The City of Burien is seeking proposals from hotel developers for the construction of a hotel on City-owned land in downtown Burien. The 1.3-acre undeveloped property is located on SW 150th between 1st and 4th Ave and is located just seven minutes from the arrivals and departures gates at Sea-Tac International Airport. A hotel in downtown Burien also offers hotel guests the convenience of a walkable downtown (Walk Score 90) full of high quality restaurants, shops, and bakeries.
“Bringing a hotel to Burien has been a long-standing dream for many in our community,” says Burien Mayor Jimmy Matta. “A hotel will add vitality to the city by establishing a new visitor and customer base for our small, independent restaurants and businesses, and offers good paying jobs for our residents.”
In 2016, the City contracted with CBRE, Inc. to provide a lodging needs assessment for the City of Burien. The assessment concluded that there is an unmet local need in the Burien market for an 80-100 room hotel and lodging facility in the city. In addition, the continued growth of the Puget Sound and Sea-Tac Airport will facilitate additional demand to support a lodging facility.
“Burien is ready for a quality hotel product that will meet the needs of our citizens, our business community, and regional travelers,” says City Manager Brian Wilson. “Our ‘foodie paradise,’ proximity to Sea-Tac Airport, and vibrant downtown provides a unique guest experience that is not currently available in South King County. This development will complement Town Square and other private investment happening in downtown Burien.”
Request for Proposals Process
An advisory committee made up of experts in finance, hotel development, hotel operations, and large events planning will assist in creating and scoring the RFP responses from developers. The panel is responsible for drafting the RFP, evaluating the proposals and they will recommend the final candidate(s) to Burien City Council.
Members of the Burien Hotel RFP Advisory Committee:
· Nancy Scholl: Vice Chair-Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership, CFO at Wright Hotels, Burien Resident
· Hugo Garcia: Burien Planning Commissioner, Special Assets & Business Outreach Specialist at Craft3, Burien Resident
· Mike Yellam: Development Manager at Fana Group of Companies, Burien Resident
· Robyn Desimone: Member, Burien Business and Economic Development Partnership, Burien Business Owner, Iris & Peony
Timeline
· June–July: Advisory Committee develops RFP.
· September: Publish RFP.
· November 5: RFP responses are due, Advisory Committee and City Council to evaluate responses.
· December: Developer selected by Burien City Council.
