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Economic Development

Illustration of a laptop with a survey on the screen next to a photo of an artist painting a mural.

Share your feedback! What kind of themes, art styles, and focus do you want to see in the murals? Please take this quick survey by Tuesday, April 21 to share your thoughts and help us shape a more colorful, connected Burien.

Take the survey in English

Tome la encuesta en español

The Economic Development Division has been granted a one-time award of $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to invest in beautifying commercial areas, creating a sense of community, and inviting locals and tourists alike to visit Burien for the art and stay to support our businesses!

In partnership with Urban Artworks, we are installing twelve high-quality professionally created murals at several commercial corridors in Burien.

This place making initiative would further identify Burien as a community that is built upon and driven by the arts, create tourism opportunities, and discourage graffiti in repeat locations of high visibility to the community and visitors. The aim of the program would be to improve and enhance economic viability by attracting visitors, customers, and residents to various commercial districts of Burien.

Get Involved

Your feedback is important:

Project Contact

City of Burien Economic Development Division

economicdevelopment@burienwa.gov

Project Timeline

Now – April 21, 2026

Community Survey Feedback

June – September 2026

Mural Installation

The Economic Development Division has been granted a one-time award of $50,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to help expand healthy food access in the Boulevard Park neighborhood. We are interested in funding a community-led solution that will provide a meaningful starting point for expanding healthy food access to residents of Boulevard Park.

Outlined map of Burien's Boulevard Park neighborhood with a speech bubble depicting fresh fruits and vegetables and a green burst of color in the background.

Get Involved

Your feedback is important:

  • Attend an event. Periodically, Economic Development staff will be out in the community for you to provide your feedback and ask questions.
  • Complete a Request for Proposal. The City of Burien is requesting proposals from qualified organizations who can assist the City in providing fresh produce and food options in the Boulevard Park neighborhood commercial core. Residents expressed interest in providing more fresh produce, grocery store staples, and culturally relevant food options in the commercial core. Applications are due April 22, 2026
  • Email the Economic Development Division.

Upcoming Events

Project Contact

City of Burien Economic Development Division

economicdevelopment@burienwa.gov

Background Information

Burien residents living in the Boulevard Park neighborhood have experienced limited access to healthy and diverse options for many years. In May 2019, the neighborhood’s Thriftway grocery store closed. The store owner went to great lengths to attract another grocery store to take over the space, but was unsuccessful. This project seeks to empower community members to identify meaningful starting points to expand healthy food access in Boulevard Park.

Funding Source

The Burien City Council approved a plan in September 2022 to invest $10.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds to help Burien bounce back faster from pandemic-related impacts. $1.7 million was directed to economic development initiatives. Some of these one-time funds are being used for this project.

Community Engagement

City of Burien economic development staff introduced the Healthy Food Access in Boulevard Park project at Boulevard Park Library on May 28, 2025 during the City Chat with the City Manager monthly event. Economic Development Manager Chris Craig gave a brief overview of the division and the funding. Administrative Assistant Emma Nielsen introduced the healthy food access project and facilitated a discussion with community members. Eight Burien residents were in attendance, with a majority living in Boulevard Park. Deputy Mayor Sarah Moore and Councilmember Hugo Garcia were in attendance. All participants contributed to a rich discussion regarding the current state of healthy food access in Boulevard Park, and discussed a wide variety of potential solutions to expanding healthy food access in the area.

Based on the discussion, it appears that residents would appreciate the following criteria for expanding healthy food access:

  • Requirements: walkable, minimum frequency of once per week, consistency so folks can plan (food security), mindful about naming and language (accessible and translated language), and outreach to be inclusive and welcoming.
  • Would like to include elements of sustainability and activation, including: community gathering, resource sharing, and local artist engagement.

The Economic Development Division created an online survey and is attending Boulevard Park Block Party on August 23, 2025 to continue gathering more feedback from Boulevard Park residents to inform the community preference for the direction of this project.

Project Timeline

September 2022

Council Approves Funding

The Burien City Council approved Economic Development Initiatives for $1.7M, of which $50,000 in ARPA funding may be invested to expand healthy food access in the Boulevard Park neighborhood.

April 2025

Work Group Formed

Economic Development Division staff meet with a work group composed of City of Burien staff, a City Councilmember, a Boulevard Park resident, and a founder of a non-profit, to become more informed about Boulevard Park and to brainstorm solutions and outreach methods for the project.

May 2025

Project Introduced

The Coffee Chat with the City Manager event at the Boulevard Park Library Branch, promoted on social media channels, was used to introduce the Healthy Food Access project and to gather feedback from residents about healthy food access in the Boulevard Park neighborhood.

