The City of Burien is in the process of updating its PROS Plan to be in compliance with requirements of the state Growth Management Act and to ensure that Burien remains eligible for a variety of grant opportunities. Representatives from all Burien neighborhoods – north, south, east and west – are encouraged to attend to provide input on the city’s park and recreational needs.

“Your HELP is needed!” reads a note from the city. “Residents from all Burien neighborhoods – north, south, east and west – are encouraged to attend to help us identify what residents like about the city’s parks and recreational facilities, and to tell us what they think the City should focus on for the future.”

The purpose of the City’s PROS Plan is to guide the planning, acquisition and development of park lands, and support the implementation of Burien’s cultural and recreational programming.

The next opportunities for public involvement in the planning process will be at the following meetings:

• Wednesday, July 27: Public Planning Workshop, 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 29: Public Open House, 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 27: Public Open House, 7:00 p.m.

All the meetings are held at the Burien Community Center, located at 14700 6th Ave SW.

Here’s more info from the city’s website:

What is a Parks, Recreation & Open Space Master Plan?
A Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan is also sometimes called simply the PROS Plan. The purpose of the Plan is to provide guidance to the City in its management and development of park properties and recreation programs for the next six years. The last Plan was adopted in 2006 (see 2006 PROS Plan) and needs to be done again.

The Plan enables the City to meet the requirements for park and recreation plans as set by the State of Washington Recreation & Conservation Office. Having a Plan that meets those requirements enables the city to be eligible for a variety of state and federal grants for acquisition and development of parks and recreational facilities. The State requires that the Plan be done every 6 years. The document must also fulfill Growth Management Act planning requirements for Comprehensive Plan Elements as outlined by the Washington State Department of Commerce (RCW 36.70A). Finally, a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is developed based on existing conditions and proposed improvements for the various facilities and programs recommended. To prepare the plan, a public involvement process is used to gather opinion of needs and requirements from community members.

On Wednesday (Feb. 9th), the City of Burien announced that it’s seeking area residents to “help create a common, unifying vision for our city.”

The goal of this “visioning” effort, according to the city, is to “provide the community with a sense of direction and a framework for evaluating future policy decisions.”

We first reported on this project in October (read our original story here), when we posted the RFP released by the city (download the RFP here as PDF file), which set a maximum budget of $35,000, and a deadline of “no later than June 30, 2011″ for results. That RFP was awarded to the team of Brian Douglas Scott – Planning and Urban Design of Seattle, with the direction “to facilitate a visioning process that will engage and involve citizens.”

“The vision that emerges will provide a critical foundation for upcoming City planning efforts in the areas of land use, transportation, parks and recreation and major capital projects,” the city said in a statement, which continues with:

How do Burien residents want their community to look 20 or 30 years from now?

The City has launched an exciting, community-wide effort to answer that question and shape the long-term future of Burien.

A 20-member steering committee began meeting in early February. Steering committee members represent the diverse Burien community. They include city council and school board members, business owners, professionals, retirees, students, and members of ethnic groups. All Burien residents will get the opportunity to participate in the visioning effort by filling out a community survey or attending one of the several community forums are being planned for April and May. Adoption of the Burien Community Vision is planned for late June along with a celebratory community event.

On Wednesday the city also sent out the following Tweet, which includes a link to an online survey (which we took, and encourage all Readers to do as well):

burienparks: Vision for Burien Survey http://conta.cc/fwdpur via #constantcontact

Here’s text from the city’s visioning website:

The City is engaging in an exciting, community-wide effort to shape the long-term future of Burien.

Your participation is essential! You can check out the schedule page for upcoming community forum information. We will also be launching an online survey in late February.

Our community enjoys a rich and unique history that continues to define who we are today. We’re asking all our residents to help create a common, unifying vision for our city. The goal of the visioning effort is to provide the Burien community with a sense of direction and a framework for evaluating future policy decisions. The vision that emerges will provide a critical foundation for upcoming City planning efforts:

• Comprehensive Plan Update
• Transportation Master Plan
• Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan
• Drainage Master Plan

Vision Plan Process
The City has hired the team of Brian Douglas Scott – Planning and Urban Design,  to facilitate a planning process that will engage and involve citizens in redefining their vision for the future of Burien.

