Category : History(243)

Letter from Sea-Tac Airport Manager Oris W. Dunham Jr. to William C. Holstine addressing community concerns about airport operations, including land acquisition programs, noise mitigation, flight operations, and the North Sea-Tac Park development. The letter responds to a November 14 meeting and community questionnaire about Port of Seattle relationships with surrounding neighborhoods.

Letter from Oris Dunham Jr., Chairman, to PAC members inviting them to a community meeting with Riverton Heights residents to address their grievances related to Sea-Tac International Airport. The meeting was scheduled for November 13, 1980 at Riverton Heights Elementary School.

A 1980 Seattle Times article reports that federal and state officials revived a proposal to build a new small-craft general-aviation airport on the Eastside of King County, with three potential sites identified near Snoqualmie Falls and Fall City. The FAA offered to fund up to 80% of the estimated $4.5 million construction cost, citing growing congestion at Sea-Tac Airport caused by the mixing of small private planes with large commercial jets. South King County residents, long burdened by airport noise and safety concerns, largely welcomed the idea, arguing that Eastside communities benefiting from aviation should share the responsibility for housing general-aviation facilities.

A July 1979 letter from planner Janis Snoey to FAA Airport Planning Branch representative George Sato transmits five pre-schematic site plans for the North Sea-Tac Park, showing projected peak-time visitor numbers under various development scenarios. The plans, prepared following an FAA meeting on July 17, 1979, are accompanied by a 'Carrying Capacity' map that classifies park areas by development suitability—from very high intensity (sports fields, motorcycle trails) to low intensity (foot paths only)—based on analysis of soils, hydrology, vegetation, and noise. The documents were intended solely to provoke discussion during the early master planning phase for the North Sea-Tac site.

These three hand-drawn planning maps present alternative development scenarios for North Sea-Tac Park, labeled 'Passive,' 'Modified Passive,' and 'Modified Passive 2.' Each concept proposes different mixes of recreational facilities—such as soccer fields, baseball fields, tennis courts, a golf course, and archery targets—alongside preserved natural areas, nature trails, and passive open space. The maps were intended solely for discussion purposes and show peak-time visitor capacity estimates for each proposed facility zone.

A August 1978 news article reports that the Port of Seattle Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), formed in 1973 to oversee the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, voted to continue its quarterly meetings for another year rather than restructure or disband. The committee, which includes representatives from the airport, airlines, FAA, King County, local schools, businesses, and neighborhood groups, had been repeatedly disrupted by complaints from Zone 3 residents — those most directly affected by airport noise — who felt they lacked fair representation. Members debated alternatives such as community forums and more formal meeting procedures, but ultimately agreed that PAC remained the only venue bringing all stakeholders together to discuss airport-related issues.