Council can make a statement on bad sound insulation systems
At last week’s Burien City Council meeting the group unanimously approved a strongly worded letter of complaint about the Port of Seattle’s controversial and long-delayed Sound Insulation Repair/Replacement Pilot Program (SIRRPP).
At their October 23, 2025 meeting, the Des Moines City Council will discuss that letter and decide whether or not, or how to provide additional support.
We are extremely pleased to see this on their agenda and urge you to provide your support.
History
Des Moines currently has the highest number of sound insulation systems (3,844)—almost as many as Burien and SeaTac put together! However, Des Moines has become something of an orphan in this discussion. Since then the DNL65 has shrunk dramatically since the original Port Package installs. Des Moines lost more eligible homes than every other city (currently 874) And even with the upcoming new boundary, that number will still remain less than half the original number!
That number matters because the Port has indicated that the SIRRPP will be limited to homes in the current DNL 65, regardless of when they were installed!
It gets worse
In 2012, the council voted to rescind its sound code, a requirement for obtaining the original Port packages — saying that sound insulation was an unnecessary cost and would stifle home building in town.
We continue to note that neither Burien, or SeaTac retained their sound codes, building far more housing since 2012 than Des Moines. The notion of ‘affordability’ was always straw man argument. With improvements in materials and construction techniques there was never a reason to remove those performance standards. They are as important to the health of your family as proper wiring and plumbing.
And Congress has made it clear they will not consider additional funding for sound insulation updates without successful pilot programs. Des Moines should support both Burien’s letter and restoring its sound code both because it’s the right thing to do and because it is not reasonable to expect the federal government to pay for sound insulation in cities that do not recognize its importance. If you live in Des Moines and have a Port Package that need an update? You need to tell the City Council to restore its sound code!
The long game
New or established, every home under the flight path deserves proper sound insulation. The reason to support Burien’s letter is to insure the proper equipment, which includes proper ventilation and HVAC. There is more to sound insulation than windows, and cities should be doing a much better job to educate their residents on that.
Call to Action
Write the Des Moines City Council (citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov). Attend their next meeting, either in person or via Zoom.
Tell the Des Moines City Council you support the Burien letter. Tell them to add back the sound code that should never have been rescinded in the first place.