Tag Archives: Burien City Council

News

As Camping Ban Looms, Burien Considers Privately Owned Lot Near Library as Potential Shelter Site

August 23, 2023 Editor Leave a comment

(This article was originally published on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)

by Erica C. Barnett

On Monday night, the Burien City Council decided not to immediately approve a bill that would ban sleeping outdoors in the city “at any time between sunset and sunrise,” opting to request more information from City staff about the implications of the ban before passing it.

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In Run for Congress, Burien Deputy Mayor Krystal Marx Makes Housing Her Focus

July 1, 2021 Editor Leave a comment

by Ashley Archibald

As deputy mayor of Burien, Krystal Marx has some experience with political disagreement.

As an unapologetic progressive, Marx has had to pass legislation in an ideologically diverse council that has exchanged pointed words over issues in the past. But Burien’s elected officials came together to pass tenant protections and hazard pay for grocery store workers on the front lines of the pandemic.

Marx attributes those successes, in part, to eschewing traditional ways of governing and instead reaching out to people who are closest to the problems in order to craft solutions. She has a deep belief in the power of community organizing, bringing people into the legislative process to craft better solutions, and putting pressure on the opposition.

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News

Burien City Council Votes to Delay Homeless Housing Proposal

May 25, 2021 Editor Leave a comment

by Erica C. Barnett

(This article was previously published at PubliCola and has been reprinted with permission.)

The Burien City Council voted narrowly last week to delay a Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) development that would provide 95 units of permanent supportive housing, including at least 25 units for disabled veterans.

The proposal is part of Burien’s 2019 Affordable Housing Demonstration Program, which grants zoning variances to projects that serve people at various income levels; DESC applied to build housing for people between 0% and 30% of area median income, the lowest income level included in the pilot.

The Burien Planning Commission approved the project unanimously in April, but councilmembers raised objections after some residents complained that the project would harm downtown businesses and bring homeless people from other areas (like Seattle) into Burien.

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