Open Letter to Council: What Burien is Doing Right

Local resident highlights positive aspects of Burien, despite the current challenges.

The following testimony was read during public comment on April 29, 2024 and submitted to Burien-News by Burien resident David Gould:

[NOTE FROM EDITOR: Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Burien-News or Daniel Media. If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.]

Burien City Council:

Clearly there are a number of problems in Burien today, such as city finances, homelessness, an increase in robberies and commercial burglaries, and such. But, tonight, I want to focus on what I think are some positive aspects regarding the present and future of Burien.

First up is the new and improved City Council, which is off to a good start. Congratulations to everyone.

Now in no particular order.

Mayor Schilling’s emphasis on Burien being open for business, the three H’s” – Healthcare, Hospitality, and Housing,” and well as his Thursday videos, which are both informative and educational.

I especially like the idea of neighborhood cafés, watering holes, and such. Great for third place hangouts and a way to build community.

Downtown Burien is a 15-minute walkable community with lots of restaurants, bakeries, shopping, dentists, tax accountants, bookstores, a library, city hall, and many other types of services. I think the potential 160-foot-high building limits in downtown Burien is absolutely the right way to go as it would provide significantly more needed housing, jobs, and services.

The Burien Comprehensive Plan is almost complete and while some of it is aspirational, the plan is a very good start to transform Burien into a major urban Core City over the next 20 years.

Discover Burien is a significant asset to Burien in its work to coordinate and sponsor wine walks, parades, the weekly farmers market, and many other events.

The BAT Theater is a great example of bringing people together for entertainment and educational events. Love to see more options like this.

Finally, the Burien Community Police Academy outreach program is an excellent way to educate the public about some of our social, behavioral, and criminal issues the police face daily. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about our community.

Certainly, more things to cover, but my time is about up.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak.

-David GouldBurien Resident[NOTE FROM EDITOR: If you wish to submit a story, photo, article or letter, please contact us. Even if you wish to remain anonymous, please include your name and phone number so we may contact you privately. We look forward to hearing from you.]