February 4, 1975August 1, 2026

Sea-Tac Communities Plan working draft memo

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The Sea-Tac Communities Plan

This 1975 working draft memo from the Port of Seattle and King County outlines updates to the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, including revised sections on noise remedies and community development programs. It provides socioeconomic data for the Sea-Tac area, noting that median family incomes ranged widely from $3,600 in White Center public housing to $18,700 in Normandy Park, with Sea-Tac Airport serving as the primary local employer with over 15,200 jobs and $160 million in annual payroll.

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Notes

A memo from the Port of Seattle to holders of the Sea-Tac Communities Plan Working Draft, directing them to insert replacement pages for Sections 4.2.2 and 4.2.3, and complete revisions of Chapters 6.2 (Noise Remedies) and 6.6 (Community Development Programs). The document also includes Section 4.2.3 on Economy and Employment, covering income levels and employment patterns in the Sea-Tac Communities area, noting that Sea-Tac Airport is the chief employment source within the study area.

As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.

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