Council discussed the Burien Housing Action Plan and Multi-family Housing Assessment Project, heard a presentation on the King County-Cities Climate Collaboration Climate Action Toolkit, discussed community input on the topic of public safety, and interviewed a facilitator to assist in the annual performance evaluation of the city manager.
Community Invited to Weigh in on Draft Housing Action Plan
Council discussed the draft of Burien’s new housing action plan, which identifies how to create and keep affordable, safe, and livable housing, now and in the future. The plan includes recommendations to increase and diversify housing options in Burien, and will:
- Offer an overview of the housing landscape and planning environment.
- Help the City and its partners plan for additional housing over the next 20 years by providing key data and analysis on the current housing inventory and future housing need in Burien.
- Shed light on development regulations that are working well, areas that need improvement, and development issues that require new solutions.
- Identify key recommendations to encourage more housing development at all income levels for current and future and residents.
- Document the community’s vision and values, which were developed as part of the public engagement process.
A community forum will be hosted on December 2 where attendees are invited weigh in on the plan.
Burien Multi-family Housing Assessment Project
Council heard a presentation on results of a housing assessment [link to report] and the new multifamily housing database developed to assess the quality of rental multifamily housing in Burien from a public health perspective. City staff worked with a University of Washington master’s in public health student to conduct an external assessment of multifamily rental properties in Burien using eight criteria based on public health goals. The assessment, which was conducted between winter 2019 and early summer 2020, relied on external views of a property and did not examine conditions inside buildings. To aid this process, City staff built a database of all the multifamily housing properties in Burien. The assessment will aid future housing policy work and the new rental housing inspection program.
K4C (King County-Cities Climate Collaboration) Climate Action Toolkit Review
Rachel Brombaugh, the Acting Director for Climate and Energy Initiatives at King County, presented details of the King County Climate Action Toolkit. The toolkit was released at the end of September, and provides a combination of strategies for climate action, options for policies, and a guide for local governments to act on climate change. Council directed staff to use the toolkit to develop climate action strategies for Burien.
Summary of Community Input on Public Safety in Burien
Staff presented a summary of community input received on the topic of public safety. The summary report analyzed feedback solicited during a special City Council meeting in September and from an online survey. The goals of the public engagement process were to learn what public safety means to the Burien community, to identify where they believe there are gaps in public safety, and hear what their priorities are for the budget, policing, and human services.
Council directed staff to conduct another round of community engagement in 2021. Have feedback on the process or want to be involved? Please send an email to [email protected].
Third-Party Facilitator for the 2020 City Manager's Evaluation
Council discussed the proposal of Sound Employment Solutions, LLC to act as third-party facilitator during the December 7, 2020 performance evaluation of the city manager.