The project website is one avenue that will be utilized throughout the planning process to share information and gather feedback from the community. The site will be updated on a regular basis so please check back often.

Thank you for your interest in learning more about this important planning process. We look forward to your involvement as we seek to update our Vision! The City anticipates that the Burien’s Community Vision will be complete by the end of June.

So…what is YOUR vision for Burien’s future? Please leave a Comment below…

The City of Burien is hosting A Regional Short Course on Local Planning on Tuesday, July 13, from 6:30pm – 9:30pm in the Multipurpose Room at the Burien Library / City Hall.

The course is being presented by the Planning Association of Washington, the Washington State Department of Commerce and the Washington Cities Insurance Authority.

The three-hour course is designed for city council members, planning commissioners, planning professionals and interested residents.

To register online:

• Go to www.wciapool.org and click “training schedule.”
• Click until you get to the month of July and then click on the title of the training, “A Short Course on Local Planning.” All trainings are listed in order starting at the beginning of the month.
• Next click “sign up”
• If you have never registered online before, please click “First Time Online Registration” and complete the participant form. Create a User Name and password that can be used to register for future trainings.
• If you have registered before, enter your user name and password. ?~ Click “continue” and then “confirm.”

The course also will be streamed live and archived on the Burien website and televised live on Burien TBC21.

Here’s the agenda:

The Planning Association of Washington,
The Washington State Department of Commerce
and
The Washington Cities Insurance Authority
Present
A Regional Short Course on Local Planning

Hosted by The City of Burien
Burien Library / City Hall
400 SW 152nd Street, Burien
6:30 – 9:30 pm

Tuesday, July 13, 2010 Burien, Washington:

6:30 – 6:40 WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS……………..……………………Ike Nwankwo

6:40 – 7:40 THE LEGAL BASIS OF PLANNING IN WASHINGTON STATE….. Phil Olbrechts

The statutory basis of planning in Washington State, Constitutional issues in land use planning, the Open Public Meetings Act, the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine, conflicts of interest, quasi-judicial and legislative functions of the planning commission, ex parte communications and how to deal with them, the conduct of meetings, the uses (and misuses) of email, and recent case law affecting land use planning.

7:40 – 7:55 BREAK

7:55 – 8:00 ANNOUNCEMENTS…………………………………………………….. Ike Nwankwo

8:00 – 8:30 COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION BASICS..…Emily Terrell

An overview of the basic components of a comprehensive plan, including the goals of the plan, the basic elements which need to be addressed, the concepts of consistency and concurrency, and the tools and techniques available for implementing the comprehensive plan.

8:30 – 9:00 THE ROLE OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION ….…………….……Amy Tousley
A discussion of the role of the planning commission, how to develop good working relationships among the planning commission, elected officials, and planning staff, and suggestions for holding effective meetings and hearings, and involving citizens in the planning process.

9:00 – 9:30 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS………………………………….………….. Everyone

MODERATOR:

• Ike Nwankwo
  Manager – Technical & Financial Assistance Program
  Growth Management Services
  Department of Commerce
  PO Box 42525
  906 Columbia St SW
  Olympia, WA 98504
  (360) 725-3056
  ike.nwankwo@commerce.wa.gov
  www.commerce.wa.gov

PRESENTERS:

• Phil A. Olbrechts
  Attorney at Law
  Ogden Murphy Wallace
  1601 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2100
  Seattle, WA 98101-1686
  (206) 447-7000
  polbrechts@omwlaw.com
• Emily Terrell, AICP
  Senior Planner
  PMC
  1037 NE 65th Street, #342
  Seattle, WA 98115
  (206) 428-2499
  eterrell@pmcworld.com
  www.pmcworld.com
• Amy L. Tousley, Chair
  Olympia Planning Commission
  2724 Hillside Drive S.E.
  Olympia, WA 98501
  (360) 705-4331
  amy.tousley@pse.com

ADDITIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:
For more training opportunities, please go to the Growth Management Services Web site at www.commerce.wa.gov/growth, and click on Educational Resources for Planners. Also, visit the Planning Association of Washington Web site at www.planningpaw.org and WCIA’s Web site at http://www.wciapool.org/

“We are interested in working with more people just like you,” is the motto of Cox Financial.

Owner Chuck Cox has nearly 30 years experience in the financial industry, where he recently celebrated the 10th Anniversary of Cox Financial and his association with Raymond James.