August 2025

Survey Launches

The Economic Development Division will launch a digital survey to solicit further feedback from a larger percentage of residents in the Boulevard Park neighborhood who were unable to attend the Coffee Chat with the City Manager event to assess their needs and ideas for addressing this issue.

March-April 2026

Request for Proposals

The Economic Development Division plans to launch a request for proposals and disperse funding to the awardee of the chosen community focus to address healthy food access.

UPDATE: On February 25, 2025, the City of Burien filed a complaint in King County Superior Court seeking a declaratory judgment on Burien Initiative 24-001 (“Initiative 1”). Understanding that Burien residents, employees, and employers require absolute clarity on Burien’s minimum wage law, Burien has asked the Superior Court to provide guidance.  Burien will continue to inform its community about these proceedings. Read more.

On October 28, 2024, the Burien City Council passed Ordinance No. 855, establishing a citywide minimum wage in Burien.

The ordinance defines three levels of employers and creates new minimum wage rates and effective dates by size of employer. Employers with 20 or fewer full-time equivalents (FTEs) are exempt from the ordinance.

Read Ordinance No. 855 online.

City of Burien Minimum Wage Notice to Employees:

Download PDF (file includes English, Español, Vietnamese, Amharic, Korean, Chinese translations)

See the Minimum Wage Requirements Flowchart:

Download PDF (file includes English, Español, Vietnamese, Amharic, Korean, Chinese translations)

Read the Minimum Wage Frequently Asked Questions:

Download PDF (file includes English, Español, Vietnamese, Amharic, Korean, Chinese translations)

Icons representing a paycheck and a magnifying glass on a green background.

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Background Information

Read additional information about discussions related to establishing a minimum wage in Burien.

The City of Burien has developed an economic development action plan. City staff and advisory board members worked together to build consensus on priority actions that will help improve the economic vitality of our community.

The action plan contains specific economic development goals, strategies, and implementation measures as well as an implementation plan, outlining the timing, anticipated cost, and funding source of each implementation action.

The final plan was adopted on June 3, 2024.

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Background Information

Project Timeline

August-November 2023

Opportunities and Challenges

Evaluate current economic conditions and constraints.

September-December 2023

Community Engagement

Community feedback gathered through stakeholder interviews, public meetings, and open house.

December 2023-February 2024

Plan Development

Evaluate community feedback and develop draft plan.

February 2024

Legislative Review

Plan goes to Business and Economic Development Partnership and Burien City Council for review.

June 2024

Adopted by City Council

The Burien City Council adopted the plan on June 3, 2024.

Laptop with screenshot of Shape Your City activity.

Explore the online Shape Your City Engagement Activity, which features information, interactive maps, photos, and illustrations (surveys are now closed).

The City of Burien worked with community stakeholders to re-imagine the long-term future of our city through a coordinated planning effort combining major updates to the Comprehensive Plan, a new Transportation Master Plan, an update to the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, and a new Economic Development Action Plan.

Specifically, this planning process focuses on land use, economic development, human services, environmental protection, infrastructure, transportation, parks and open spaces, recreation programs, public art, and cultural services. Results of this planning effort will guide policymaking, operational plans, and budgets for the next twenty years.

Comprehensive Plan

The City of Burien embarked on a major update to its Comprehensive Plan. This effort will help Burien plan and build for the next few decades. Planning for this growth helps us build a city with an equitable, sustainable, and healthy future.    

Learn more

Transportation Master Plan

The Transportation Master Plan helps determine our community’s current and future transportation needs, guiding how we invest in transportation over the next 20 years.

Learn more

Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan

The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan is a six-year strategic plan for the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department. The plan looks at the existing conditions, identifies gaps in facilities and programs, and offers strategies, projects, and programs to address those gaps.

Learn more

Economic Development Action Plan

The Economic Development Action Plan contains specific economic development goals, strategies, and implementation measures and an implementation plan, outlining the timing, anticipated cost, and funding source of each implementation action.

Learn more

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Project Timeline

August-November 2022

Community Visioning

Develop a shared vision to guide planning and policy development.

November 2022-June 2023

Community Stories and Strategies

Staff will communicate what we have heard to date and present draft strategies and projects for feedback.

July 2023-January 2024

Community Review

Staff drafts plans, and community will provide feedback on each plan.

January 2024-October 2024

Legislative Review

Plans go before Burien City Council for review and approval. Public comment accepted.

March-October 2024

Plans Adopted

All plans adopted by end of year.

