Building Community support with Neighbors
Coming together to help our neighborhood
Our platform aims to foster a strong community identity, which celebrates the unique and charming aspects of our Cedarhurst Neighborhood. We are nestled within the larger tree-canopied neighborhoods of Boulevard Park and Highline Neighborhood, in the city of Burien.
Currently our little sanctuary is at risk of being improperly rezoned from the current residential RS7, 200 to an Industrial designation. This drastic change would eventually extinguish this special neighborhood and make way for an industrial corridor. City planners have named this zone "North of NERA."
We Neighbors have been steadily banding together to inform each other and organize a list of protections to bring to the city and Burien City Council. We want to protect our beloved neighborhood from becoming something unrecognizable, and make it clear to Council that we have been inequitably targeted because of our proximity to the airport. We believe our city council leaders should be working to help communities like ours, instead of putting further burdens upon us.
We will be updating this site with dates and times of Neighborhood meetings to provide opportunities for anyone in and around this neighborhood to contribute in any way they wish.
Our starting point has been the http://www.change.org/NoNeraProject, which will include email updates of our progress and information from city meetings which we attend.
We, in this large neighborhood and community of hundreds of families should not be a sacrafice to the insatiable needs of the airport. We ask that our city advocate FOR us and care what is in store for the futures of the people here that quietly helped make this city what it is.
We do not have to accept a simple choice between “industrial rezone” and “nothing.” If this neighborhood is expected to absorb airport- or jobs-related impacts, then there must be a binding package of protections, investments, and rights for the people who already live here.
What Is a Community Benefits Agreement?
A Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is a written agreement that says: if a city, public agency, or developer wants to move forward with a major project or land-use change, the affected community must receive specific protections and benefits in return. Plainly: no neighborhood sacrifice without guaranteed community benefits. This is very much within the power of the City to do.
Why it matters here
Burien’s proposed North of NERA rezone is being advanced to create more jobs and expand industrial or airport-related business activity in an area that includes an existing residential neighborhood. If public officials say this change is necessary for the city’s future, then current residents should not be left carrying all the risk while others receive the long-term economic benefit.
What a CBA could do for this neighborhood
- A strong CBA could require real, written protections such as:
- Anti-displacement help: foreclosure prevention, relocation help, housing stabilization funds, and protections for seniors and multi-generational households.
- Homeowner protections: clear rules protecting existing homes, refinancing options, repair rights, ADUs, and home-based businesses.
- Health protections: funding for air-quality monitoring, noise mitigation, trees, traffic safety, and buffers between homes and industrial uses.
- Local jobs with real access: local hiring, job training, apprenticeships, and small-business support for people who already live here.
- A community seat at the table: a formal neighborhood advisory group with ongoing oversight, not just one-time public comment.
Who could be part of it?
- The City of Burien, because Burien controls the rezone and can attach protections, adopt policies, and require benefits as part of implementation.
- The Port of Seattle, because the area is airport-adjacent and the Port already has a community benefits model in the Duwamish Valley for neighborhoods affected by port activity.
- Future developers or business projects, if large projects later seek permits or agreements in the rezone area.
- No rezone without written anti-displacement protections.
- No rezone without clear protections for existing homeowners, ADUs, and home businesses.
- No rezone without a funded community benefits package.
- No rezone without a formal neighborhood voice in future decisions.
- No rezone until Burien and the Port explain what they are willing to guarantee in writing.
Burien City Planner Chaney Skadsen:
Airport Compatibility Guidebook:
city update:
Civic Engagement Dates:
Next up:
~June 10, 2026, Planning Commission Briefing~
-Where: Burien City Hall, 1st Floor (400 SW 152nd St, Burien, WA)
-When: Wednesday June 10, 2026, at 5:30 p.m.
-How to Attend Virtually: Participate via Zoom
Viewing Options: Livestream Online or on local Channel 21
-Meeting Agenda Highlights:
The June 10 briefing focuses heavily on the future of land use in the city:
North of NERA Proposal: Reviewing zoning approaches, neighborhood-scale businesses, and mixed-use regulations north of the NERA (Northeast Redevelopment Area).
TIF Code Update: Briefing on new code implementations regarding Tax Increment Financing.
-How to Participate: You can submit public comments in advance or during the meeting. Meeting materials, agendas, and full instructions for public comment are accessible via the City of Burien Meeting Portal.
-June 17th Community Power Night at Glacier Middle School Cafeteria,
5:30-7pm Covering Airport Expansion Impact
- June 29, 2026, City Council Briefing
- July 8, 2026, Planning Commission Public Hearing
- September 14, 2026, City Council Briefing
- September 28, 2026, City Council Ordinance First Reading
- October 12, 2026, City Council Ordinance Adoption
King5 Story on our neighborhood:
Our Mission Statement
People first strategies - Jobs Without Displacement in Burien
Burien needs more jobs and a stronger tax base. It does not need to risk 264 homes and an already overburdened, airport-adjacent community on industrial rezoning promises that have not been clearly proven in past projects.
In the last NERA project, the Port promised 600–800 jobs. Today, no one can tell us clearly how many permanent jobs there are, how many went to Burien residents, and what they pay.
That’s not accountability. Please do not ask us to trade 264 homes for another set of unverified numbers.
A better path is a “jobs without displacement” approach: help existing businesses grow, support home-based and small businesses, invest in training and career pathways, and focus new mixed-use commercial growth in areas that are already planned for it. Research shows these strategies often create jobs more cost-effectively than big subsidies or risky land-use changes.