Brian Fredericks is celebrating his seventh year in the financial services industry, and his fourth year with Cox and Raymond James. He’s responsible for financial planning and investment management.

Cox Financial is an independent firm. The advisors at Cox Financial offer securities through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Here’s what they specialize in (from their website):

Having choices is important in investing. We believe investors’ plans should change as their lifestyles and needs do. Through Raymond James investors are offered an extensive array of investment alternatives and services.

• Asset Allocation – Asset allocation versus diversification – what’s the difference?
• Asset Management – Discover the benefits of professional asset management.
• Estate Planning – Trust services for the preservation of assets and the fulfillment of wishes.
• Financial Planning – Your financial future is important. Don’t trust it to just anyone.
• Mutual Funds – Your purchasing power at work.
• Retirement Planning – In today’s rapidly changing world, retirement planning has never been more challenging. Working with a financial advisor to map a comprehensive, thoughtful retirement strategy and keep it on track is essential to your future well-being.
• Stocks – How do stocks fit into my financial plan?
• College Planning – What will it take to deliver the dream?
• Bonds – Are bonds right for you?
• Identity Theft – The more you know about identity theft, the better you can protect yourself.
• 401(k) – What to expect from your 401(k) advisor.
• Insurance and Annuities – Preparing for the unexpected may start with quality insurance alternatives

In addition to their financial planning expertise, Chuck and Brian are everywhere in the Burien and Highline communities.

Chuck tells us, “We are committed to improving the world around us. We will remain active in civic organizations that strive to improve our local and global communities.”

Chuck and Brian are active and involved in:

• The Southwest King County Chamber
• Discover Burien
• Southcenter Rotary
• Burien/White Center Rotary
• Highline School Foundation
• Ruth Dykeman
• Highline YMCA
• Aviation High School
• Seattle Yacht Club

What’s next for the dynamic financial planning duo at Cox?

It’s the 2nd Annual Cox Financial Golf Tournament to benefit the Highline YMCA

This event is a jointly sponsored by the Burien/White Center, Seatac and Southcenter Rotary Clubs and will be held on August 26th at Washington National Golf Club. It’s a fundraiser for the Highline YMCA. For more information click here.

It is the shared goal of the three rotary clubs to earn $50,000 for the Highline YMCA over five years. They’ve also got a matching grant from the K-Mart Foundation.

Next time you see Chuck and Brian out and about, give them a big B-Town thanks for sponsoring our new stock market ticker. Better, yet, give them a call at 206-433-1700, check out their website here, or stop by the Burien office at 112 SW 157th.

And remember, they are just sponsoring the ticker, and don’t have anything to do with the numbers!

[Would you like to have a “Blogvertorial” story, Ad and/or Event Listing like this on a popular, fast-growing website seen by over 51,000 interested Local Readers every month? Email us for more info, or check out our Advertise page!]

by Robb Patrickson

In a surprise announcement, the Burien City Council voted Thursday to use the controversial “eminent domain” procedure to take over an entire section of SW 172nd on Three Tree Point and turn it into an admission-based Nude Beach with a eco-friendly promenade made of recycled materials.

“We’re done dealing with these dang clothed NIMBYs,” said new Planning Commissioner Jerome E. Glick II, himself a nudist and a recent transplant from Slooflir, PA. “And in this economic downturn, we need another tax revenue stream. That’s why we’re turning this beautiful strip of waterfront into the northwest’s first admission-based Nude Beach. Plus, it’s going to be eco-friendly and very green – what’s not to like?”

New Planning Commissioner Jerome E. Glick II.

Plans were presented in a spontaneous, private city council “special session” that took place in an unmarked upstairs room in city hall late last night. A large satellite photo of the area in question on the wall was marked “Area XXX,” and included censored photos of naked, middle-aged men.

“There’s nothing wrong with a Nude Beach,” said Consultant Lorraine Sieverts, a noted local nudist who’s often seen cavorting at Lake Burien with her German cousins. “I’ve been fighting for this for years, and can say without a shadow of a doubt that if God didn’t want us to be naked, we’d all have been born already fully clothed wearing black turtlenecks. Plus, the promenade will be eco-friendly, and a $10 cover charge will help fill the city’s coffers. What’s not to like?”

