TagDes Moines Aviation Advisory Committee(53)

Agenda for the Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee meeting covering approval of minutes, complaints/communications, StART meeting update, SAMP update, and workplan amendment discussion. Includes items about supporting city response to SAMP Draft EIS, public education efforts, and mitigation measures research.

Meeting agenda for April 13, 2026 Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee meeting and minutes from the March 9, 2026 meeting. Agenda includes discussion of SAMP updates, StART meeting updates, committee workplan amendments, and support for city response to SAMP Draft EIS.

The Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee met on February 9, 2026, at City Council Chambers in Des Moines, Washington, to address agenda items including approval of January meeting minutes, community complaints and communications, and updates on the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table (StART) and the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). The attached January 12, 2026 meeting minutes show the committee approved its workplan and prior meeting minutes by a 4-0 vote, with one member absent. These meetings reflect ongoing local government engagement with Sea-Tac Airport noise and development policy issues affecting the Des Moines community.

The Des Moines Airport Advisory Committee's draft 2026 Workplan outlines key priorities including air quality monitoring, the SEA Airport Part 150 noise study, traffic impacts, and projected increases in airport operations. The plan addresses noise mitigation measures and public education related to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's expansion, with 2032 DNL noise contours showing affected residential and commercial areas in Des Moines reaching up to 75 decibels. This workplan reflects the committee's efforts to protect community health and quality of life amid growing airport activity.

This workplan outlines a community committee's priorities for addressing the impacts of Sea-Tac Airport's expansion on Des Moines, Washington. Key goals include expanding air quality monitoring, hiring a toxicologist to evaluate the airport's environmental impact statement, researching noise mitigation alternatives beyond sound insulation, and pushing for a more thorough traffic analysis. The committee also plans to conduct a community survey in 2026 to gauge public awareness of the airport's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and guide future outreach efforts.

This document outlines the federal (NEPA) and state (SEPA) environmental review processes related to Sea-Tac Airport, tracing key milestones from initial scoping in 2018 through the issuance of a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in September 2025 and a subsequent court appeal filed in November 2025. The NEPA process involved public comment periods, city council presentations, and a 4-city interlocal agreement, while the SEPA process determined the project required a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), with a Draft EIS expected in Q1 2026. Together, these timelines reflect years of coordinated efforts by multiple cities to formally challenge and scrutinize the environmental impacts of airport operations and expansion.

The Des Moines, Washington Airport Advisory Committee met on October 13, 2025, to discuss matters related to the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) and noise-related community concerns, including a review of citizens' complaints received over the prior month. The committee voted unanimously to recommend adding legal services to an existing Interlocal Agreement related to airport planning, and reappointed Joe Dusenbury as the city's representative to the StART (Sea-Tac Airport Roundtable) noise oversight body. The November 10, 2025 follow-up meeting agenda includes a Q&A session, further StART and SAMP updates, and continued review of community complaints and communications.