TagKCIA(59)

Preliminary Draft NEPA Environmental Assessment (EA) and SEPA Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared by King County for proposed Master Plan improvements at King County International Airport (Boeing Field/BFI), dated February 23, 2004. Covers FAA review process, public comment period with hearing scheduled April 5, 2004, and potential outcomes including Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

This 2002 executive briefing presents the draft Master Plan and environmental review documents (SEPA/EIS and NEPA/EA) for King County International Airport (Boeing Field), located five miles south of downtown Seattle. The airport, which covers 594 acres and hosts 150 tenant businesses and 479 based aircraft, recorded approximately 290,000 flight operations in 2001. The FAA accepted the Master Plan in Fall 2001 and approved the Airport Layout Plan in March 2002, setting the stage for future development and noise impact assessments.

A King County motion to adopt the King County International Airport’s Federal Aviation Regulation Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Study and to accept federal grants for implementing recommended programs. The motion outlines the airport’s economic importance and various noise mitigation strategies including sound insulation programs, flight restrictions, and a Ground Run-up enclosure.

In May 2002, the Seattle Council on Airport Affairs (SCAA) urged King County Executive Ron Sims to advance the King County International Airport (Boeing Field) Part 150 Noise Study to the FAA for review, approval, and federal funding. The letter highlights years of unresolved noise complaints from nearby residents and outlines a draft review covering fiscal impacts, detailed comments, and prior noise reduction plans. The SCAA emphasized that implementing the study's recommendations would likely carry no negative fiscal implications for the county, but that progress depended on the county promptly forwarding its proposals to the FAA.

This 1998 newsletter from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs covers several controversies surrounding Sea-Tac Airport's expansion, including a 24% cost overrun on the new parking garage, Port staff admitting they lack the capacity to manage over 100 simultaneous expansion projects, and the Highline School District launching an independent study of airport noise impacts on classrooms after failed negotiations with the Port. Additional issues covered include a proposed wetlands destruction permit for the third runway site, plans to extend King County International Airport's runway closer to Georgetown neighborhoods, and legal battles over city comprehensive plans that opposed airport expansion.

This draft chapter evaluates alternative measures to reduce growing aircraft delays caused by airspace interactions between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and Boeing Field, which are projected to worsen significantly between 1990 and 2000. Three main approaches are examined: improving air traffic control (ATC) technology to allow reduced aircraft separations, expanding airport facilities through new runways or reliever airports, and managing demand through flight quotas or peak-period pricing. The chapter concludes that a combination of these measures will likely be necessary, and that action should begin immediately since implementation could take until 1990 when the delays are expected to become critical.

A May 1982 newsletter from the Port of Seattle and King County describing an airspace study examining overlapping flight patterns between Sea-Tac International Airport and Boeing Field. The study found that delays caused by these overlapping traffic patterns were expected to grow gradually through 1990 and accelerate through 2000, particularly at Sea-Tac. The public was invited to a May 18, 1982 meeting to review preliminary findings and provide input on whether to proceed with identifying solutions to reduce aircraft delays.

A 1982 draft working paper prepared by Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. for the Port of Seattle assessed airspace interactions between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) and King County International Airport (Boeing Field). The study analyzed existing and projected airfield capacities, aircraft delays, and the effects of overlapping airspace on both airports, taking into account factors such as air traffic demand, aircraft mix, weather conditions, and runway procedures. Its findings were intended to help the Port of Seattle determine whether more detailed investigation and mitigation measures were needed in a subsequent phase of the study.