Almost four decades ago Seahurst Park, located on Puget Sound and now in the city of Burien, was established for the enjoyment and recreational use of residents of Seattle and the surrounding area. The park is forested except for the area close to the waterfront and contains miles of trails.

The viability of this beautiful park is now at peril because Westmark Development was recently issued a permit to construct a 179-unit housing development set at the top of the bluff above this park. This project will clearcut 9.6 acres of the forested land of the ravine located above Seahurst Park and leave only 8 trees standing. The deforestation of these cliffs and ravines will have a devastating impact on the water quality of Seahurst Park as well as this part of Puget Sound.

This project was set in motion more than 15 years ago, before building permits were required to undergo the careful environmental impact reviews that we have now.

Building on the ravine will result in severe erosion – washing pollutants and sediment down the steep hillsides and clogging the park’s streams. Plant and animal habitat will be severely damaged. The creeks and streams will not stay viable and the watershed will be destroyed; park fish and wildlife will die. The loss of soil, the watershed, and wildlife will render Seahurst Park a shell of what it is now.

No one is worried about the buildings not being engineered securely enough to keep them from sliding down the steep ravine. Westmark has elaborate plans to protect their investment.

What we will lose forever is one of the last remaining forested stands of public land for 30 miles on the waterfront of this area of Puget Sound.

At 9:30 on Monday morning is the final public hearing on this project. It is located at the Hiline School District Offices, at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW. I urge every citizen who loves this park, young and old, to attend and show support for the preservation of Seahurst Park.

Mary C. DeVany, MS, CSP, CHMM
Environmental Health Scientist
Burien, WA 98146