TagHighline Community Plan(26)

This document describes the planning study area surrounding Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) Airport, which encompassed the entire Highline School District and portions of the Federal Way and South Central School Districts. The study identified four sub-areas forming an 'airport vicinity' zone — defined as the area of primary airport-community incompatibility — to guide policy and land-use planning. King County holds major planning responsibility for the broader sub-regional area, with the Sea-Tac Communities Plan intended to integrate with the wider Highline Community Plan through post-plan coordination.

This document lists 27 zoning petition files submitted to a planning authority, detailing the zone classification requested and whether each petition was approved or denied. Requests span a variety of zone types including residential (RD 3,600, RM 900), light manufacturing (M-L), industrial (M-1), commercial (C-G), and others, with the majority of petitions ultimately denied. A note at the bottom indicates that none of the cases were pending at the time of the record.

In this letter, resident Mrs. Virginia E. Dana strongly opposes plans to place soccer and football fields under the flight path near Sea-Tac Airport, arguing that the FAA's own density guidelines and safety recommendations are being ignored. She references a 1974 FAA letter stating that certain land uses would not be permitted in extended clear zones with FAA participation, and criticizes Highline planners for repeatedly siting recreational facilities in inappropriate locations near the airport. Dana urges officials to hold public meetings and transparently inform neighboring residents about the planning process, including FAA guidelines and maps.

This January 1987 edition of the Sea-Tac Forum newsletter reports on the Port of Seattle's ongoing Noise Remedy Program, which had already soundproofed 14 homes near Sea-Tac Airport and provided selling assistance to homeowners in high-noise areas. The program, part of a broader 15-year plan expected to benefit thousands of households, was drawing interest from major airports across the country seeking to launch similar initiatives. The newsletter also includes a community calendar of January 1987 meetings related to airport noise, land use, and flight track planning.

A letter to the editor of Highline Times from Sea-Tac Communities Plan member Virginia Dana discussing the Port of Seattle’s acquisition of land north of Sea-Tac Airport for safety purposes and defending FAA density guidelines for the proposed North SeaTac Park. The author argues that the land was purchased to remove residents from an environmentally

North Issue #15 addresses a zoning change proposal for a property in the Highline Communities area near Sea-Tac Airport. The property, currently zoned ML (Light Manufacturing), was the subject of a panel-recommended amendment dated January 27, 1981, proposing a reclassification to SR (Single Family Residential) at a density of one unit per acre. The recommended changes would update both the Highline Communities Land Use Plan Map and the Area Zoning pages to reflect the shift from industrial to single-family use.

Letter from Port of Seattle Policy Advisory Committee Chairman Oris Dunham to Virginia Dana providing status update on the Airport Open Use (AOU) classification in King County Zoning Ordinance. The letter explains the AOU classification’s purpose for economic development near airports and community concerns that led to a recommendation for deletion from the Highline Area

A 1980 King County ordinance amending the Highline Communities Plan to better accommodate senior housing, recognizing that elderly-focused multifamily housing generates less neighborhood impact than traditional multifamily development and should be evaluated on its own site-specific merits. The ordinance also updates cultural facilities policy to encourage public-private cooperation in developing a performing arts theatre in the Highline Community, including through the possible formation of a Park and Recreation District.

This August 1980 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement from King County's Division of Planning outlines proposed zoning changes for the Highline Community Plan, covering areas surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport including White Center, Burien, and nearby neighborhoods. The document maps land proposed for rezoning across multiple subareas, with changes including downzones to single-family residential, conversions to multi-family or mixed use, and designations of land for potential future rezones. It serves as a planning tool to guide land use decisions in communities directly affected by airport noise and related impacts.

A March 1980 memo from King County's Planning Division manager Karen Rahm notifies recipients about the Proposed Highline Communities Plan Area Zoning, a zoning framework designed to implement the land use guidelines of the 1977 Highline Communities Plan. The memo states that a supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement was being prepared and would be published in Spring 1980, after which the zoning proposal would be sent to the County Council for adoption. Handwritten notes on the reverse reference page 56, suggesting a potential rezoning from SR to ML (Medium Light industrial) with consideration of buffer zones around ML areas.