TagKing County(456)

The Port of Seattle is requesting $900,000 to continue its Economic Development Partnership (EDP) program, which provides grants of $5,000–$60,000 to King County cities for local economic development projects such as small business assistance, tourism promotion, and workforce development. In the 2022–2023 cycle, 27 cities participated and collectively leveraged over $1.6 million in matching resources, supporting nearly 700 businesses and generating millions of marketing impressions. For 2024, the program is shifting to one-year contracts to better align with cities' biennial budget timelines.

Washington State Senate Bill 5955 creates a 'port district equity fund' to help large port districts, such as the Port of Seattle operating Sea-Tac International Airport, pay for aircraft noise mitigation programs in nearby communities. The bill provides an initial one-time appropriation for FY 2025, followed by ongoing funding of up to $10 million per year drawn from sales and use taxes on capital construction projects within the district. It also requires port districts to apply for fund resources to repair or replace noise mitigation equipment that is no longer working or has caused structural damage to properties, with port districts required to match at least half of the Legislature's contribution.

This SeaTac Historical Tour Guide brochure outlines 15 significant historical sites in the City of SeaTac, Washington, tracing the area's development from its origins as a Fort Steilacoom-Fort Bellingham military road corridor through early pioneer settlement, agricultural growth, and Japanese-American communities. It documents the transformation of the region into a major aviation hub, including the evolution of Bow Lake Airport into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which opened officially in 1947 after the Port of Seattle Commission voted to develop it into a major commercial airport serving the Puget Sound area.

The Burien City Council met on November 20, 2023 to consider accepting a King County offer of $1 million and 35 pallet shelters to establish emergency temporary housing for homeless residents, with the offer set to expire November 27, 2023. The council reviewed several potential sites, including a vacant lot in Boulevard Park and a Seattle City Light-owned lot, as well as potential funding sources from city ARPA allocations across economic development and human services budgets. No action was required if the council chose not to proceed, but a motion template was provided for selecting a site and funding source if they wished to move forward.

Hillgrove Cemetery, located on 200th Street South in the Highline District of Seattle, is a historic private burial site consisting of 57 individually owned plots that serves as a significant link to the ethnic and pioneer heritage of the Highline/Des Moines area of south King County. The cemetery is surrounded on three sides by Port of Seattle land — the agency that operates Sea-Tac Airport — which erected the chain-link fence enclosing the property. Nominated to the King County Register of Historic Places, the site commemorates early settlers whose activities shaped the region's economic and civic development, including road-building, milling, transportation, and farming that contributed to what became Seattle's Pike Place Market.

A nomination letter from Geraldine Van Notric, a Hillgrove Cemetery Board Member, requests that Hillgrove Cemetery — located near Sea-Tac International Airport at 200th Street and 16th Ave. So. — be designated a King County Historic Site under Ordinance No. 4828. The cemetery, established with its first burial in 1900 and formally organized as an association in 1923, contains graves of pioneers who shaped the Highline area's economic development, as well as military veterans from the Civil War and World War I. The nomination emphasizes that the designation would provide community recognition and protection for the site, not serve as a request for county repair funds.

This King County technical paper explains the difference between historic resource inventories and formally designated landmarks, clarifying that not every old building with a plaque is an officially recognized landmark. It describes the various levels of government — federal, state, county, and municipal — that maintain separate landmark registers, each with their own designation criteria, age requirements, and property-owner protections. The document also outlines several major inventory programs, including the King County Historic Resources Inventory and the Washington State Archaeological Site Inventory, which serve as research tools for identifying properties that may qualify for landmark status.