City of Burien

On January 6, 2020, the community is invited to a reception and swearing-in ceremony for newly elected council members Sofia Aragon, Cydney Moore, and Kevin Schilling. The reception will be followed by the selection of mayor and deputy mayor.

The City has explored an option to extend the time period for tenants to operate out of the Annex building past the January 31, 2020 deadline. After a consultation regarding the insurance and liability issues surrounding the significant safety risks that are present, enabling tenants to stay in the building past January 31, 2020 is not an option the City can entertain.

On December 16, 2019, the community is invited to a reception honoring the service and dedication of Burien Deputy Mayor Austin Bell and Councilmembers Bob Edgar and Lucy Krakowiak.

NEWS RELEASE: The City of Burien is closing the Burien Community Center Annex because initial inspections have found significant concerns with the structural integrity of the building.

On November 27, 2019, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision in favor of the City of Burien in Burien’s lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) arising from the FAA’s change of a flight path over Burien without environmental review.

The City of Burien is changing the permit center hours to 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. starting January 2, 2020.

NEWS RELEASE: Based on rising construction costs and decreasing revenues in the hotel sector, Hotel Concepts has decided not to move forward with developing a hotel in Burien at this time.

NEWS RELEASE: The City of Burien is proud to announce a new series of events titled “It’s a Wonderful Burien.” Winter lights will illuminate Burien’s Town Square Park every night in December, inspiring people to come to downtown Burien for unique dining, shopping, and seasonal experiences hosted by the City of Burien and community partners.

The Department of Commerce will be hosting a public meeting to provide a preliminary report on study of impacts of SeaTac Airport.

City staff are monitoring work being done at property located on 1300 SW 136th St., owned by Westmark Emerald Pointe LLC.

NEWS RELEASE: On October 7, 2019, the Burien City Council passed policies designed to protect renters and improve renter-landlord relationships. Ordinance 716 goes into effect October 15, 2019.

The Town Square Fountain will be closed for maintenance September 30 and October 1.

NEWS RELEASE: The Burien City Council approved on Burien’s first rental housing inspection program. The Council also approved the hiring of a rental housing inspection coordinator, who will manage the program and work with residents who need assistance with rental housing issues.

The City’s temporary sign regulations have been updated. The City’s permanent sign rules were not changed. A 90-day grace period was given to businesses to comply with the new regulations. Code enforcement on the new rules is allowed to begin on September 9, 2019.

Susan McLain Selected to be New Community Development Director; Lorraine Chachere Selected to be New Economic Development Specialist

Burien’s Town Square Fountain has reopened to the public after repairs to the electrical system were completed. The fountain will remain open until October.

NEWS RELEASE: The Burien City Council unanimously passed an ordinance on January 7, 2019 to ban carryout plastic bags in restaurants and retail establishments. The ordinance and ban will take effect on January 1, 2020, giving Burien businesses time to use their current stock of plastic bags.

To assess the effectiveness of beach restoration projects in restoring former forage fish spawning habitat, Coastal Geology will be using a drone to conduct monitoring work at Seahurst Park August 28–30.

Hamilton Construction Company has been awarded through a competitive bid process the contract to construct the new Peter Western Bridge. Construction will begin end of August and be completed by the end of 2020

The City of Burien is updating its Hazard Mitigation Plan, a plan to reduce harm from potential hazards such as landslides and earthquakes. The community is invited to provide feedback about what hazards you see in Burien.

The Burien City Council is discussing a potential law that would require all food service products in the City of Burien to be made of compostable materials due to concerns about the effects of plastics on the natural environment. The Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership (BEDP) invites Burien businesses to a roundtable discussion on the draft legislation.

The Department of Commerce’s Sea-Tac Airport Impact Study project team is an open house on July 24 to gain public input on plans to study and inventory environmental, social, and economic impacts of the Sea-Tac Airport on the surrounding communities.

As repair work for the Town Square Fountain progresses, unforeseen issues have occurred. At this time, we cannot commit to an open date. To help Burien’s youngest residents have fun and cool off during this summer’s hottest days, sprinklers will be turned on at Lake Burien Memorial Park Mondays and Fridays, 2–4 p.m. when temperature rises above 75 degrees.

S 144th Way is being re-aligned between Des Moines Memorial Drive and the cold storage warehouses. Construction begins July 15 and will continue until the end of the year.

A 4.6 magnitude earthquake struck at Three Lakes, Washington and shook much of our region. As of now, no significant impacts or damages have been reported within King County.

The possession and discharging of all fireworks is banned in the City of Burien. To report a fireworks violation, please call 911.

On Thursday, June 27, the City of Burien invites you to join a discussion about a shared community vision for Burien’s Urban Center at an open house at Angelo’s of Burien.

The City of Burien is updating the Storm Drainage Master Plan, which was last published in 2012. The plan will guide where the City focuses its efforts to reduce urban flooding and protect water quality in Miller Creek, Salmon Creek, and Puget Sound.

An algal toxin was found in a water quality sample collected from Lake Burien on May 31. Public Health recommends that people and pets do not swim in the lake, drink lake water, or engage in other water-contact activities.

NEWS RELEASE: Chris Craig has been selected to lead economic development for the City of Burien.

The City of Burien is hosting a follow up community meeting on June 20 on proposed rental housing policies and a rental inspection program. City of Burien staff will present a summary of the proposed policies and ask for community feedback. The proposed policies will reflect revisions based on feedback received during previous community meetings.

Response from City Manager Wilson to residents expressing concerns about how the City is serving those living unsheltered in our community, and about tents and camping in Burien parks and the effect this has on the health and safety of our parks.

The Town Square Fountain will have a delayed opening due to sustained substantial water damage in the control vault and the fountain’s electrical system. Parks Department staff are working quickly to secure repair services and seek replacement of electrical components.

On May 6, 2019, the City of Burien announced a new approach to addressing unauthorized use of Burien parks and facilities. In an effort to make everyone feel welcome and safe in Burien parks, City staff and Burien Police will be taking a compassionate, collaborative, and legal approach to prevent camping and encampments, that complies with the Martin v Boise decision.

Burien is holding a #TreeSelfie photo contest, where one lucky individual will win $25 if they correctly identify a tree in their neighborhood and let us know!

NEWS RELEASE: Charles “Chip” Davis, Burien Community Development Director, has announced his retirement after 40+ years of public service. His last day will be May 31, 2019.

With Earth Day just around the corner, there are many opportunities to help protect Burien’s environment.

The City of Burien is accepting applications for three open positions on the Planning Commission.

Apply for Position on Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table

What will Burien's downtown and urban center be like 5, 10, or 20 years from now? Tell us what you think by taking a survey.

Come to a workshop to help establish a vision for Burien’s mixed use, regional urban center with housing, employment, transportation options, and services.

Come to an open house to learn about updates to the City’s code for temporary signs such as A-boards, banners, campaign signs, etc.

The community is invited to share their vision of how safe, quality, habitable, and affordable housing looks like in Burien, and how potential tenant protections could affect both renters and landlords in Burien.

NEWS RELEASE: King County District Court and the City of Burien are collaborating to implement a “community court” in Burien. Scheduled to launch February 25, 2019, the alternative, problem-solving court will differ from traditional courts by seeking to identify and address the underlying challenges of court participants that may contribute to further criminal activity.

Apply for one of the 20 open citizen advisory board positions.

Starting this January, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be removing creosote-treated logs that have washed up on the beach at Seahurst Park.