Community planning is an opportunity for neighborhood stakeholders to shape the future of our city—to ensure livable, healthy communities as Burien grows and changes. Burien is launching planning projects in two neighborhood areas in 2021:
- Ambaum Corridor: Planning efforts will examine transit-oriented development (TOD) near Metro’s H-Line RapidRide investments.
- Boulevard Park: Planning efforts will consider a thriving mixed-use business district surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
Community planning—or subarea planning—follows the Washington State Growth Management Act, regional planning policies, and Burien’s Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan identifies areas where growth is anticipated and directs public and private investment to support growing areas.
Planning will include the following activities:
- Understanding the unique characteristics of each neighborhood, past and present.
- Engaging with community members from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including people typically not engaged in civic processes.
- Articulating a vision and action strategies to meet community and citywide goals for walkable business districts that feature different housing types, successful businesses, public spaces, environmental sustainability, cultural expression, and community health.
- Evaluating local regulations to encourage community-supported developments in residential, mixed-use, and commercial zones in each neighborhood.
- Recommending new policies for land use and zoning, and prioritizing actions that serve community goals, for consideration by the Burien Planning Commission and City Council in early 2022.
- Applying a racial and social equity lens to all neighborhood planning efforts.
Why does planning matter?
Community planning can help shape neighborhoods’ futures. Burien is located within a growing region. Our people and cultures are diverse, and our needs continue to evolve. Planning is a way for communities to prepare for the future, with an eye toward meeting the needs of people who live, work, and visit here now.
Planning builds on the past. While Burien’s neighborhoods are always changing, planning efforts should acknowledge the unique history of each area. Read more about the history of Ambaum Blvd corridor and Boulevard Park neighborhood.
