Many residents appealed to the Burien City Council to have a forum of discussion between the citizens and the City Council beyond the ‘three minute sound-bites’ they are allowed to give at a public hearing and during public comment.

“A forum with the public regarding the Shoreline Master Program has not yet occurred,” Don Warren said.

A ‘Shoreline 101’ session will be held for the Council on May 3rd to educate themselves on the science and terminology.

The first Council Meeting to discuss the Shoreline Program will be held on June 14. Staff scheduled the first meeting a couple months away to follow the wishes of the Planning Commission, who wanted the community and the City Council to have time to study the SMP.

Mayor Joan McGilton said it is incumbent Council Members spend the next couple of months reviewing the SMP.

“This Council needs to be better prepared sooner rather than later,” McGilton said.

Ron Franz, with the Burien Marine Homeowners Association said the product sent to the Council from the Planning Commission left a lot to be desired with regard to clarity and hopes the Council will work with the shoreline residents while reviewing the SMP.

McGilton said the City has had really good luck in the past with public forums when dealing with sensitive issues, but whenever attorneys are brought to the meetings it gives her pause.

“If you are willing to listen to my opinion than I am certainly willing to listen to yours,” McGilton said.

Council Member Brian Bennett said he wants to make sure there is flexibility with the forum of public comment and the schedule to review the SMP because he wants to make sure all public comment is considered and the Council is very thorough.

There has not been enough discussion about hypothetical situations, Council Member Gordon Shaw said.

“It bothers me we are moving forward on something we do not know the impact of,” said Shaw.

Shaw said the City should demonstrate a relationship of trust to the community and shoreline residents who have been taking care of the shoreline for this long. He said he wants to know what needs to be done to protect the Burien shoreline that is not already being done.

Burien City Manager said Arbor Lake, which is in the area newly annexed into Burien, is not big enough to be regulated by the SMP and neither the Lake nor the properties surrounding it will be affected by the SMP.

According to the schedule staff laid out for the Council there would be two public hearings, one toward the beginning of the process and one at the end, tentatively scheduled for August 16.