TagDepartment Of Commerce(48)

In a November 2019 letter to the Washington State Department of Commerce, SeaTac Mayor Erin Sitterley raised concerns about the management of the state-mandated Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Study, which SeaTac was funding to the tune of $150,000. The city questioned whether the study's consultant, Stantec, had strayed from the original technical scope of work, cited worries about monitoring stations placed outside the defined study area, and expressed doubt that the study could be completed on time and within budget. The letter demanded a full accounting of project expenditures—including consultant travel costs from Dallas—and requested that public input be limited until after a draft report was reviewed by the Technical Advisory Committee.

In March 2019, the Washington State Department of Commerce issued a $500,000 Request for Proposal (RFP) to study the impacts of growing operations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on surrounding communities. The study, mandated by the state Legislature, was set to examine issues including air traffic noise, public health, traffic congestion, property values, and economic development in nearby cities such as Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac, and Tukwila. The effort was prompted by Sea-Tac's rapid growth — reaching 50 million passengers in 2018, far exceeding the 30 million projected for 2030 — and aimed to help local leaders and lawmakers identify ways to mitigate negative impacts.

On February 15, 2019, the Washington State Department of Commerce held a pre-proposal conference for a study examining the current and ongoing effects of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's operations on surrounding communities, as directed by Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6032. The conference outlined the project's objectives, scope of work, timeline, and proposal requirements for prospective contractors. The study was part of a broader state effort to understand how airport operations impact local neighborhoods, housing, and community well-being.

Six cities near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, Tukwila, and SeaTac — agreed to jointly contribute $300,000 in local matching funds to unlock an equal amount of state funding for a study of the airport's current and ongoing impacts on surrounding communities. Under the agreement, the City of SeaTac serves as the fiscal and contracting agent, collecting contributions from the other cities and transferring the combined funds to the Washington State Department of Commerce, which will hire a consultant to conduct the study. The agreement outlines each city's financial obligations, dispute resolution procedures, and the process for participating in and reviewing the study's draft findings.