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Burien city leaders discuss options for unhoused
For the first time in months, Burien city leaders are finally discussing possible options for places where unhoused people can stay.
BURIEN, Wash. - For the first time in months, city leaders in Burien are discussing possible options for where to place a tiny home village—a potential solution for the ongoing homeless crisis.
Residents and business owners packed Burien City Hall Monday night, as they've been frustrated with the shuffling of unhoused people from place to place since March.
Some, like Jennifer Fichamba, are upset by the inaction and lack of answers, and says it has only created chaos and devastation for the population.
"It's continually unsafe for them every time they get sweeped," said Fichamba, "people get disjointed and separated, they lose more of their belongings, they lose more of their sense of community."
City manager Adolfo Bailon presented the council with a presentation that included sites for a potential tiny home village, and camping ordinances from Sacramento, Portland, Bellevue, Kent, Auburn and SeaTac.
"This isn't a snap judgment, this isn't a decision that needs to be made lightly; this is a decision that, even if made today, would still take months to complete, because that is the general process for something like this," Bailon said.
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The presentation included four sites:
- Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA), located just northwest of SEA Airport, by Lora Lake
- City lot on SW 150th Street, which is currently fenced off and leased by Burien Toyota
- Beverly Park School, located just outside Burien city limits and is closed
- Lot at S. 136th Street and 3rd Ave S, just north of Kennedy Catholic High School and is owned by Seattle City Light
Three of them are in Burien. The lot at 136th Street is in White Center, which is an issue for Fichamba.
"They're trying to make a choice that will least impact Burien, and they're trying to push it off on other people," Fichamba said.
Another site is the lot on 150th St which is leased to Toyota. In his report, Bailon says with the loss of the lot, Toyota will lose one-third of its inventory, which they claim may lead to 20 to 30 jobs being lost.
"They can break a lease with Toyota if they really wanted to," said Fichamba. "It's not ideal, but makes the most sense because it's near transit, it's near resources that people may need."
The Beverly Park School site was an option King County was interested in, and the Highline School District had previously offered its field as a potential site for temporary housing. The entire complex is secured by fencing.
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"Most recently, officials from the school district staff members have contacted the city and requested that this location be removed from consideration," Bailon told the council and community members.
The closed property is still in use by the Skunkworks Robotics team composed of students between eighth and 10th grade from all over King County.
The NERA property is owned by the Port of Seattle and is not viable; the land is contaminated and noise level is above what health experts recommend.
"This is a site that is open land and has, in some way, some uses; in some ways it may not be as usable due to the historical work at this location, and it's also not a city-owned lot, which the city would need to work with the owners to see what their interests are in making use of this location," Bailion said.
Not only is the city down a potential site, there are legal obstacles as well. Bailon made it very clear tiny homes or unsanctioned camps are not permitted in any zone in the city at the moment.
"Typically the process for altering zones, altering codes that would allow these types of projects or any type of project would require involvement from the planning commission, it would require hearings to be held—multiple hearings to be held—and ultimately, a recommendation from the commission to council, and then council, again, would then need to hold a hearing itself before any type of change to our zones are allowed," explained Bailon.
It is a lengthy process advocates like Anitra Freeman say is long overdue.
"Without shelter, people die," Freeman said.
Freeman made her way to Burien from Seattle hoping to persuade city leaders to come up with solutions, as she claims unhoused people are at risk of dying without a realistic place to go.
"They increase death and misery," Freeman said. "They scatter people where it's even harder for those offering help to reach them. We want an end to the sweeps and a beginning to real solutions."
The advocate backed by council claimed two women died on the streets of Burien in the month of June. She says they're not the only ones, as unhoused people are hit by cars, exposed to the elements and overdoses, leading to their deaths.
Council voted 4–3 passing a motion "to direct the city manager to investigate the NERA site or other King County sites for potential use as a temporary site for limited-term housing in partnership with utilization of the $1 million from King County Regional Homelessness Authority. The city manager is to provide information on the use and limitation of the $1 million specifically for substance use disorder, treatment and recovery, mental health services and property management requirements."
A vote was not brought forth, but the no-camping ordinance—modeled after Bellevue's ordinance—could be discussed as early as June 24 during city council's next meeting.