Burien planning commission backs zoning and housing-code changes with tweaks on lot size, setbacks and neighborhood rules

The Burien Planning Commission voted May 20 to recommend the City Council approve proposed amendments to Title 19 of the Burien Municipal Code and a citywide rezoning that would replace existing single-family zones with three new residential zones and allow “middle housing” types and limited neighborhood commercial uses.

The changes, presented by senior planner Chaney Skatzin, would implement the city’s comprehensive plan and new state requirements for middle housing. “We are writing the next chapter of Housing in Burien,” Skatzin told the commission as she summarized the proposal’s goals and the state statutes shaping some provisions.

Under the draft code, R1, R2 and R3 would vary by minimum lot size, front-yard setback and the baseline number of dwelling units allowed. R1 would preserve the largest lot sizes and remain closest to existing single-family rules; R2 would reduce minimum lot sizes and allow more units; and R3 would allow the smallest lots and the greatest baseline unit counts, with bonuses available for proximity to qualifying transit stops or for permanent affordability. Skatzin said the baseline allowances and bonus rules reflect state law, including provisions from House Bill 1110.

During the public hearing, many residents from neighborhoods around Lake Burien, Seahurst and Shorewood urged the commission to limit changes in environmentally sensitive areas, to protect the tree canopy, and to retain neighborhood character. “I kinda feel like we're missing so many macro issues here,” said resident Terry Mudder, who argued the R3 designation goes beyond what the state requires and expressed concerns about infrastructure and tree loss. Multiple speakers cited stormwater and water-quality concerns around Lake Burien and asked that parcels adjacent to the lake be excluded from the densest zoning.

Commission debate focused on specific dimensional standards and neighborhood-commercial rules rather than the underlying requirement to plan for growth. Key amendments the commission adopted before forwarding the package to council included:

- Minimum R3 lot size: The commission amended the draft to set the R3 minimum lot size at 3,500 square feet (up from the 3,000-square-foot minimum in the initial draft). The change passed on a roll call vote, 4–3.

- Front-yard setback in R3: The commission increased the R3 front-yard setback from 10 feet to 15 feet (to match R2 in some areas). That amendment also passed 4–3.

- Open/recreation space standard: The commission adopted a recreation-space calibration approach tied to bedrooms (staff had proposed a typology-based approach). The adopted standard requires 250 square feet of on-site recreation space per dwelling unit with one bedroom or less, and 200 square feet per dwelling unit with two bedrooms or more; cottage housing and ADUs have distinct size considerations per the code. The commission approved that approach after debate, 4–3.

- Neighborhood commercial hours: The commission extended the allowable hours of operation for small neighborhood commercial uses to close at 9 p.m. (the original proposal had included 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.). That change carried on a 6–1 vote.

The draft code includes other provisions addressed during the hearing: definitions and limits for a new “corner store” neighborhood-commercial use (no drive-thrus, up to 10% of gross floor area for customer seating), a maximum of two on-site parking spaces for neighborhood commercial uses with Public Works able to require additional parking where necessary, bicycle-parking minimums (two spaces per neighborhood-commercial use), rules for outdoor seating on private property, and a cottage-housing requirement that at least 20% of the lot be dedicated to open space (consistent with RCW requirements for cottage housing). Skatzin said the parking and bonus-unit rules are drawn from state statute (House Bill 1110) and that qualifying transit stops were mapped using updated King County and Sound Transit route data.

Commissioners and staff emphasized the limits of the commission’s authority. As chair Shelley Park explained, the commission could not reassign land-use designations in the comprehensive plan at the hearing (that would require council action and an amendment to the comprehensive plan), but the commission could recommend that council revisit maps and designations in a separate process.

There was extended discussion about accessibility and parking for neighborhood commercial uses. The draft zoning text requires a maximum of two on-site parking spaces for neighborhood commercial and includes a requirement that if on-site parking is provided, one on-site space be accessible (ADA). Multiple commissioners noted the building code and state accessibility standards govern many of those details, and the meeting did not change the building code; efforts to remove the ADA-parking requirement from the zoning language failed on the floor.

After debate and several roll-call votes on individual amendments, the commission voted to recommend that the City Council adopt the house-drafted housing code and zoning map amendments as amended by the commission’s motions. The final recommendation passed 5–2.

What’s next: The Planning Commission will transmit its recommendation to the City Council for review and possible adoption. Staff told commissioners they will brief council before any ordinance is transmitted; the timeline discussed at the hearing shows staff hoped to finish the code adoption work in June so the city’s local provisions would be in place before any state model ordinance automatically took effect. The commission also asked staff to return with further analysis on insurance, utilities and tree-code implementation in subsequent work items. The commission scheduled follow-up work on related topics, including the city’s critical areas regulations.

The public comment record at the meeting included repeated requests to exclude lake-adjacent parcels and other environmentally sensitive sites from the highest-density zone and to require stronger protections for mature trees and stormwater. Commissioners and staff repeatedly noted that some changes (for example, any amendment to the comprehensive-plan land-use map) would require a separate council-directed process and additional public notice.

The Planning Commission’s packet and the draft ordinance attachments contain the full redline amendments, the proposed official zoning map, and the staff report summarizing consistency with the Burien Comprehensive Plan and state statutes. The commission’s formal recommendation, including the amendments made at the May 20 hearing, will be transmitted to the City Council for its consideration.