TagCity of Burien(173)

The Burien Airport Committee held a virtual meeting on July 21, 2020, discussing whether the city should rejoin the SeaTac Airport Stakeholder Advisory Roundtable (StART), with four options considered ranging from full re-engagement to creating an alternative forum. Key concerns included distrust of the Port, the FAA Regional Ombudsperson's exclusive availability through StART, and the decisions of neighboring cities Des Moines and Federal Way. The August 18, 2020 follow-up agenda continued this discussion alongside topics such as committee leadership, a BAC workplan, and flight path presentations.

The Port of Seattle's August 2020 commission meeting addressed a proposal to enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Burien to fund the Miller Creek Culvert Replacement project, which aims to remove failing culverts that block fish passage and restore stream habitat. The project, led by the City of Burien, had completed planning, design, and permitting, with construction scheduled for Summer 2021, but faced a funding shortfall requiring Port involvement. The Commission had previously passed a motion in November 2019 to advance the project, which focuses on environmental restoration rather than airport noise policy.

The Burien Airport Committee held a virtual meeting on July 21, 2020, to discuss several airport-related issues affecting the community, including flight patterns, noise monitoring, and re-engagement with the SeaTac Airport Roundtable (StART). Key agenda items included a potential request for a temporary portable noise monitor in Burien, recommending representatives for NextGen/PBN rollout discussions with the GAO, and continuing discussions on inviting Port Commissioners to meet with the committee and City Council. Draft minutes from the June 16, 2020 meeting also reflected earlier discussions about airport impact mitigation, equity concerns, and a proposed letter to the Port Commission addressing a post-COVID 'new normal' for airport operations.

In a July 17, 2020 email to Burien Airport Committee members, Sharyn Parker urges the City of Burien to accept Sea-Tac Airport's offer to place a temporary portable noise monitor in the city, noting there is currently no monitor near the 'New Route' where Q400 turboprop and jet aircraft continue to fly westbound during north-flow conditions. Parker cautions that site selection is a complex process requiring careful attention to obstacles, noise buffers, and power availability, drawing on her experience with King County International Airport where similar projects took two to four years. She recommends the city respond with a simple 'yes' by the July 24, 2020 deadline and request an extension if needed to properly identify one or two suitable monitoring locations.

In March 2020, the Burien City Council wrote to the FAA requesting a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that fully accounts for the cumulative noise and air quality impacts of Sea-Tac Airport's rapid growth, which saw operations increase by nearly 30% between 2014 and 2018. The letter argues that multiple airport expansion projects — including new terminal gates and altered flight paths — were each approved without significant environmental review, but together have caused substantial harm to surrounding communities. The council also cites a 2019 Ninth Circuit Court ruling that found the FAA failed to properly assess cumulative impacts, and demands the agency conduct a thorough analysis using a pre-expansion baseline of 2013.

This January 2020 FAA document updates a flight procedure at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), allowing the airport's air traffic control tower to automatically direct southbound turboprop aircraft to make a westerly turn shortly after takeoff during north-flow operations, between 6am and 10pm. The change, which applies to roughly 90% of affected turboprop departures, was previously halted after the City of Burien filed a legal challenge. A thorough environmental and noise review found only minor noise increases in some areas, well below the FAA's thresholds requiring further review.

This document outlines the City of Burien's 2020 State Legislative Priorities, presented at the Highline Forum on January 22, 2020. It covers six key areas: affordable housing, behavioral health, public safety, climate change, economic development, and transportation. Notable transportation items include pursuing a comprehensive city transportation bill and securing $3 million for the SR 518 westbound on-ramp to Des Moines Memorial Drive.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals partly sided with the City of Burien in its challenge against the FAA's approval of a flight procedure that routes low-flying turboprop planes westward over Burien after takeoff from Seattle-Tacoma Airport. The court found that the FAA acted arbitrarily and capriciously by failing to consider all reasonably foreseeable future actions at Sea-Tac when evaluating whether the procedure's cumulative environmental and noise impacts required a full environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The FAA had attempted to exempt the procedure from such review by classifying it as a 'categorical exclusion,' but the court determined that the agency's cumulative impacts analysis was incomplete.