TagKing County Council(44)

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.

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.

In December 1979, the King County Council passed Motion No. 4668, concurring with the Zoning and Subdivision Examiner's recommendation to approve a land reclassification petitioned by the Port of Seattle (File No. 224-78-R), related to development of a Boeing facility near Sea-Tac Airport. As conditions of approval, the Port of Seattle was required to provide 5 acres for a neighborhood park along 12th Avenue South and to enter into a memorandum of understanding with King County freezing development on a 55-acre Westside Greenbelt buffer zone for ten years. The motion also mandated a separate public hearing in affected communities during the site plan approval process, reflecting efforts to balance airport-related development with residential stability concerns.

In an August 17, 1979 letter to the King County Council, Irene Jones, chairperson of Zone 3 meetings, conveyed strong opposition from local residents to developing a recreational park in the North Sea-Tac area near the airport. Attendees at a public meeting cited safety concerns, high noise levels, and potential tax burdens as reasons against the park plan, arguing that the land should first be fully acquired by the POS before any development is considered. Residents emphasized that their top priority was relief through noise-acquisition, purchase assurance, and sound insulation programs for their existing properties.

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.

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.

Minutes from a May 12, 1977 Policy Advisory Committee meeting at Sea-Tac International Airport, covering Boeing's preliminary proposal to build its corporate headquarters on approximately 12 acres on the airport's west side. The proposal required an amendment to the Sea-Tac/Communities Plan and raised community concerns about traffic, parking, landscaping, and the potential relocation of a planned viewpoint park. Port of Seattle officials emphasized that any development would need extensive buffering, no westerly road access, and maximum community participation in the decision-making process.

Ordinance 77-106, introduced in March 1977, established the Airport Open Use (AOU) zoning classification for areas around major airports like Sea-Tac, allowing compatible economic activities such as agriculture, public parks, commercial recreation, and public utility facilities while protecting neighboring residential areas. The ordinance sets strict conditions on signage, building setbacks, landscaping buffers, and livestock density to minimize conflicts with adjacent residential zones. Uses like golf courses, outdoor storage, and cemeteries require conditional use permits when the property borders residential (R or S) zones.

This document contains materials from the 1977 Highline Communities Plan, outlining the legal and administrative framework governing the Highline area near Sea-Tac Airport in King County, Washington. It references key planning documents including the 1964 King County Comprehensive Plan and the 1976 Sea-Tac Communities Plan, which sought to balance airport operations with surrounding residential communities through noise mitigation measures such as property acquisition, insulation programs, and land use controls. A 1976 memo from the Highline Communities Plan Committee also requests that Forward Thrust funds not be reallocated until the Highline Communities Plan was formally adopted.

In a March 1976 letter to Councilwoman Bernice Stern, Seattle resident Virginia Dana raises concerns about 'redlining' and FHA mortgage commitments affecting homeowners near Sea-Tac Airport, citing the impact of noise maps and inconsistent land acquisition policies on property marketability. Dana, a citizen participant in the Sea Tac Communities Plan, also submits a statement praising the collaborative community planning effort and urging the Port of Seattle and King County to formally adopt the Plan without delay. She calls for continued monitoring of airport noise programs and stresses that residents who engaged in good faith throughout the process deserve a finalized, implemented plan.