Healthy Food Access in Boulevard Park

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.

Last Updated: March 30, 2026