Burien City Council members continued on April 30 to discuss the Lora Lake Apartments, which are due to be vacated this summer to make more land available for new development planned by the city and the Port of Seattle.

The Port, which operates Sea-Tac International Airport, owns the Lora Lake property that is located within the third runway buffer zone.

King County Housing Authority officials met on April 17 with city lawmakers to ask them not to demolish the apartments on the west side of Des Moines Memorial Drive just north of South 160th Street.

City Manager Mike Martin said he had been contacted by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-9, who inquired as an "interested party" and is not trying to sway the way the council acts on the issue.

"There are obviously great implications, for our community, the people who live there and for our revenue streams," Councilwoman Sally Nelson said.

"My concern [is] that we had the [Apr. 17] meeting and it was not a regular city council meeting and I think we have a responsibility to have a regular city council meeting to discuss the pros and cons."

Nelson urged the council to have a discussion at their May 7 meeting in an open format. Deputy Mayor Rose Clark agreed with the open meeting concept.

Thirty percent of the tenants at the Lora Lake Apartments have already vacated, the council was told. The city, the Port and the housing authority agreed in 1999 and again in 2005 that the apartments would be removed for commercial development this year.

"This is a meeting of such great importance that we need to have a public hearing," Nelson said.