenities within ½ to 1 mile of our neighborhood in downtown Burien. There is no need to bring this commercial activity to our quiet neighborhood. The example of the Three Tree Point Store, used by upzone promoters to demonstrate how a ‘cute little corner store’ could be a great addition to the community, ignores the issues it has created — no parking being key. It services their neighborhood, but not without complaints. Burien residents come to ‘The Store’ and park in people’s driveways, on the shoulder, block the roads, and create a traffic safety issue.
6. EXISTING OPTIONS:
Burien residential properties are already zoned to allow ADU/DADUs. This, along with the current and proposed development of Downtown, Boulevard Park, 509 & Ambaum, means the City of Burien will have met our mandate to show we have a plan to meet our capacity goal of 7,500 additional housing units by the year 2044. There is no need to go above and beyond by creating R2 and R3 zones and ‘upzoning’ our neighborhoods. R1 is sufficient.Thank you for hearing our serious concerns.
Letter From Gretchen Erickson:
Dear Council and Commission,
I will not be in town to attend the meeting on the 30th. I do hope you have reconsidered the R3 zoning affecting Lake Burien, Seahurst, and Three Tree Point areas. Hopefully you were able to get the emergency amendment on environmentally critical areas. I have contacted our state representatives with only a blanket response.
We received our new property tax evaluations and find it interesting that they lowered the value of our house and increased the value of the land. Seems like someone is manipulating the land costs. Also, how can increasing taxes every year make housing affordable for anyone? Either they need to stop increasing taxes or lower our property valuations.
I’d also like you to address the comments below:
Who benefits from increased population and density in small suburb incorporated cities?
I. The group that manages the incorporated small city:
a. Managing more population means more compensation (I wonder if this is factual)
b. More taxation
c. Larger budgets to cover the additional population
d. Need for larger and larger governmentII. The group that represents the small suburb incorporated city at the street level:
a. The more population, the more representation is needed
b. More taxation
c. Larger budgets to compensate for growthI hope you will do what is best for the existing residents who love where we live and have worked hard and made many sacrifices to maintain.
Sincerely concerned resident.
Letter From Jim Hanna:
The adoption of Ordinance 868 marks a milestone in the planning for the growth of Burien. The steps Council has taken at the June 30th meeting to amend Ordinance 868 and the Burien Comprehensive Plan 2044 are a welcome opportunity to refine the housing ordinance and improve consistency with other land use regulations to achieve growth and improve housing availability consistent with the current infrastructure, environmental sensitivity, and neighborhood character while maintaining compliance with the Growth Management Act (GMA) and HB 1110.
As a Burien resident on Lake Burien, I appreciate the tremendous effort it has taken to bring this plan to fruition. Overall, the Comp Plan and Ordinance 868 represent a worthy path to growth in Burien.
In discussions about the merits of zoning designations for Lake Burien properties, there seems to be a misconception that Lake Burien residents are opposed to increased housing density. We are not proposing that Lake Burien property should not be rezoned, just that the proposed R3/R2 density isn’t appropriate for shoreline critical areas and in fact is contradictory.
Given the current R-12,000 zoning, the R1 designation would represent an increase in allowable unit density of 150% to 300%, with 8–16 dwelling units allowed per lot, depending on lot size, and enables more housing types. Of course, with setbacks and other restrictions, these densities are likely not achievable.
Since even R1 densities are likely not achievable, assigning an R2 or R3 designation is unlikely to increase available housing, and given the cost of land and development, it would not be affordable. Instead, it will increase uncertainty for residents and developers. With the level of interest in this issue, the amendment process provides a path to resolving it with relatively minor changes.
Thank you for your work on behalf of the City, and we welcome the opportunity to work with the Planning Commission, Planning staff, and the Council to amend the Comp Plan and Ordinance 868 and move forward.
I look forward to receiving further information about the process and timing for the amendment process. Please add me to the list for notification.
Respectfully.
Next Burien Planning Commission Meeting:
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 at 5:30 p.m.
Join virtually via Zoom: https://bit.ly/2UdTRmV
Join at Burien City Hall: 400 SW 152nd St (1st Floor), Burien, WA
View-only options: Channel 21 or Livestream at https://bit.ly/3LD9yxa
PUBLIC COMMENT period allows each speaker two (2) minutes to speak, either in person or via Zoom.
- In person Comment.
- Written comment. Email comments at least a week in advance to planningcommission@burienwa.gov.
- Online (Zoom) Comment. Join via Zoom and use the “Raise Your Hand” feature during the public comment portion of the agenda.
BUSINESS AGENDA
Critical Area Ordinance Briefing #3 – FACET, Consultants; Amanda McIntire, Planner
- Cover Memo – Critical Area Ordinance Update Introduction
- Attachment 1 – PLA-21-1562 Critical Area Determination
- Attachment 2 – Civil sheets
- Attachment 3 – Critical Areas Study and Mitigation Plan
- Attachment 4 – Burien Gap Analysis_DRAFT
- Attachment 5 – Burien BAS Report_FINAL
- Attachment 6 – Facet Background Memo
Email addresses for the Council & Planning Commission:
PlanningCommission@burienwa.gov
Council members-council@burienwa.gov
Mayor of Burien-kevins@burienwa.gov
Stephanie Mora-stephaniem@burienwa.gov
Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore-sarahm@burienwa.gov
Alex Andrade-alexa@burienwa.gov
Linda Akey-lindaa@burienwa.gov
Jimmy Matta-jimmym@burienwa.gov
Hugo Garcia-hugog@burienwa.gov
Related Posts:
Burien Residents Urged to Attend July 23 Planning Commission Meeting Amid Zoning Concerns (Burien.News 7/21/25)
Burien Council Update on Zoning Plan Lasts One Minute, Leaves Residents Wanting More (Burien.News 7/15/25)
LETTER: Burien’s Zoning Process Sidesteps Shoreline Protections – Why? (Burien.News 7/14/25)
One Response
If this scam ordinance passes, it will be time to file lawsuits against the City. This is totally a wrong approach and should be scrapped. This ordinance must fail.