"I'm so wanting to move on to something else," Deputy Mayor Rose Clark sighed as Burien Mayor Joan McGilton asked Sept. 13 whether lawmakers wanted to vote that night on final approval of the city's Shoreline Master Program (SMP).
Burien council members will have to wait just a little bit longer as they decided to place the SMP's final adoption on the Sept. 27 consent agenda. Three lawmakers can vote to take the measure off the consent agenda.
Because Councilman Jack Block Jr. was absent from the meeting, council members said they wanted to wait until all lawmakers were present to take a final vote. They also said they wanted to wait to study a draft of the changes they had made before voting on the final document.
Council members worked through the final remaining issues at the Sept. 13 meeting.
By a 5-1 vote, lawmakers decided to set a 15-foot setback plus a 30-foot buffer zone for Lake Burien homes. Councilman Gordon Shaw was the dissenting vote.
For Seahurst Park, lawmakers set a 50-foot buffer, 15-foot setback requirement. The requirement also pertains to about 15 waterfront lots between Seahurst Park and Eagle Landing Park in the "Urban Conservancy Zone." The vote was 5-1, with Shaw voting no.
Council members also agreed to exempt owners of docks that are valued under a certain dollar threshold from having to obtain a shoreline substantial development permit. The owners still must go through the regular building permit process, according to senior planner David Johanson.
Lawmakers eased requirements on lawns in the shoreline management area. On a unanimous vote, council members decided to change SMP language that prohibited replacement of lawns, the new language prohibits only new lawns in the affected area.
Previously, the council agreed to a 20-foot buffer in the Three Tree Point marine shoreline area. In a significant concession to marine shore owners, the council backed off on a proposal that would have set the combined buffer and setback at 65 feet from the ordinary high water mark.
Three Tree Point residents had raised concerns that if their homes had to be rebuilt, the new homes would be considered non-conforming.
The residents cited uncertainty about selling their homes and insurability.
Council members have made no changes to public access to Lake Burien. Subdivisions of less than 5 lots would not have to provide public access to the lake, according to Johanson. He said the city has identified four lots on Lake Burien that may have potential for a large subdivision.
After the city's SMP is passed, presumably on Sept. 27, the plan will go to the state Department of Ecology for final approval before implementation.