What Burien is trying to solve
Burien has said it wants more local jobs and economic opportunity, and the North of NERA rezone is being sold as part of that plan. At the same time, the City’s own planning documents talk about vibrant mixed-use corridors, walkable business districts, and economic development tools that go far beyond industrial expansion. A city with a tight budget needs real, workable ways to bring in revenue and employment. It is fair to ask whether rezoning a long-standing neighborhood near SeaTac is the best, least harmful, and most proven way to do that.
Why the current rezone is a bad bet
The North of NERA proposal would affect about 264 homes in Boulevard Park. Neighbors are worried about being pushed out, more traffic, noise, pollution, loss of property rights, and added harm in a place that already lives with airport impacts. Those harms are real and immediate. The jobs being promised are still only estimates.
In an earlier project, the Port of Seattle’s NERA partnership with Burien and Panattoni was advertised as creating 600 to 800 jobs within a few years. But publicly available information does not clearly show how many permanent jobs were actually created, how many went to Burien residents, or what those jobs pay. Before reshaping another neighborhood based on new job projections, Burien should show the public hard data from the last airport-area industrial deal.
What research says works better
Economic development research points to a basic lesson: most job growth comes from helping existing businesses grow and helping new small businesses get started, not from chasing a few big projects.
Work from Brookings and others shows that the vast majority of new jobs come from existing firms expanding and from new local businesses, not from companies moving in from somewhere else. That makes support for local business a more stable and reliable strategy than speculative recruitment.
Studies highlighted by the Upjohn Institute and economist Timothy Bartik show that things like customized business services, targeted training, and other local support programs can create jobs at a much lower public cost than large tax breaks and subsidy-heavy attraction deals. For a city with limited funds, this matters: every public dollar should go toward strategies with the strongest evidence that they actually create good, lasting jobs.
A Burien jobs strategy without displacement
1. Support existing small businesses first
Burien can add jobs more quickly and cheaply by helping current businesses stay open, grow, and hire more people. This can include help with permits, technical assistance, storefront and corridor improvements, small loans or grants, and targeted outreach to immigrant-owned, home-based, and neighborhood-serving businesses.
This already aligns with Burien’s economic development direction. The City has said it wants to support businesses and strengthen key corridors. The question is not whether Burien needs jobs; it is whether the City will choose the most affordable and fair ways to create them.
2. Legalize and support low-impact entrepreneurship without industrializing neighborhoods
City leaders have said that more flexible rules can help homeowners and small business owners. That goal is real. But it does not require turning a residential neighborhood into an industrial or employment zone.
Guidance from groups like ICMA shows cities can support home-based and very small businesses by updating residential rules, simplifying permits, and making it easier for low-impact businesses to operate from home. Burien can back childcare, food businesses, repair work, arts, tutoring, and other services with targeted code changes and support programs—without opening the door to heavy industrial uses in a neighborhood where people live.
3. Build workforce pipelines tied to existing regional demand
Burien sits next to one of the region’s largest job centers: the airport and related logistics, construction, hospitality, and service jobs. The city can tap into that by building apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, industry partnerships, and strong support services for workers, instead of depending on new industrial projects in a residential area.
The most effective workforce programs do more than match people with any job. They combine skills training with childcare, transportation help, coaching, and direct relationships with employers so people can actually get and keep good jobs. This is especially important for communities facing language barriers, high housing costs, and limited transportation options.
4. Put job growth where Burien already planned for growth
Burien’s plans point to mixed-use corridors and walkable business areas as key places for growth. If the City wants more jobs and tax revenue, it should focus growth in those areas, not in a neighborhood where families already live and where the risk of displacement is clear.
That means doubling down on existing business districts, transit corridors, and underused commercial sites. Those areas can handle more jobs, customers, and investment without the same level of disruption to housing.
5. Create local construction and green jobs by fixing what exists
There is also a straightforward jobs strategy already available: repair and upgrade what Burien has. Work like housing rehab, weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades, tree planting, stormwater projects, and safer streets all create construction and maintenance jobs while making neighborhoods healthier and more resilient.
For Burien, this can look like a “fix and hire” approach: train local residents for construction and green jobs, then direct funding into improving existing homes and public spaces rather than clearing them out. This produces visible benefits in the community and keeps more economic value local.
What residents can ask for now
Burien residents can support jobs and oppose this rezone by asking for a real alternative:
- Put any final vote on the North of NERA industrial or employment rezone on hold until the City releases clear evidence from past Port-linked industrial projects: actual permanent jobs created, local hiring results, wages, and public return on investment.
- Consider a Mixed Use/Residential zoning so that homeowners' property rights are protected.
- Prepare a side-by-side comparison of the North of NERA rezone versus other job strategies, including small-business support, home-based business reforms, workforce pathways, and mixed-use corridor investment.
- Adopt a “jobs without displacement” package that includes microenterprise support, business assistance in multiple languages, apprenticeship and training options, and strong protections against displacement for current residents.
- Promise that any future job strategy near the airport will include a real cumulative impact analysis, a displacement analysis, and meaningful participation from residents before major land-use changes move forward.
Nutshelled
Burien does need jobs. But it should not rely on the riskiest and most harmful option on the table. The evidence points to cheaper, faster, and fairer tools: strengthen the businesses that are already here, invest in workers, support small and home-based businesses, and grow commercial activity in places that are already meant to handle it.
A city should not have to choose between jobs and its people. Burien can have both—but only if it stops treating displacement as a form of economic development.