Category : Correspondence(195)

In this September 2015 letter, the Port of Seattle and the City of SeaTac reached a mutual agreement regarding the environmental review of Sea-Tac Airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The Port committed to conducting a full environmental analysis of all anticipated airport growth — including international passenger traffic — as part of the SAMP review process, addressing the City's concerns about transportation and other impacts. In exchange, the City agreed not to file an appeal on the Final Declaration of Non-Significance issued for the International Arrivals Facility project.

In October 2012, the Highline Forum and Southwest King County Economic Development Initiative (SKCEDI) sent thank-you letters to Washington State Representatives Zack Hudgins and Tina Orwall for attending a joint meeting on September 26, 2012, at the Des Moines Senior Center. The letters acknowledged the representatives' candid discussion about legislative expectations in Olympia and expressed plans to continue conversations about the 2013 Economic Development Legislative Positions for Southwest King County. The correspondence was signed by Normandy Park Councilmember Marion Yoshino and Burien Deputy Mayor Rose Clark on behalf of both organizations.

A May 2004 legal letter from Helsell Fetterman attorneys demands that the Port of Seattle and Washington State Ecology Department comply with a Washington Supreme Court ruling before proceeding with third runway construction at Sea-Tac Airport. The court imposed environmental conditions requiring that fill materials used in construction come only from uncontaminated sites, meet strict groundwater quality standards, and pass SPLP leachate testing against both surface and groundwater criteria. The letter argues that the Port's existing work plans and bid documents violate these court-mandated conditions, citing discrepancies such as the Port's allowable arsenic limit of 14.75 ug/L being several hundred times higher than the court-required 0.05 ug/L standard.

A 2001 community newsletter documenting widespread opposition to Sea-Tac Airport's proposed third runway construction, which required destroying 18 acres of wetlands. Residents, local elected officials, and independent experts raised serious concerns about earthquake safety, environmental damage to local streams and salmon habitat, and the structural integrity of four unprecedented earthen retaining walls planned for the project. The Port of Seattle's applications were repeatedly challenged and withdrawn due to fatal flaws in environmental planning and seismic risk analysis.

In February 2000, the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) wrote to U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Slade Gorton urging an investigation into aviation safety concerns at Sea-Tac Airport, following a KIRO-TV news report that revealed hundreds of unreported near-misses, runway incursions, and mechanical problems documented in NASA AMES files. The RCAA argued that these hidden dangers raised serious questions about the Port of Seattle's plans to expand the airport with a third runway. The letter also requested a moratorium on expansion-related construction permits until a full safety investigation — ideally led by the FAA Inspector General — could be completed.

In this November 1999 letter, the Port of Seattle's Noise Abatement Program Manager responds to a Normandy Park resident's complaints about low-flying aircraft and late-night jet noise near Sea-Tac Airport. The letter explains that smaller propeller aircraft fly different, lower-altitude flight paths than jets for safety reasons, which brings them over residential neighborhoods like Normandy Park. It also notes that while Sea-Tac restricts older, louder aircraft between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., the Port lacks legal authority to restrict newer aircraft, though it works with airlines to minimize nighttime noise.

In a June 1998 letter to a Seattle Times reporter, Washington State legislators Karen Keiser and Julia Patterson urged media coverage of the Port of Seattle's violations of federal grant rules governing its noise remedy programs near Sea-Tac Airport. The State Auditor's Office confirmed the Port failed to obtain required written support from surrounding local jurisdictions, while auditors at Deloitte and Touche had repeatedly flagged the same violations without the Port taking corrective action. Over $130 million in federal funds had already been spent insulating and assisting homeowners, with an additional $11 million needed to redo 1,141 homes due to building-code violations that local consultation might have prevented.

This Port of Seattle document explains flight track plots for propeller aircraft at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, showing the ground paths of arrivals and departures during daytime hours (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) for both north and south traffic flows. Aircraft flight paths vary due to pilot technique, weather, and air traffic control, meaning planes assigned the same route will not follow identical tracks. On average, Sea-Tac experiences south flow conditions 65% of the year and north flow 35%, with propeller aircraft kept on separate tracks from faster jet aircraft.

This Port of Seattle document explains flight track plots for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which map the ground paths of jet aircraft arrivals and departures during daytime hours (6am–10pm). It describes how wind conditions determine whether aircraft fly in a north or south flow pattern, with south flow occurring about 65% of the year. The document also notes that even aircraft following identical routes will not fly the exact same path, due to variations in pilot technique, weather, air traffic control, and aircraft performance.