Council discussed hotel developer, business licensing and B&O tax code updates, budget, zoning code amendments, and Comprehensive Plan amendments.
Hotel Developer Selected
Burien City Council selected Hotel Concepts to sell a parcel of City-owned land for the purpose of building a hotel. The final contract negotiations will take place over the next several months, with Council approving the final contract.
Poet-in-Residence Reads “Bountiful Burien”
A group of Burien residents received funding from Burien’s Arts & Culture Grant program to initiate Burien’s first poet-in-residence. The group selected Raul Sanchez, a highly regarded poet who writes in both Spanish and English. As part of the program, Sanchez was asked to write a poem about Burien for the City’s 25th anniversary of incorporation. He also led a poetry-writing workshop for Burien residents. The poem will be translated into Spanish and will be published in the spring 2019 issue of the Burien Magazine.
Business Licensing Code Updated to Conform to State Law
Council approved updating our business licensing and business & occupation tax code to bring it into compliance with recent changes to Washington State law. The intention of the new rules is to simplify licensing for business owners and help cities better track businesses, thus helping improve business outreach.
Budget
Council held a public hearing on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP), as part of the 2019–2020 budget process. Council will vote on the final budget on December 17, 2018.
Amendment to Zoning Code Regulating Personal Wireless Service Facilities Passes
Council passed an amendment to Burien Municipal Code 19.50 to bring the City’s regulations on personal wireless service facilities into conformance with changes made to the Federal Telecommunications Act. The amended code will address emerging technology in the wireless industry, such as 4th and 5th generation 4G and 5G LTE, which would be deployed using small cell facilities or small cell networks.
Comprehensive Plan Updates
Council discussed proposed changes to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, including an application from Burien Hill, LLC to change zoning for a parcel currently occupied by Mary’s Place. Council will vote on the Comprehensive Plan amendments on December 17, 2018.