The City of Burien completed a major update to its Comprehensive Plan on October 28, 2024. This effort will help Burien plan and build for the next few decades. Planning for this growth helps us build a City with an equitable, sustainable, and healthy future. The Comprehensive Plan covers many topics including land use and zoning, economic development, public services, environmental protection, and infrastructure, meeting the community’s needs and reflecting the community’s vision.   

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Background Information

The Comprehensive Plan update will:

  • Identify and implement the community’s vision and priorities
  • Extend Burien’s planning horizon to 2044
  • Comply with the State’s Growth Management Act and regional planning requirements
  • Incorporate updates from Transportation Master Plan and Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan, which set infrastructure priorities for the next 6–20 years

Comprehensive Plan Focus Areas

The Comprehensive Plan update will focus on the following:

  • Integration of equity into the planning and engagement process and policy development
  • Housing to meet state requirements and local household needs for affordable ownership and rental housing, especially “missing middle” housing
  • Employment opportunities and jobs capacity to meet growth targets and improve jobs-housing balance
  • Regulations and incentives to realize Burien’s vision for mixed uses, gathering spaces, affordable housing, and job opportunities in Downtown, 1st Ave, Five Corners
  • Avoiding and addressing displacement risks for housing and jobs
  • Equitable access to parks, recreation, and services
  • Supporting transportation by all modes including active transportation like pedestrian and bike facilities, long-term maintenance, and capital investments
  • Airport policies and compatibility
  • Healthy communities promoting clean air and water, trees, and noise management
  • Climate resilience to adapt and protect our places and people from extreme heat, flooding or sea level rise
  • Critical areas (streams, wetlands) restoration and green infrastructure (like rain gardens)
  • Human services and meeting people’s needs
  • Creating effective, streamlined, and implementable plans that guide and direct development and investment
Frequently Asked Questions
  • What is a Comprehensive Plan?
    A Comprehensive Plan guides Burien’s physical development over 20 or more years including desires for housing and job growth, community character, capital investments in infrastructure and services, and policies and regulations. The Plan is informed by and addresses community values and needs.
  • How will this affect me?
    An updated Comprehensive Plan can impact housing choices, the location of jobs, walking/biking/car mobility, parks and recreation opportunities, and overall public services. The Comprehensive Plan and updated policies can help all of Burien.
  • Why do we have to accept growth?
    In Washington State laws and policies determine that growth be directed to some areas and away from others. Burien is in an urban area that will always have growth directed to it, and we’re required to accommodate the growth distributed to our city while protecting critical areas and providing for parks and open space.  Growing “up not out” helps protect regional natural resources like farmlands and forests.
  • Why are we updating the Plan now? Why not wait?
    The GMA requires Comprehensive Plans to be updated periodically. The State deadline is December 31, 2024. Also, updating housing, transportation, economic development and other elements can meet critical community needs.
  • When will there be community engagement for the Comprehensive Plan?
    Burien has developed multiple ways for the community to be involved in this update. We are trying to make sure we are reaching people where they are at and making it easy to participate in this process. 
Environmental Impact Statement

The Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is an environmental review of growth alternatives to help guide community discussion on growth options and priorities. The Environmental review for the Comprehensive Plan update will meet the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements and will consist of a number of natural and built environment elements.

The environmental review will be shared with the community in draft and final stages of the Comprehensive Plan.

Burien 2044 Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee

The City of Burien established a committee in early 2023 to help advise City staff on a major update to Burien’s Comprehensive Plan. The advisory committee is one of many groups of stakeholders advising the City on the Burien community’s needs and wishes for its future. Over the course of six meetings, the committee provided recommendations to the Burien City Council. Learn more about the committee.

Project Documents

General Information

Middle Housing

Climate

Urban Center and Economic Development

Final Environmental Impact Statement

Draft Plans

Draft Zoning

After years of community input, we’ve developed draft zoning code amendments and design standards designed to implement the Burien 2044 Comprehensive Plan, Ambaum and Boulevard Park Community Plan, and Burien Urban Center Plan. See the links below to review draft zoning code and explore an interactive map. These will be presented at a public hearing on November 4, 2024 and the Burien City Council will take action on November 18, 2024. Find agenda packets online once they are published ahead of each meeting.

Project Timeline

Fall 2022

Community Visioning

Winter 2023

Preliminary Plan Development and Environmental Impact Statement

Spring 2023

Preliminary Urban Center Code Development

Summer 2023

Draft Plan and Environmental Impact Statement Comment Period

Winter/Spring 2024

Preferred Alternative and Environmental Impact Statement

Summer-Fall 2024

Final Plan Development and Adoption