Thank you for sharing your ideas about the future of Burien! Over the last five months, the City of Burien has been listening to what our community has to say about how to best plan for the next 20 years of growth. Your feedback will inform the update to our Comprehensive Plan, Transportation Master Plan (TMP), and the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) Plan. Burien, like many other cities in Washington state, must plan for housing and jobs growth so we can provide policies, programs, services, and projects that meet the needs of our community.
Community engagement: how we gathered your feedback
Between August-November 2022, the City gathered feedback through 21 online and in-person events, online surveys and maps, and small stakeholder groups. We attended back-to-school events, community centers, farmers markets, and community events like Welcoming Burien, B-Town Fiesta, Green Burien Day, Welcoming Burien, Día de los Muertos, and the Boulevard Park Block Party, receiving feedback from people of a wide array of ages and backgrounds.
Visioning questions asked community members about their wishes for living, working, and playing in Burien now and in 2044. There were opportunities to contribute in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Amharic. The City will continue to reach out to all ages, genders, cultures, and neighborhoods in Burien in future steps of the planning process.
For more details, see Burien Shape Your City Visioning Engagement Results.
Community prioritizes housing, economic development, community character, park amenities, and safety
City staff and consultants reviewed and categorized the community feedback. Major themes emerged around the topics of parks and recreation, transportation (including transit, traffic, sidewalks, and crosswalks), land use/economic development, and housing issues.
Reviewing the top 20 detailed categories, comments about housing, economic development, community character, park amenities (features in parks), and safety rise to the top. More detailed summary is below.
Land Use and Economic Development
- An economic development strategy focused on small, locally owned businesses that created more places to gather.
- Communities that are within a 15-minute walk of key amenities like grocery stores, corner stores, banks, and shops.
- Zoning that accommodates a mix of retail and commercial uses, creates an allowance for taller buildings around an urban center.
- Urban design components that support community character/gathering places include sidewalk cafes, street-level park activation, first-floor retail and commercial spaces, and a dedicated pedestrian plaza.
Housing
- Need for affordable housing
- A range of housing types (townhouses, multiplexes, accessory dwelling units, apartments, and single-family)
- More senior and multigenerational housing
- Locations for greater density or housing types
Public Safety and Social/Human Services
- Larger police presence in parks, on residential streets, and in the business district to enhance the perception of public safety
- Services that are accessible by a 15-minute walk, that support women (activities and activism), individuals learning English as a second language, and individuals experiencing homelessness
- Housing that is equitable and fair for the Burien community
Parks and Open Spaces
- More access to natural spaces, trees, and water (natural and built facilities)
- More parks distributed throughout the city
- Small parks embedded in neighborhoods for play and gathering
- Trails to connect parks
Recreation Programs and New Facilities
- Free sports and afterschool leagues
- Affordable recreation programs
- Recreation programs in neighborhoods
- Splash pads
- Community center with pool and gym
- Theatre or performing arts center
Transportation
- Better, safer places to walk, especially around high-density areas
- Sidewalks and crosswalks to key destinations like schools, transit, and grocery stores
- Transportation options from residential neighborhoods
- Access from neighborhoods to recreational trail system, including sidewalks and wayfinding
- People can get around Burien safely and comfortably by walking, biking, rolling, riding transit, or driving
- Transportation assets including streets, sidewalks, bike facilities, and trails are well-maintained, connected, and vibrant community spaces that enrich public life, health, and the environment
- Transportation decisions are made equitably to prioritize investments for those who have the least access
Public Art Themes*
People would like to experience public art in the following places:
- Parks
- Streetscapes and plazas
- Gateways into the city
- Civic buildings
- Neighborhoods
- Non-City facilities like private buildings, water tanks, bridges
Community prefers the public art to be:
- Integrated into infrastructure
- Created by local artists
- Themed to celebrate the culture and history of Burien and instill a sense of pride for the city
- More varied in type and include interactive work, sculptures, performance, celebrations, walks, and art of different scales
*Results from a previous public art survey were incorporated into these results.
Next steps
City staff will develop strategies responsive to what we heard and test them with community. The next phase of community engagement will occur in late spring, early summer and involve the following:
- Community Connector outreach
- Partnership with local community organizations
- Discussion groups
- Surveys
- Workshops
- Online tools
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