The un-Sustainable Airport Master Plan

The landing page for technical materials and related coverage

The SAMP is the fourth major expansion of Sea-Tac Airport. It is also the largest and longest expansion in airport history. The SAMP is fundamentally different because it does not involve adding a new runway or expanding airport property. However, the negative impacts to your community are just as significant. But because there is no property expansion, the environmental review process currently proposes no compensation or mitigation to any community under the flight path.

Documents

2024

2024 Draft Environmental Assessment Documents

Comment Process

How to provide public comment

Explainer

Process

SAMP Environmental Review Factsheet September 20, 2024 – Sea-Tac Airport Noise And Pollution (seatacnoise.info)

SAMP-30-DayNotice_Factsheet_2024_0920 – Sea-Tac Airport Noise And Pollution (seatacnoise.info)

SAMP_FAQs_2024_0920 – Sea-Tac Airport Noise And Pollution (seatacnoise.info)

2019

2019 Scoping Documents

Consultants

2018-2027 Four City ILA SAMP Consultants

Our coverage

SAMP Draft EA: Our running list of questions

The one thing we hear over and over from community members re. the SAMP Draft EA is “What do I say?” “How do I get started?” We get it. One way we want to help is to provide some of our questions, which we’ll be updating frequently before submitting our full comment before the December

The Cost/Benefit Analysis

The 1994 DNL65 from the Third Runway overlaid on the 2024 SAMP Area of Potential Effect (APE) How can 30 years of growth yield no more noise, air quality or community mitigations?

Beyond the usual suspects in the SAMP Draft EA Comment Period During the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Draft EA Comment Period (SAMP) we know most people will focus on the noise and pollution. However, we also hope that readers, and especially cities, will focus on other areas which may prove just as useful in obtaining

SAMP Draft EA: How to provide a great public comment

1How to provide effective public comment by December 13, 2024 Because new ways for you to participate will likely become available, this article may be subject to updates. Introduction This is the second of a two-part article concerning the Sustainable Airport Master Plan Draft Environmental Assessment (SAMP Draft EA). If you’re looking for the short

Port Commission Meeting features SAMP EA and Tax Levy

Four hours, 700 pages Meeting Agenda It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.   Sustainable Airport Master Plan Draft EA Presentation (Item #11a SAMP EA Presentation) Sarah Potter: Landrum & Brown, Steve Rybold and Sarah Cox: Port of Seattle Today’s Commission meeting was

The SAMP Comment Period Explainer (Intro)

2016 rendering of SAMP airfield projects

Preparing for the October 21st Comment Period This is the first of a two-part article concerning the SAMP comment period. We’re including a few paragraphs of background because the process has been so lengthy–with many years of delay. The feedback we’ve received thus far has been confusion, partly because the information on the Port’s official

The Fourth Runway

We’ve begun using the term “Fourth Runway” to describe two large projects (SR-509 and the Sustainable Airport Master Plan) as one system, which they are. The two projects have always been part of a regional plan begun over fifty years ago to meet the strategic goals of the Port Of Seattle and regional planners. The construction of SR-509 will affect the communities are great deal. But starting in 2027 the projects will also increase flight operations at least 33% and cargo operations by 300%.

SAMP For Dummies

The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for increasing flight capacity by one third in the next ten years. It will have the same community impact as the Third Runway. In fact, it is happening now. How this is possible, and what it means for us.

The problem with cities

As one attempts to survey the landscape concerning the various negative impacts that the Sea-Tac Airport has foisted upon the surrounding communities, one quickly becomes aware of a black hole which I call ‘The Dark Time’–probably because I watched too many comic book movies with my kids. The Dark Time is the roughly decade-long period

Transcript of Four City ILA SAMP Consultant Presentation to the Des Moines City Council June 6, 2019

This is a machine-generated transcript. There may be errors in spelling of both names and words. See here for meeting video and explainer. SECTION 1: [Mayor Matt Pina]: Said everybody turn the microphones on so you got a green light in front of you. This is the June 6, 2019 city council study session. I

SAMP: We’ve had our Open House. Now what?

OK, so we had our Open Houses, kids. So what’s the next crisis to react to? Sorry to sound snarky. I do believe all these current issues matter. And I applaud everyone in the community and government who are reacting to them. Well done. Really. (At some point I have to develop the nerve to

Real Sustainability

So the past couple of days I’ve been ‘slumming’–attending the Des Moines ‘Ad Hoc’ Aviation Committee meeting and then a Burien City Council Meeting on Monday. And then the last StART meeting on Tuesday. I’ve made no secret of my disdain for these groups but that has little to do with the people who are,

External Coverage

SAMP Update September 20, 2024

After a four year pause, Environmental Review of Near-Term Projects begins October 21 with a 45 day comment period. The end result will be 2025 rulings by the FAA (NEPA) and the State of Washington (SEPA) to determine whether or not a full EIS is required.

