Burien’s auto row along 1st Ave S. has taken some hits over the past several years, a product of our long-standing recession.

Dodge, Ford and Nissan dealers all shuttered their doors (although Nissan reemerged as Car Pros Burien Nissan and the Ford dealership is selling used vehicles), and just as the economy dips, so do car sales.

In addition, according to Dean Anderson who owns Burien Toyota and Burien Chevrolet with his brother Alan, the dealerships linked to manufacturers are under constant pressure from the parent companies to improve and expand their stores.

For some, like Mark Minium at Burien Honda, there simply isn’t enough room to expand on 1st Ave S.

This is where the Auto Mall concept comes into play, an idea Councilmember Gordon Shaw said he’s been working on for the past four years and one he believes will increase auto sales (leading to more sales tax revenue for the city) and encourage new dealers to set up shop in Burien.

Anderson and Minium said they are both on board with the idea and would be willing to endure the expense of moving and buying land at a new location. “A lot of people think as car dealers we don’t want competition, but when you put everyone together its easier for the dealers, it’s easier for the consumers,” Anderson said.

The concept is to move the big dealers (those linked to a manufacturer as opposed to the independents who generally sell used cars) to the Burien side of Des Moines Memorial Drive where it intersects with SR 518. The auto mall would take up 50 acres, the majority of that land north of 518 with a smaller section to the south.

Before that could happen, there are many hurdles to overcome. Shaw said the proposed land is currently owned mostly by Port of Seattle with a portion owned by the Highline School District. He said the school district is on board with selling, but the Port decision remains to be seen.

The Port has plans to expand their air cargo system, possibly into that area, so it may not be for sale, according to Shaw.

Briefing SeaTac council members on Oct. 25, Port air cargo operations manager Tom Green mentioned the Lora Lake property, just south of SR-518 as one of the spots the Port is planning for its air cargo center.

In addition, dealers are less likely to gravitate to the area if they were required to lease the land from the Port as opposed to actually buying it, Anderson said.

“If we can cut some kind of deal (with the Port) that makes sense for Burien, I’m on board,” Shaw said, adding the Port is expected to make a decision possibly as early as next month.

If the Port decides to sell, they would also be required to do some environmental cleanup of the area – a process that could take two to three years, according to Shaw.

There is also an issue of traffic access. Currently there are two off ramps from 518 to Des Moines Memorial Drive, both on the east side. That works fine for people traveling from I-5, but it could be tricky getting to the mall for people traveling from the west. Shaw said the state has plans to put two more off ramps on the west side, but a timeline for that upgrade is unknown.

When it’s all said and done, Shaw and Anderson both said the earliest date an auto mall could happen is 2014.

Shaw said the 1st Ave S. auto dealers generated 25 percent of Burien’s sales tax revenue “before the recession,” and that number has dropped to 18 percent today. He believes an auto mall would become a stronger attractant for additional dealerships and customers than the current auto row, generating more sales tax revenue.

As revenue from auto dealers continues to decline, Shaw said Burienites will eventually see property taxes raised.

What happens to 1st Ave S. if the auto dealers move?
“I envision changing that from a 35 mph street to a 25 mph street,” Shaw said. “Now everybody is going to look at that and say that’s a negative but when you look at it that is what happened on 152nd. I can’t tell you what kind of businesses we are going to get, I can’t tell you that we are going to have a destination hotel here one day. I don’t know, I’m not a government control guy, I’m a free market guy.”

Shaw said he will "do his best" to attract businesses to the area to “create an upscale environment in Burien,” and “we are talking 15 to 20 years here now (to see the transition of 1st Ave realized), this is not something to take us out of the doldrums of this economy.”

When asked how the relocation of big dealers will effect the independent auto dealers, Shaw said, “The dealers drive the auto sales in Burien, it’s not the used car people or the frame and axle or the engine tuning people … so it is my suspicion that if we move the dealers, over time the other auto related industries will gravitate there as well.”

Rob “Doc” Franklin, sales manager for the Car Club used car lot at 14415 1st Ave S., questioned the auto mall idea.

“For me, it wouldn’t make any sense (to move),” he said. “It sounds like a whole lot of expense and drama for a little payoff.”

Franklin said his dependence on the draw of big auto dealers bringing potential customers to 1st Ave is not as strong as it once was. He said a lot of his business is now done on the Internet, using sites like Craigslist and Auto Trader to market his inventory to a larger audience. Nowadays, he said, customers do a lot of their shopping from the computer.

“It would certainly hurt Burien overall,” Franklin concluded. “What’s going to go in here? People come to 1st Ave for the cars.”

“This is basically why I’m running for re-election,” Shaw said. “I have two things on my mind that I want to see happen and one of them is this airport auto mall concept … and the other thing is annexation.”

Bob Edgar, Shaw’s opponent in the upcoming City Council Election for Position 4 on Nov. 8, declined comment on the auto mall concept.