Burien planning commission begins update to critical areas ordinance, schedules science briefings and public outreach

The City of Burien Planning Commission on June 11 opened a required 2025 update to the city’s Critical Areas Ordinance, outlining protections for wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, aquifer recharge, frequently flooded areas and geologically hazardous areas and setting a schedule of consultant briefings and public outreach ahead of a planned Council adoption this fall.

Planning Commission Chair Shelly Park called the meeting to order and, after routine approval of the agenda and May 20 minutes, staff presented the scope and timeline for the CAO update, which the city must complete as part of a Growth Management Act periodic review. Amanda McIntyre, planner with the Department of Community Development, told commissioners that “critical areas are environmentally sensitive areas that require protection due to their ecological importance and or public safety risk,” and described how the update will use the best available science to revise standards and maps.

The ordinance review will address five statutorily required critical-area categories and related buffers and permits. McIntyre and other staff explained that protections guide what can be built in sensitive locations, require qualified technical review for proposals that affect wetlands or…