Mayor Kevin Schilling called the meeting to order June 2 and told residents that June 16 will be “our first touch on the zoning” and that the council would not take a vote that night. Mayor Kevin Schilling said the council would “spend a lot of time going through it” and would not rush a decision.

The bulk of public comment at the meeting focused on proposed comprehensive-plan and zoning-map changes that commenters said would reclassify many existing single-family lots. Gretchen Erickson, a longtime Burien resident, told the council, "There is no way putting 4 units on Lake Burien lots would benefit the quality of the lake." Justine Edgar, who lives in the Lake Burien neighborhood, said the proposed R3 designation was unrealistic for shoreline lots: "There is no way that these lots can exist." Other commenters expressed similar concerns about impacts to shorelines, critical areas and the city’s tree canopy.

Not all speakers opposed change. Rowan Petram, a recent Burien homebuyer, urged the council to allow more housing, saying more supply is the only way to reduce housing costs and asking the council to "allow for more housing to be built in this city and to stop the NIMBYs." Claire Yurden, a 10-year resident, suggested co‑living conversions of existing houses as a way to increase affordable options without new construction. Developers and landlords who spoke supported middle‑housing designs such as two‑story fourplexes for fitting more units into neighborhoods while preserving green space.

Commenters cited specific technical concerns discussed at the planning commission and in public outreach: the Department of Ecology’s designation of marine shoreline neighborhoods, lot sizes that commenters described as "3,500‑square‑foot" parcels, the potential for up to seven units on small lots under the R3 proposal, and conflicts with critical‑root zones for mature trees. Multiple speakers asked the council to protect environmental and shoreline areas by preserving R1 zoning in sensitive neighborhoods.

City staff said the Burien Community Hub now hosts fact‑based information on housing code and zoning amendments, including explanations of critical and sensitive environmental areas and links to state legislation. The council emphasized the meeting on June 16 will be a detailed "first touch" on the zoning proposals and instructed staff to prepare materials; no ordinance or zoning map change was approved at the June 2 meeting.

Why this matters: zoning and comprehensive‑plan changes can alter neighborhood character, affect shoreline and tree protections, and change how many housing units can be built on existing lots. The council’s promise of an in‑depth June 16 review gives residents additional opportunity to raise technical questions and for staff to supply detailed analyses.

The council encouraged residents to sign up to speak at least one hour before the June 16 meeting or to email councilmembers directly. Staff materials and the Community Hub page were identified as the primary sources of technical detail ahead of that meeting.