Port outlines priorities for Sea-Tac Airport in proposed spending plan

By Marissa Nall – Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Oct 31, 2023 The Port of Seattle plans to commit another $1.1 billion to its massive, rolling capital projects agenda at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport under its newly proposed budget for next year. Introduced late last week, the budget sets the stage for $5.3 billion in capital

Lead designer named for $1.5B overhaul of S Concourse at Sea-Tac Airport

By Marissa Nall – Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Aug 2, 2023 Port of Seattle has selected global design firm HOK to lead the next piece of its massive capital improvement program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The St. Louis-based firm was named lead designer for the airport’s S Concourse renovation, one of several mega-projects in design or underway at

Widen Arrivals Roadway Project

         Status: Approved Project Overview This project is a roadway improvement project aimed to help alleviate the crowding and congestion outside of the airport, update systems, and make updates to support the ever-changing environment and dynamic region. The original roadway was designed in 1968 to support an average of about 25 million

Remaking 70-Year-Old Sea-Tac International Airport

By Tim Newcomb Construction of the North Satellite project, which added gates and modernized the existing facility, was done without disrupting airport operations. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PORT OF SEATTLE An 85-ft-high walkway at the International Arrivals Facility connects the new grand hall to the South Satellite. It was installed at night to limit the impact on

Port of Seattle Meeting

Noise Programs Briefing. SAMP Near-Term Projects Update. Sea-Tac Airport, Mezzanine Level. Free parking. The Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is the blueprint for changes at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to meet future demand. In addition to a Long-Term Vision, the SAMP includes more than 30 Near-Term Projects (NTP) that are planned for construction by 2027

This is how the Port of Seattle crafted its $2.3B Sea-Tac Airport expansion plan

Sea-Tac Airport passenger volumes are surging, hitting 51.8 million in 2019 and forecast to hit 56 million a year by 2027. Airport staffers are planning projects now to be finished or underway by then to ensure the facility can handle the growth. ANTHONY BOLANTE By Andrew McIntosh  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Trying to forecast

Port of Seattle delays environmental review for Sea-Tac airport expansions

By Andrew McIntosh  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Dec 18, 2019 The Port of Seattle has delayed the environmental review process for potential Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expansion projects until late 2021. The public agency said a statement Monday it’s taking more time for its own environmental review following public feedback on its Sustainable Airport

Turbulence Over Sea-Tac

State officials are actively seeking a second major airport site outside King County BY:BILL CONROY FROM THE PRINT EDITION DECEMBER 2019< FacebookTwitterPinterestShare Image Credit: Gene Faught CAPACITY CRUNCH. Sea-Tac’s accelerating capacity issues have prompted the creation of a state commission charged with identifying a site for a major new commercial airport by Jan. 1, 2022. This

By Andrew McIntosh  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Nov 27, 2019 Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke, who led a task force on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expansion, says a proposal to build a $2.3 billion standalone terminal fails to address concerns raised by his group. In a letter to the five-member Port of Seattle Commission

Exclusive: Alaska Airlines says Sea-Tac’s $2.3B terminal expansion plan has ‘critical shortcomings’

By Andrew McIntosh  –  Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Nov 21, 2019 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s $2.3 billion plan to build a standalone North Terminal to manage passenger growth has “critical shortcomings,” Alaska Airlines says. In letters to Sea-Tac Airport leaders and interviews with the Business Journal, Alaska says the facility’s plan for a 19-gate terminal

Arlyn Purcell

Currently, Arlyn Purcell is the SEPA contact for the Sea-Tac Airport SAMP program. The Port of Seattle Selected Arlyn Purcell, AICP, as New Director, Aviation Environment and Sustainability SEATTLE, WA– Following a nationwide search, thePort of Seattle has selectedArlyn Purcell, AICP to be the new Director, Aviation Environment and Sustainability at the Port of Seattle.

SAMP Public Comments Due!

On-line form E-Mail US Postal: Mr. Steve Rybolt Port of Seattle Aviation Environment and Sustainability P.O. Box 68727 Seattle, WA 98168

Sea-Tac Airport breaks ground on multi-million dollar expansion

The North Terminal at Sea-Tac Airport will undergo a multi-million dollar expansion including more gates and expanded dining and shopping areas. More gates are part of the plan.

North Terminal will gain 201,000 sq. ft.; Dining and shopping areas will expand 02/03/2017 Officials from the Port of Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport broke ground on Feb. 3 on a multi-million dollar project that will expand and update much of the facility’s aging North Satellite plus double the dining and shopping areas. More than 201,000

Sea-Tac Airport Sustainable Airport Master Plan Update

The Port of Seattle’s Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) is wading through a process to plan for airport growth for passenger and cargo service at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over the next 20 years. The plan looks at what types of actions should be taken to accommodate and mitigate growth of airport operations. The Port of

Seattle-Tacoma Airport Master Plan Development

Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) International Airport, one of the fastest growing and busiest airports in the US, served more than 42 million passengers and 332,000 metric ton (mt) of air cargo in 2015. Project Type Airport master plan Location Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington, US Estimated Investment $1.645bn Start of Construction Q1 2017 Expected Completion 2021 Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac)

Port of Seattle Reviews Designs for an Expanded International Arrivals Facility at Sea-Tac

Matt Ball on July 13, 2015 – in Design/Engineering, Projects, Transportation The Port of Seattle is in the conceptual design phase of an expanded International Arrivals Facility (IAF) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. With this 1970’s vintage facility in the south satellite servicing a dramatic increase in international flights, the existing Federal Inspections area (commonly known

Port has big Sea-Tac Airport plans for next 25 years

Two ironworkers shake hands after putting the final beam in place for Sea-Tac Airport’s consolidated rental car facility. The facility will open to the public on May 17. Port of Seattle photo SeaTac City Council members heard a presentation recently by Port commissioner John Creighton on the Port of Seattle’s Century Agenda. The agenda is