Burien begins state‑mandated update to critical areas ordinance, schedules consultant briefings and public review

The Burien Planning Commission on June 11 began a yearlong update of the city's critical areas ordinance (CAO), saying the review will incorporate the state's best available science and aim to maintain "no net loss of ecological function" for wetlands, streams, floodplains, aquifer recharge areas and geologically hazardous slopes.

Amanda McIntyre, a planner with Burien's Department of Community Development, told the commission the work responds to the Growth Management Act and a required periodic review: "Critical areas are environmentally sensitive areas that require protection due to their ecological importance and or public safety risk." She said the CAO was last updated in 2015 and that the city must complete the update by the end of the year.

The update will analyze five state-defined critical-area categories and how they intersect across the city, McIntyre said, and will rely on a consultant team called Facet (formerly the Watershed Company) to provide a best‑available‑science crosswalk. The city plans consultant presentations on June 25 (best available science) and July 23 (draft code audit and gap analysis); staff said a public draft is expected in the fall, with a public hearing before the Planning Commission on Sept. 4 and a planned City Council review in October, with adoption targeted in November.

The commission was given examples of mapped features within Burien, including wetlands and stream areas near Walker Creek, Lake Burien, Arbor Lake and Miller Creek; flood‑prone locations that include parts of Chelsea Park and Coeola Creek in the Shorewood neighborhood; and steep slopes and landslide hazards along the coastline. McIntyre explained regulatory approaches the city uses now: mapping, buffer requirements tied to wetland categories, mitigation and the use of qualified professionals such as wetland biologists for site assessments. She described a common standard for the update: when impacts occur, projects must replace or otherwise mitigate impacts so the ecosystem maintains equivalent or greater biological function.

Staff described outreach tools to be used during the update: translated CAO summary sheets, an interactive GIS web tool that lets property owners check mapped critical areas on parcels, a project web page and an open‑house/public hearing schedule. McIntyre said the GIS tool will identify whether a parcel is within a mapped critical area and list the specific feature types; she acknowledged some live‑demo issues and offered to help residents who need assistance.

Commissioners asked for clarity about how CAO rules would interact with other planning work, including recent and pending middle‑housing changes and the city's stormwater infrastructure. Commissioners also raised the possibility that state reviewers could recommend wider stream buffers, and staff said the consultant team will provide examples of how peer cities approached similar issues. Several commissioners emphasized that development proposals must meet CAO standards in addition to zoning and tree code requirements, and that meeting all standards can substantially constrain redevelopment of sites with critical areas.

A member of the public, Terry Mudder of 15406 20th Avenue, asked how the planning process defines "equity" when higher‑density housing is proposed in areas with expensive land values and whether that outcome could transfer value to developers rather than create owner‑occupied opportunities. "I think equity is more like a transfer of equity to developers versus first time or homeowner opportunities," Mudder said.

McIntyre said public comments will be collected and posted on the project page and that staff will publish a formal responses document after the public comment period. The presentation noted that local CAO regulations are contained in Burien Municipal Code Chapter 19.4 and that previous codification began with Ordinance 376 (2003), with amendments in 2015. Staff also listed state frameworks that guide the update, including the Growth Management Act and the Shoreline Management Act/Shoreline Master Program for shoreline rules (shorelines are regulated separately but are interconnected with CAO issues).

No formal motions or votes occurred during the meeting; the item was an informational briefing and Q&A. Staff requested commission feedback and public participation through the summer and fall outreach schedule. The next scheduled presentation on CAO science is June 25 with Facet.

The commission session that covered the CAO update lasted roughly the first part of the June 11 meeting and included a follow-up question period; staff said documents, summary sheets and the BAS crosswalk will be posted on the project page when available.