TagCity of Burien(240)

A April 1997 memo and progress report from Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc. (HOK) summarizes the near-complete Sea-Tac Area Mitigation Study, which assessed environmental, traffic, and socio-economic impacts related to Sea-Tac Airport. The memo outlines scheduling recommendations for a series of public and stakeholder meetings planned for May 1997 in Burien, Washington, including suggestions to consolidate citizen meetings and limit City Council sessions. As of the report date, all major project tasks were at 100% completion except the Mitigation Plan, which stood at 99%, with the consultant team preparing to present final findings to the community.

This 1997 draft study assessed the potential environmental, transportation, and socioeconomic impacts of a proposed third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on five neighboring communities—Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, and Tukwila—as well as the Highline School District and Highline Community Hospital District. Funded by a Washington State grant administered through the City of Burien, the study was conducted by a team of consultants and aimed to develop mitigation strategies and funding mechanisms to address impacts on affected jurisdictions. The report reviewed the Port of Seattle's Environmental Impact Statement and proposed independent mitigation measures, while expressly prohibited from being used to oppose the runway's construction.

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.

A 1996 City of Burien memorandum outlines preliminary findings from a regional study on the socio-economic and environmental impacts of Sea-Tac Airport's proposed expansion and third runway. Estimated mitigation costs for five South King County cities totaled $3.05 billion over twenty years, with Burien alone facing roughly $800 million in costs and over $190 million in single-family property value losses by 2020. The study argues that because the airport's benefits are spread across the broader Puget Sound region while its costs—including noise, traffic, and a reduced tax base—fall disproportionately on a handful of nearby communities, targeted mitigation funding is both an equity issue and a necessity.

A 1995 City of Burien memorandum and accompanying draft strategy paper outline concerns about the negative impacts of constructing a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on surrounding communities, including increased noise, traffic, and neighborhood blight. The document warns that heavy truck traffic, expanded air traffic noise 'shadow,' and construction disruption could drive down property values, destabilize local businesses, and accelerate community deterioration. It calls for proactive planning and mitigation efforts, while criticizing the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for inadequately addressing these impacts.

Background material on the 1997 HOK Study. This document packet from City of Burien, Washington dated June 19, 1995, concerns the 1995 Washington State Budget Proviso, Paragraph 16 which appropriated $500,000 of general fund-state funds solely for distribution to the City of Burien for analysis of the proposed Port of Seattle third runway at Sea-Tac