Reports are that a general contractor has already been hired, and that bulldozers and other heavy equipment will start demolishing beach houses and garages as early as this weekend.

Planning Commissioner Glick compared this new, eco-friendly nude beach concept to a successful one he helped developed in the mid-1990s at Lake Dingle in Slooflir, PA, which generates well over $2.5 million dollars in annual revenues through admission fees and pay-per-view volleyball matches.

Here’s the map of the new Nude Beach, currently called “Area XXX”:

"Area XXX" shows where Burien's new, fee-based Nude Beach will be located on Three Tree Point.

The city plans to hold a naming contest for the beach, and is asking our Readers to submit nominations by leaving Comments below.

[INTERN EDITOR'S NOTE: We certainly hope all our beloved Readers are enjoying today, April 1, 2010, aka "April Fools' Day"!]

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE CITIZENS OF BURIEN about their lake (Written from notes after a visit in Burien on July 2nd 2009 on the occasion of my father Thomas Sieverts speaking in Burien (read our previous coverage here ).

I remember the unbelievable story of an invisible lake in the center of a town called Burien. There was no public access to the lake, but my father and I were introduced to one of the “owners” of the lake and she invited us to take a bath. She was talking about the good quality of the water that is due to the common non-use of motorboats of the neighbouring properties and the renouncement of fertilizer in the gardens, which I found really impressive. She then said that when the lake would get a public access, all this would be gone. I wondered about that argument, because, apart from the bewildering strong conviction of a lack of responsibility of her common citizens that it showed, there are of course ways of controlling water pollution at public accesses, be it by neighbourhood control, by closing hours at night, by park wardens, by the arrangement of a public bath with attendants or other solutions, which she obviously had not ever even thought about.

The second line of her argumentation was, that if the lake would get a public access, the values of their properties would fall and then they would pay less taxes which could not be in the interest of the municipality, a fairly absurd way of thinking, which I will come back to later.

And the third line of her argumentation was, that there are enough lakes nearby. When I asked her, what nearby means, she talked of distances, that are only practicable by car, and of course this is a deep and profound difference, if you can walk from your own city center, maybe with an ice cream in your hands, in just 5 minutes to such a wonderful nature spot or if you have to go back home to get the car and drive there. As my father and I had just been shown before, Burien has made a big effort to become an urban, pedestrian friendly, sustainable and atmospheric place. I could only understand the inaccessibility of the lake as a kind of relict of other times, when there was maybe less citizen spirit or so, which I don´t know.

When we got to know, that there would be a property to sell in the near future, and that if the city administration would buy it, they could get a public access, we looked at that property and it was just perfect in its position to the city center as well as in size and character.

Boris Sieverts is the son of noted German urban planner Thomas Sieverts.

Talking about the issue with council members, we got the impression that they were not willing to face the people that live around the lake and try to keep it exclusively their´s. What, under these circumstances, did all the embellishments and structural improvements of the city center, that we had just been shown, mean? Were they just covering the real scandal of what was happening in this town?

To give away the unique chance of a public access to the lake after all these efforts would at least heavily affect everything that you, the citizens of Burien have done and reached for in the past years. The fact, that the vacant lot in question is just on the perfect location seen from the city center (you could even have a nice pedestrian´s connection through the alley between 152nd an 153rd street, that leads right on the spot), to me was like a sign from above that this is a chance to fight for, because it will never come again.

I am convinced that, if it would be well managed, the neighbours of the lake won´t be seriously harmed by a public access (except maybe that they have to give up the idea that the lake is “theirs”, which in fact it is not) and that at the same time the overall image and value of Burien as a whole (not only in the city center) would rise remarkably. Close to Cologne, where I live, there is a small town called Haltern. It is close to a lake. A couple of years ago they changed their name to “Haltern am See” (Haltern on the lakeside). Property prices have nearly doubled since then!

The degree of hypocrisy of those who keep the lake for themselves now and thereby pretend to do it for the best of nature and the city of Burien is hard to bear. Municipalities need money to invest in the quality of life in their boundaries. For no tax money in the world, Burien will be able to invest in such a good improvement in the quality of life of its inhabitants as a public access to the lake on that spot would mean. And for the nature argument: Public access must not necessarily mean pollution, there are enough good examples for that. People are a part of nature too. They must not deprive themselves from it just at places were it hurts them most! The inhabitants of the lake are the best example for that!

