TagHighline Community Plan(38)

This document outlines the structure and responsibilities of the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) established in 1978 to oversee implementation of the Sea-Tac Airport Communities Plan. The 12-member committee—drawn from King County, the Port of Seattle, local businesses, government, schools, airlines, and community representatives—was charged with long-term monitoring, addressing special issues, and making recommendations to the King County Executive, Council, and Port of Seattle Commission. The PAC met quarterly at the Sea-Tac Conference Room, with members serving three-year terms and staff support provided jointly by the Port and County.

In 1978, the Port of Seattle applied to rezone a 29-acre parcel on the west side of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport from single-family residential to Manufacturing Park (M-P) to allow Boeing to build its Corporate Headquarters Office Facility. The proposed Phase I development included a two-story, 150,000-square-foot building with underground parking for 235 cars and roughly 200 employees, along with road construction, radar relocation, and site landscaping. The application required an Environmental Impact Statement and raised land-use compatibility questions given that surrounding community plans had designated much of the site as open space or parkland.

King County Councilman Bob Greive wrote to constituents explaining his opposition to Boeing's headquarters relocation into an area designated as an open space buffer under the 1977 Highline Community Plan, which was meant to protect neighborhoods surrounding Sea-Tac Airport from noise and development impacts. Despite protests from nearby residents and three dissenting council votes, the majority approved an ordinance amending the comprehensive plan to allow rezoning from single-family residential to light manufacturing. Greive solicited public opinion on proposals to hold the Port Commission, federal government, and King County accountable for promises made regarding Sea-Tac's impact on surrounding communities.

King County Councilman Bob Greive wrote to constituents expressing his opposition to the relocation of Boeing's headquarters into an open space buffer zone near Sea-Tac Airport, an area designated under the 1977 Highline Community Plan to protect nearby residents from airport-related impacts. Despite his protests, the King County Council voted to amend the comprehensive plan and rezone the land from single-family residential to light manufacturing, with only three of nine council members opposing the measure. Greive vowed to continue fighting airport development that threatened surrounding neighborhoods and asked residents for their input on how to hold the Port Commission, federal government, and King County accountable to their promises regarding Sea-Tac.

The Highline Communities Plan (HCP) is a King County land use and zoning proposal covering the area between Puget Sound and Interstate 5, from the City of Seattle south to South 252nd Street, including Des Moines and Normandy Park. Prepared by the King County Department of Planning and Community Development and issued in draft form in April 1977, the plan was intended to guide land use policy, area zoning, capital improvements, and housing programs for the Highline Communities Planning Area. Upon adoption, it became the official county policy framework for this coastal suburban region located adjacent to what is now Sea-Tac Airport.

The Highline Community Plan, published by the King County Planning Division in November 1977, outlines land use policies and development guidelines for the Highline communities in unincorporated King County near Seattle. The plan addresses topics including development limitations, drainage and pollution, neighborhood stability, transportation, and parks and recreation. It was developed through a structured community planning process under the King County Department of Planning and Community Development.

These documents are from the Highline Communities Plan, a King County planning effort covering neighborhoods surrounding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The materials include community boundary maps dividing the Highline area into North, West, East, and South zones with approximate 1980 population figures, and minutes from a Policy Advisory Committee meeting held August 11, 1977. The meeting, attended by representatives from the Port of Seattle, FAA, Boeing, King County, and community groups, addressed Boeing's proposed office facility on the west side of Sea-Tac Airport, including discussions on site design, landscaping, parking, and a public viewpoint park.