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DES MOINES, Wash. — Four open houses have been held already, but city officials in Des Moines are hosting one more opportunity for the public to give feedback on the Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP).
The SAMP outlines the growth strategy for the airport and was completed in 2018. It is meant as a roadmap to deal with the increasing passenger and cargo volumes anticipated in the coming years. A series of near-term projects will try to address these changes, coupled with longer-term projects which will require planning and environmental review.
City leaders in Des Moines are concerned there is not enough public awareness of all the potential impacts that will result from additional flights and other growth. They want to give the community one more opportunity to weigh in before the official comment period closes on Dec. 13.
“I think the Port does a good job with their open houses but frankly you get their point of view,” said City Councilmember JC Harris. “I think having the city create this open house provides a more balanced viewpoint for residents because the negative impacts are no joke.”
The additional SAMP meeting is being held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Des Moines City Hall, which is located at 21630 11th Avenue S, Suite A Des Moines. Participation is also welcomed via phone or through Zoom. Additional information to participate is available here.
According to the Port, the region is expected to grow by another one million people by 2035. The SAMP will serve as the blueprint for future airport development. However, people who live and work in the flight paths said the existing impacts have yet to be fully addressed.
“The noise, air quality as well as traffic are huge issues. The noise is really a daily issue for a lot of our residents that are directly under different flight paths and the air quality impacts the entire community environmentally,” said Des Moines City Manager Katherine Caffrey. “It impacts property values, economic development efforts and how competitive we are in the region.”
Harris said the pollution caused by ultra-fine particles in jet exhaust is especially a concern and people need to speak up now so it is part of the ongoing conversation as the airport prepares to expand by a third of its current size.
“A third more flights means a third more noise, a third more pollution and we haven’t yet provided mitigation for the acknowledged impacts of the third runway,” Harris said.
The Port has identified 31 near-term projects and completed the scoping process for the FAA-required environmental review. These projects are meant to improve operational efficiency and handle future growth.
Among the needs identified are insufficient passenger terminal capacity, insufficient facilities for projected cargo level increases, excessive aircraft delays on the airfield, and lack of fuel storage facilities.
Proposed projects include a new terminal with 19 gates as well as an automated people mover with three stations to connect the rental car facility, new terminal, and main terminal. The plan also calls for new cargo facilities, realigned airport roadways, a new parking lot as well as additional facilities for sustainable aviation fuel.
Once complete, these improvements will accommodate 56 million passengers and meet the forecasted demand to 2032. There are also a series of future projects that require further study before they can be implemented.
The Port and FAA are conducting an extensive study about the potential environmental impacts of the first phases of the SAMP, which is required by the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). Once that process is complete, the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) environmental review will follow.