TagCASE(191)

This November/December 1997 newsletter from CASE (Citizens for an Accurate and Safe Environment) reports on environmental and noise concerns related to Port of Seattle airport expansion projects near Sea-Tac Airport. Key issues include the Port allegedly lacking required Army Corps of Engineers permits to destroy wetlands for a new parking lot, potential contamination threats to Seattle Water Department drinking water aquifers, and citizen complaints about early-morning aircraft engine run-ups disturbing nearby residents. The newsletter also highlights a legal victory in Burbank, California affirming local governments' rights to control land use decisions related to airport expansion.

A Normandy Park resident and aerospace engineering manager submitted detailed comments in November 1996 criticizing a draft impact study related to Sea-Tac Airport's proposed Third Runway, arguing that the analysis underestimated real estate value losses, air pollution risks, and traffic disruptions caused by the project. The letter contends that home values in Normandy Park stagnated or declined after the Third Runway was publicly announced, and that any valid property value assessment must use baseline figures from before negative publicity began. The author also challenges the study's air quality modeling assumptions and traffic analysis, warning that the Port of Seattle would selectively cite favorable findings while ignoring methodological flaws.

A technical review document from Debi DesMarais providing comments on a draft mitigation cost analysis for the City of Burien Impact Assistance Team. The review covers social impacts, property values, noise data, and various technical aspects of airport-related community impacts.

In August 1996, community groups CASE and RCAA formally appealed the Port of Seattle's Resolution No. 3212, which approved construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The appeal argued that newer navigation technologies such as Localizer Directional Aid (LDA) and GPS, combined with demand management strategies, could provide equivalent airport capacity at far lower cost and with less environmental harm. The groups requested a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate these technology-based alternatives and reconsider the third runway decision.

This handwritten document appears to be notes from an early 1992 meeting (dated 3/2/92) concerning aircraft noise policy near Sea-Tac Airport, referencing a group opposed to further aircraft noise and seeking members from both inside and outside city limits, with a target population of 100,000. The notes outline several case studies of organizations and community colleges receiving donations ranging from $50,000 to $100,000, apparently as part of noise mitigation or community foundation funding efforts. Key concerns include growing a membership list beyond those already on a computer list and organizing inaugural meetings to advance the no-more-aircraft-noise agenda.

The CASE Group (Citizens' Alternatives to Sea-Tac Expansion) was formed in 1987 to oppose the Port of Seattle's plans to add a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, gathering over 4,600 protest signatures and prompting the King County Council to pass a resolution against the expansion. The coalition organized public hearings, lobbied Port Commissioners, and circulated petitions urging state officials to reject expansion recommendations in favor of building a new regional airport away from densely populated areas. Their core argument was that alternatives to Sea-Tac expansion represented sounder economic and environmental choices for the Central and South Puget Sound region.

This April 1983 newsletter from the SeaTac Threat community group outlines residents' opposition to airport noise and related Port of Seattle (POS) policies. It covers meetings where members agreed to resist relaxed density guidelines near North SeaTac Park, push for community-appointed representatives on the Policy Advisory Committee, and make noise a key issue in upcoming municipal, county, and state elections. The newsletter also announces a series of public meetings where the POS will present its Noise Remedy Study Plan, urging residents to attend and participate.

A February 1983 newsletter from the SeaTac Threat Group details community efforts to fight noise and air pollution from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including presentations on noise health impacts and four potential legal remedies such as reverse condemnation and nuisance suits. The group reached a consensus that legal action was the best way to pressure the Port of Seattle (POS) to address the airport's noise pollution, and members were encouraged to attend upcoming meetings with attorney Mary Ruth Mann to discuss terms and fees. The newsletter also highlights concerns about FAA safety density guidelines being overturned and urges residents with political influence to take action.