Category : Correspondence(309)

A July 9, 1984 letter from Port of Seattle to United Airlines Vice President Captain M. E. Volz outlines the noise abatement procedures in use at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The procedures include FAA-established Standard Instrument Departure (SID) routes using the Seattle VOR 158 and 338 radials to minimize noise over surrounding communities, a Visual Bay Approach for south flow arrivals, and a Run-Up Curfew with designated engine run-up locations. The letter also notes that the most noise-impacted areas fall within the 65 Ldn noise contour, where the Port was pursuing land acquisition, purchase assurance, and sound insulation programs as remedies.

In a June 22, 1984 letter to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, United Airlines Vice President Captain M. E. Volz requested information about the airport's noise-sensitive areas and any formal or informal noise abatement procedures in place. The airline was conducting a survey of all airports it served in order to build a computer database of noise procedures accessible to pilots at any United Airlines terminal. United Airlines asked Sea-Tac to provide copies or descriptions of its noise procedures and to send future updates to the Flight Safety Department in Chicago.

In this February 28, 1984 letter, the FAA's Northwest Mountain Region reviewed the Port of Seattle's proposed Noise Remedy Program for Sea-Tac Airport, raising concerns about the criteria used to add 44 homes to an acquisition program and 275 homes to a purchase assurance program. The FAA questioned whether the new criteria of 'buffer for airport-related development' and 'neighborhood continuity' were sufficiently justified, particularly for homes along 24th Avenue South. The agency urged that all criteria be reasonable, clearly documented, and tied to measured noise impacts, and cautioned against finalizing the purchase assurance plan before key federal policy questions were resolved.

In January 1984, the Port of Seattle sent workshop attendees an update on proposed noise remedy programs for Jackson International Airport (Sea-Tac), outlining three options: land acquisition, purchase assurance, and sound insulation. Following public feedback that revealed inaccuracies in the original boundary maps, the Port's consultant revised the preliminary geographic boundaries to more accurately reflect noise levels from the Sea-Tac Noise Exposure Update Study. The accompanying modifications document details specific additions and deletions to affected areas surrounding the airport for each of the three programs.

A January 1984 Port of Seattle memo from Project Manager Jody Yamanaka to the Technical Working Committee announces the completion of a Community Attitude Survey related to the Airport Noise Remedy Program at Henry M. Jackson International Airport. The survey, conducted by McClure Research Company, included a self-administered survey of neighborhood workshop attendees and two telephone surveys. The findings were to be used to evaluate specific noise remedies, improve community involvement, and ensure the Noise Remedy Program reflected local community attitudes.

In December 1983, the Port of Seattle invited community members to review preliminary boundaries for three proposed noise remedy programs near Seattle-Tacoma (Jackson) International Airport: land acquisition, purchase assurance, and sound insulation. Consultant firm Peat Marwick recommended eligibility criteria for sound insulation, targeting single-family homes exposed to noise levels of Ldn 70 or above in 1980, or Ldn 65 or above projected for the year 2000. Residents were encouraged to submit comments on the proposed boundaries and criteria by January 31, 1984.

In this May 1983 letter, the FAA's Acting Manager of Airports Division responds to the Port of Seattle's request for federal concurrence on a proposed interim change to the density guideline at the Sunset facility in North Sea-Tac Park, doubling the allowed occupancy from 60 to 120 people. The FAA does not object to the Port Commission approving the change, but strongly recommends that public input be gathered from affected community residents before any final decision is made. The agency also expresses a preference that broader density guideline changes be addressed through the ongoing Noise Remedy Program Update, which includes a comprehensive community involvement process.

In this April 1983 letter to Port of Seattle Commissioners, a community representative reminds officials of their commitment to 'Maximum Compatibility' between Sea-Tac Airport and surrounding neighborhoods, as established through the Sea-Tac Communities Plan (STCP) begun in 1972. The letter emphasizes that citizens were promised a direct, continuing role in planning decisions—including land acquisition for safety zones and noise reduction programs—through a formal Community Involvement Process. The author calls on the commission to honor that commitment as they enter a new noise remedy program update that will reassess density guidelines near the airport.