Cities
During Wednesday night’s Burien Planning Commission meeting, an unidentified Zoom attendee was caught on a hot mic exclaiming, “That’s right Hayden, F*** those rich people” moments after Commissioner Hayden Campbell showed support for higher-density zoning in Burien’s critical-area and shoreline neighborhoods of Three Tree Point, Lake Burien, and Seahurst. The faceless commenter showed complete disdain for local residents, some of whom were present and had just given testimony.
The expletive was clearly audible on Burien's public Zoom feed and appeared to come from a remote participant whose microphone remained unmuted for several minutes. Though the commissioners were momentarily startled by the vulgar outburst, discussion continued.
Tensions were high as the commissioners grappled with which zoning recommendations to present to the Burien City Council. Commissioners were split on whether the 2044 Comprehensive Plan and 2025 Zoning Map should stand, a decision which would allow for higher-density housing on environmentally delicate and shoreline properties.
In September 2025, the council directed the planning department and commissioners to address and potentially correct the contentious zoning map to better align with Burien’s Shoreline Master Plan and state requirements.
Two people provided public comment via Zoom - newly sworn-in Councilmember Rocco DeVito, who spoke against the corrections, plus a new Lake Burien resident, who begged the commissioners to consider the negative impact on critical lands if the zoning was not corrected.
Also participating virtually was Planning Commissioner Jimmy Matta Jr. (not to be confused with his father and outgoing Councilmember Jimmy Matta).
It was only after a second inappropriate virtual attendee outburst that Planning Chair Shelli Park instructed remote attendees to mute themselves.
The hot-mic moment appears at approximately 1:04:30 in the city's meeting recording. The Highline Journal will follow up with the Burien Planning Department for a list of Zoom attendees and any additional information about the incident.
We will report on the meeting's outcomes separately.
One-minute clip "F*** those rich people":
Discussion on Docket Number Five and Mixed Use Commercial Lots
The video captures a discussion about the inclusion of docket number five and the removal of mixed use commercial lots in Three Tree and Seahurst. There are also comments about moving those designations to other lots to preserve mixed use commercial in those neighborhoods.
Full Planning Commission meeting recording:
Members Discussion