City of Burien finalizes lease with animal shelter, displacing people in homeless encampment

Burien City Council voted to lease land to an animal shelter early May. This is the same location where a homeless encampment has been growing since the end of March.

BURIEN, Wash. - The City of Burien is moving forward to lease city-owned property to an animal shelter, which starts June 1.

City Manager Adolfo Bialon and Burien C.A.R.E.S. Director Debra George confirmed with FOX 13 that the lease agreement has been signed by both parties.

Burien City Council voted to lease land on SW 152nd and 6th Avenue SW to the non-profit in early May.

This is the same location where a homeless encampment has been growing since the end of March.

In a letter dated on May 19th, the King County Executive's General Counsel sent a letter to the city manager and city council, accusing them of using a "lease scheme" to evict unhoused people living on the city lot and that the King County Sheriff's Office can not participate in removing the homeless from this location.

The letter led city council to hold a special meeting on Tuesday to come up with a solution to the King County Executive.

After hours of back and forth motions between Burien City Council, passionate testimony from residents and businesses and even calls for compassion for the unhoused, no motions were passed at this special meeting.

Everyone living in the encampment on SW 152nd has to leave by the end of Wednesday.

It's unclear where the unhoused will go and who will help clear out the encampment.

Burien