Lake Burien has enough space for everybody, those who live there and those who come to visit!!!

Imagine future Burien citizens talking about their childhood: “On summer evenings we got ice cream on main street, left the store by the backdoor terrace and went down the alley to the lake. There was a charming little boardwalk, a meadow, huge trees and a house to change clothes. It had all been there for decades. My parents said, that there were times when no one knew about it. Can you imagine?”

As far as I know there is a state law, that says that all water surfaces belong to the state and are thereby public property. If, because of the given fact that the whole shoreline is already private properties, that law is partially without consequence in reality, that is one thing. But if there is a chance and a public will to change that unhappy state of things by the legal and legitimate act of a municipality buying a property, and that process is heavily impeded by certain people, that former unhappy but maybe legitimate state of things finally looses its legitimacy and comes even close to illegality, because it actively tries to cross what the law wants.

I remember the mayor saying, that the municipality could probably even get funding from a state park program for the acquirement of a public access. But she was afraid of facing the influential people that live around the lake. I really liked her, but what kind of municipality is this, where a few influential people can deprive a whole town of one of its greatest treasures?

Imagine you and some others buy a house. Now the others place themselves around that house in a way that you can no longer reach it. If you ask them to let you pass, they say no. Then one of them sells his property. You try to buy it, to get access to your house in the middle, but those who have placed themselves around it do everything for that you can not buy the property that you would need to get to your house in the middle. During all that time they use the house in the middle for themselves. Isn´t that robbery or at least something close to robbery? The house in the middle is the lake and you are the public. The lake is (also) yours. Don´t let them steal it from you!

Get the municipality to buy the property in question!

Collect fundings and donations to buy it yourselves for the use of everyone!

Apply to the social responsibility of the Van Dyke foundation, that is the actual owner!

Start an idea competition on the future of Lake Burien and Burien on the lakeside!

Köln, Germany, March 2010

- Boris Sieverts
Büro für Städtereisen
Pellenzstr. 6
50823 Köln
Germany
borissieverts@gmx.de

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Have something you'd like to say? Then email us your "Letter to the Editor" by clicking here. Be sure to include your real name and a way to contact you, and, pending our review, we'll most likely post it. Otherwise, feel free to leave a Comment below...]

by Ralph Nichols

Burien’s Shoreline Master Program will be in the spotlight again tonight (Tuesday, March 9) when the Planning Commission meets at 7pm to continue working through the details of proposed revisions to the document.

Tonight’s meeting comes in the wake of recent requests by residents of Burien’s affected shoreline areas – Three Tree Point and Lake Burien – that the city council extend the time for planning commission review of public input before sending a final draft to the council.

A petition bearing the signatures of 401 shoreline residents requesting an extension of the review process was submitted by Carol Jacobsen to the city council at its March 1 meeting.

“We’re still confused about what’s going on,” Jacobsen told the council at that time. “We are requesting an extension of time for review of the Shoreline Master Program before the planning commission submits it to the city council.”

She said the shoreline residents want a six-month delay. Here’s a copy of her cover letter from the city’s public record:

Click to see larger image.

But, Mayor Joan McGilton told The B-Town Blog last week, “The timing is up to the planning commission. Let the process move forward [at the planning commission]. The last thing the council needs to do is get involved inappropriately.”

Asked whether council members might consider setting aside the draft revised Shoreline Master Program for a month or two after receiving it from the planning commission, before proceeding with their review of the document, McGilton added, “That’s up to the council” to decide.

She said the council will look to city staff for advice on whether to proceed with their discussion of Shoreline Master Program revisions soon after receiving the draft document, or whether to postpone consideration for a few weeks.

Commenting on the possibility of a time extension, planning commission Chairman Joe Fitzgibbon said, “I think we’re just going to move through the document at the same pace as we are now. When we’re done we’ll forward it on to the council. It’s not going to take six months….

“I think people who saw us at our Feb. 23 meeting see how serious we are … I think at this point we’re doing a good job of taking into account all the ideas and concerns we’ve heard.”

The planning commission stopped receiving public testimony at that meeting, and began the process of working through citizen comments point by point.

