Burien trying to take away property rights
Wed, 02/17/2010
In recent months the City of Burien has been attempting to fulfill a state mandate to develop a Shoreline Management Policy. This policy affects Lake Burien and all waterfront property on Puget Sound within city limits.
As the plan has been developed it has evolved into a blatant attempt to co-opt the property rights of those who live in the affected areas.
In some cases these properties have been in families for generations and many others are long time residents whose occupancy predates the City of Burien.
In the case of Three Tree Point their inclusion in the city was entirely voluntary in order to lend a voice in the opposition to the Third Runway. These residents have for the most part proven themselves to be good stewards of their properties and the adjoining beaches.
Now the city is using the SMP as its stalking horse in a thinly disguised attempt to take waterfront property from its rightful owners.
The city counters that they have formed an Advisory Committee to provide input into the development of the plan. The problem with the committee is that only one person on the twenty-person committee is a resident of the affected areas. It appears some are not even residents of Burien. It is a stacked committee of community activists, environmentalists and neer-do-wells.
The city first held a community meeting when the process was announced. City presenters at that meeting promised that individual property rights would be protected, and that the document was a formality.
Once again the city leaders have proven that they cannot be trusted. Just as they have made promises regarding the City Center and the upcoming annexation of North Highline there is a hidden agenda of power and greed.
Specifically the City plan calls for setbacks that in some cases are deeper than the affected properties. It creates a formula that would make it impossible to replace damaged properties and it totally abrogates the privacy and use rights of property owners of both Puget Sound properties and Lake Burien.
All of these are designed to make the properties unusable and worthless to their current owners.
When these issues are questioned the City's answer is a vague "Trust Us. We'll work something out." The time for trust is past. It's time for action.
The city needs to dismantle the existing committee and reformulate it by removing the special interests that do not reside in the City. It needs to include property owners that reside in the affected areas. It needs to begin to be truthful in its dealings with its citizens.
Some may remember that twenty years ago Metro threatened the area with a sewage treatment plant that would have taken all of Three Tree Point. It took three years to defeat that plan, and we will defeat this one.
The only issue is: Will the city do the right thing and be inclusive or will it continue on its path of division and greed?
Ken W. Smith
Burien