Burien Mayor Joan McGilton expressed her frustration over the lack of time the Council has had to discuss the Burien Shoreline Master Program (SMP), which originally was scheduled for approval by the Council on August 30.

The Council agreed to move the public hearing on the Shoreline Master Program from August 16 to August 30, dedicating the August 16 meeting to council discussion on the SMP.

The next discussion on the SMP will be Monday August 16 at 7 p.m. at Burien City Hall. The Public Forum originally scheduled for that time has been moved to 7 p.m. Monday August 30.

City Manager Mike Martin said unless the Council said they wished to extend the time to adopt the SMP he is going to keep moving the Council forward for an adoption date in early September.

Mayor McGilton said public comment has certainly slowed down the proceedings, saying the public comment has allowed for little or no Council discussion of the Shoreline Master Program. “We have listened for five months to the public comment,” McGilton said. She said she felt they were pretty clear on the public’s comments and concerns at this point.

There will be no more opportunity for public comment at the August 16 meeting, however letters and emails can still be sent to the City and the Council and become a part of the public record.

The Burien Planning Commission did the same thing after their first several meetings were dominated by public comment, ending public comment during the meetings to facilitate the Planning Commissions discussion on the SMP.

Councilmember Brian Bennett said he wanted to move the public hearing from August 16 to August 30 so the public would have an opportunity to review the final draft of the SMP before it went before the Council for a vote.

“I don’t think we can rush it,” Bennett said.

The Council had a brief discussion on the substance of the Shoreline Master Program, where they voted to allow one over water structure per household on Lake Burien. This only applies to new development, it does not apply to existing structures.

Currently the code reads each house on Lake Burien can have one dock and one float. The Council voted 5-2 to change the code to one dock or float, but not both. Councilmembers Gordon Shaw and Lucy Krakowiak voted against the motion.

The rule would not be required to meet Department Ecology Standards of no net loss, as City Staff said the reason for the change would be to keep the Lake from becoming cluttered and hard to navigate.

Gordon Shaw made the point the old rule was in place for decades without a single problem. He said they should leave it up to the people who live on the Lake how many structures they feel is reasonable.

The City’s definition of a float does not include barges, so any barges on the Lake are not subject to the new regulation.

In the next meeting the Council will be discussing buffers and possible wording stating for the ecology of Lake Burien Public Access will never be allowed, among other issues.

In the draft of the SMP any subdivision of five houses or more would be required to create some form of public access to Lake Burien. Many residents of Lake Burien, and the surrounding area spoke out at the meeting of the fragility of the ecosystem of the Lake, saying any public access would be harmful to the Lake.

Councilmember Bennett asked the audience if there was not some kind of a middle ground to be found regarding public access to the Lake. He asked residents to remember when they are talking about public access they are talking about their neighbors.

The next discussion on the SMP will be Monday August 16 at 7 p.m. at Burien City Hall. The Public Forum originally scheduled for that time has been moved to 7 p.m. Monday August 30. City Manager Mike Martin said unless the Council said they wished to extend the time to adopt the SMP he is going to keep moving the Council forward for an adoption date in early September.