Written comment is still being accepted, addressed to either the Burien Planning Commission or Senior City Planner David Johanson, at 400 SW 152nd St., Burien, WA, 98166, or by emailing DavidJ@burienwa.gov.

Although a general time frame for Shoreline Master Program review indicates the planning commission will complete its work by the end of March and forward the draft document to the city council, which then will adopt a final plan by July and submit it to the state Department of Ecology for final approval, Fitzgibbon suggested this is not a strict timetable.

The planning commission is “not trying to guess when we will finish,” he said. “We would like to finish soon, but we will take as long as it takes. We’re not looking at any date and saying, ‘that’s our deadline.’”

Requests for the city council to extend the time for planning commission review of the draft plan were repeated at their March 8 meeting.

Tades Kisielius, an attorney representing the Burien Marine Homeowners Association, urged the city council to add another public hearing to the process or to extend the time for planning commission review, noting that the petition with 400 signatures had made such a request.

There has been “no real substantive discussion … on significant regulations,” he said. These include a 65 foot setback from the average water line, non-conforming structures, and public access.

The homeowners want the planning commission to work out these and other concerns before the plan goes to the city council, Kisielius added.

Shoreline resident Dennis Reed said they wanted the opportunity to review a final planning commission draft that includes all changes before it is sent to the city council.

City Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak later asked City Manager Mike Martin to direct the planning commission to extend the review process – apparently overlooking the fact that such a request must come from the council and neither staff nor an individual council member.

by Ralph Nichols

Burien’s “highest priority” in updating its Shoreline Master Program should be assessing “reaches of shoreline where there is no public access,” City Councilman Brian Bennett told The B-Town Blog in a recent interview.

But Bennett, who served on the Shoreline Advisory Committee before his election to the City Council last fall, stressed that this view is based solely on his work as a member of that committee.

He vowed as a councilman to listen fairly to the concerns of all shoreline property owners when the council reviews proposed revisions to the plan later this year. He added that private property rights should be protected in the final document.

“There are certain areas of shoreline in Burien without any public access,” Bennett noted. Yet “public policy at the state and federal levels [calls for] access to public waters.”

Burien has two reaches of shoreline along “public waters” as defined by state and federal laws – Puget Sound and Lake Burien. Seahurst Park affords access to Puget Sound, and there are also limited access points at Three Tree Point.

But there is no public access to Lake Burien, and “the lake is public property,” Bennett said. “It is owned by the city and the state.”

The question to him then becomes how to create public access to Lake Burien without impacting property owners around the lake.

“I would like the community to consider limited secure access" to Lake Burien – Brian Bennett.

“I would like the community to consider limited secure access, gated with secure buffers” to the lake, he continued. This access would not allow boats and would have only “limited parking to promote people walking.”

His preferred point of access would be on lakeside parcels adjacent to the Ruth Dykeman Center that center directors hope to sell. Bennett hopes the city will consider buying one or more of these last remaining lots on the lake.

“If they are built on, there will be no opportunity again in our lifetime to gain access to the lake. It’s important for us to consider this…”

“There are kids just a couple blocks away wondering, ‘Why don’t we get to play on the lake?’” Bennett said. “It concerns me that this is a debate about us against them. It’s important that as a community we all be together helping each other out.”

He recalled that Lake Burien is considered the birthplace of Burien, and is just a block from SW 152nd Street – the city’s “main street” – making it a natural link to the downtown business district.

Bennett also said he has “heard from a lot of people” about this issue and understands their concerns. Any access to Lake Burien would have to protect the shoreline environment as well as the privacy and property of lakeside residents, he declared.

(Photo of Brian Bennett by Joe Mabel)

The City of Burien currently has openings on three of its four resident-run Advisory Commissions, which is a great way to become involved with your city and give something back to your community, with an application deadline of 5pm Friday, Feb. 19th.

Burien residents, as well as residents of the North Highline Annexation Area, which will become part of the City on April 1st, are encouraged to apply for current openings on these boards:

• Arts Commission
• Planning Commission
• Parks & Recreation Board

All appointments are made by the City Council and are for four-year terms (ad-hoc committee appointments are for the duration of the study or special purpose).

To apply, please fill out the city’s Online Application Form.

You can also download an Advisory Board Application and mail it drop if off at city hall:

Citizen Advisory Board
City of Burien
400 SW 152nd St, Suite 300
Burien, WA 98166

Please note that applications are continually being accepted for future board openings.

