Real Estate Development

Our early references ("Our Burien" and "The Many Roads to Highline") plus various assessor’s maps and library references have pretty well covered the land development operations of "The Dashley Boys", Gunther and Schoening. These were the big tracts (some to 160 acres) acquired through homestead directly or by buying out discouraged homesteaders. Most lots fronting on 152^nd were sold or built on by 1940 - many as vacation homes - as well as quite a few on the S.E. corner of the lake. The rest of the South shore was either totally undeveloped, was in large parcels of farm land, or was in very long (600+) lots extending from 156^th to the lakeshore—fairly steep compared to the northshore_.-- A double lot consisting of nearly 2 acres was acquired by Donald Simpson in the early ‘40s and developed as a single residence which it remains to this day—beautifully landscaped on the water side and virtually undisturbed woodlands for over 400 ft. up to the road. Further west two similar lots were acquired by Gladys Clark. Two homes were built on these down toward the waterfront and these properties likewise remained quite undisturbed for many years. others of these long lots were dissected to accommodate several houses with more average-size lots and are now designated 14^th P1. SW and 14^th SW

About 1950, Howie and Donna (Kennett) Gwinn decided they would like to move to Lake Burien from the long-time Kennett home down on the Sound. Howie was attracted by a 5 acre heavily wooded tract about 700’ deep with 300’ of pristine waterfront belonging to Mrs. Dearborn, an elderly lady with a house up near 158^th. Despite the general belief that this property could not be purchased, Howie found Mrs. Dearborn to be not at all formidable—desiring mainly to retain her existing home—and was able to conclude the purchase of the bulk of the property.

Over a period of several years, Howie was able to work his way through all the red tape to clear the way for a fully planned community (the only one on the lake), install an attractive curving cul-de-sac road and all utilities, and build his own spacious solid waterfront home.

Later Howie - with some backing from John Ellison and Lee Kennett and a few others - launched a stupendous project: purchase and complete development of what is now the Hurstwood community. Buying a bulldozer and hiring an operator, he sculpted the whole project over a period of years out of land purchased from the Pope & Talbot logging firm. He was spared an even bigger project when at the last minute King county parks, through our Commissioner Ed Munro, decided maybe they should acquire a bit (all) of his waterfront plus the adjoining property for a total of 2,000+ feet.