For more information, please call Monica Lusk, City Clerk at (206) 248-5517 or via email, or visit the city’s Advisory Board website here.

Burien’s Shoreline Master Program will not accomplish its goals without the active involvement of Burien residents.

The largest owner of shoreline property is the City of Burien, and city managers have chosen a hands-off approach to managing over 170 acres of shoreline parks.

One remedy for this would be a Park Ranger system—something that will never happen unless Burien citizens ask for it.

The first four goals of the Shoreline Master Program are:

1. The Shoreline Master Program shall result in no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes.
2. Regulation and management of Burien’s shorelines should be guided by ongoing and comprehensive science.
3. The City should be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.
4. Implement an adaptive management approach to respond to changes and to ensure continued effectiveness.

The requirement of “no net loss of shoreline ecological functions and processes” is the same requirement we have always had since the Shoreline Management Act was passed 38 years ago. During those years, I have walked along the beach at least several thousand times, and I have witnessed gradual and continuing degradation. While I have not seen new bulkheads, and few if any new houses have been built near the shore in the last few decades, I have seen an increase in off-leash dogs, graffiti, vandalism, and trash. These types of shoreline degradation come from public parks with no enforcement of laws or park rules. The City has not been “proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction.” They have been entirely inactive.

Every day, I witness people walking their dogs to the park, usually on a leash, and when they get to the sign that says “Obey Leash and Scoop Laws,” that’s when they let their dogs off leash. They usually don’t grab any blue bags from the dispenser. At Seattle beaches, it is a $500 fine to have your dog at the beach at all, so people drive to Burien to let their dogs run free, where they know the rules will never be enforced. I have three dogs, I live next to a Burien park, and I drive to Grandview or Westcrest to let my dogs run free, legally and safely. Since Burien’s incorporation in 1993, I’ll bet that not one single citation or arrest has ever been made for off-leash dogs, vandalism, graffiti, littering, or fires in Burien’s shoreline parks. If anyone from the City can provide documentation that proves me wrong, I would like to see it. I know that on my several thousand visits to the beach I have witnessed tens of thousands of violations of the rules, and never once have I seen any sort of enforcement officer asking anyone to change their ways. It is a small minority of park visitors that disregard the rules, but these same people come back day after day, inflicting damage on shorelines owned by all of us.

What would it cost for Burien to have a Park Ranger system? It might cost about $300,000 a year, or it might cost as little as $40,000 a year if the City hired a volunteer coordinator and implemented a volunteer Park Ranger system like the City of Kirkland has. With either a volunteer system or paid professionals, the emphasis could be on education and encouragement rather than strict enforcement and punishment. If the regular park abusers knew that someone was watching, and that enforcement was even a possibility, most of them would change their ways. Whatever the cost of a Park Ranger system, it has to be measured against the cost of having no enforcement at all. This daily abuse of our public spaces by a handful of miscreants costs all of us real money. The environmental degradation they cause is not some abstract concept. I can’t give you an exact dollar amount of the damage because government has not amassed the “ongoing and comprehensive science” the Shoreline Management Act requires. I do know that Burien citizens have suffered millions of dollars of lost property value. Many studies have shown that property values decrease up to 15% in areas with graffiti and vandalism, such as is currently allowed in our parks. Burien homes and businesses are worth billions of dollars, collectively, and even a 1% loss of property value would total millions of dollars. Not having a Park Ranger costs all of us real money. If the citizens of Burien require their government to comply with the Shoreline Management Act and “be proactive in managing activities within the shoreline jurisdiction,” then the environment and the citizens will benefit.

As a member of the ad hoc Shoreline Advisory Committee, I have attended about a dozen meetings over the last two years. It is my impression that the process of developing the Shoreline Master Program is merely a formality, a process the City is required to go through. No one in government or on the Shoreline Advisory Committee believes that the final document will actually result in “No net loss” as required by law. All this document will do is to create a new set of rules that gather dust on a shelf somewhere, ignored like the old rules have been for decades. Only when the citizens of Burien take this seriously and demand environmental protection will real change happen on our beaches. Please attend one of the upcoming meetings and ask that the City begin to enforce environmental regulation, for the benefit of us all.

- Jim Branson

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