TagLockridge Grindal Nauen(5)

In summer 2019, Burien City Manager Brian Wilson coordinated with partner cities (Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Des Moines) and federal relations consultants at Lockridge Grindal Nauen to review a Port of Seattle presentation on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near-Term Projects Environmental Review, which had been delivered to the Burien City Council on June 17, 2019. The emails show Wilson requesting that consultant Emily Tranter analyze the presentation given by Port of Seattle Director of Aviation, Environment, and Sustainability Arlyn Purcell, in order to help the cities determine their next steps in responding to the airport's environmental review process. Wilson followed up with additional comments and questions on the resulting review, reflecting ongoing community concern about the potential noise and environmental impacts of planned airport expansion projects.

The Des Moines, Washington City Council held a Study Session on June 6, 2019, with aviation noise and policy among the key topics on the agenda. The city welcomed aviation consultants James Allerdice and Jason Schwartz from abcx2.com, along with Emily Tranter from federal relations firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P., to brief the council on aviation matters relevant to the Sea-Tac Airport area. Public comments were accepted for up to 20 minutes, limited to agenda items per Council Rule 10.

In May 2019, Burien City Manager Brian Wilson updated the Burien Airport Committee on the cities' joint effort to respond to the Port of Seattle's Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP), which outlines airport expansion through 2027. The cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac formed an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) and hired the Washington DC firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen to help review and comment on the SAMP's environmental impact process. Key community concerns raised in the accompanying September 2018 scoping letter include aircraft noise, air quality, traffic congestion, and the disproportionate burden placed on neighborhoods closest to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

In a July 2017 letter, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Managing Director Lance Lyttle acknowledged concerns from the City of Des Moines regarding the airport's Concourse D Hardstand Holdroom project, confirming that no additional gates would be added until the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) environmental review was completed. Following this, the cities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac entered into an Interlocal Agreement in March 2018 to jointly hire the consulting firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP for $175,000 to conduct an environmental review of the SAMP. Costs were shared among the four cities based on a per-capita funding rate of approximately $1.50, with Burien covering the largest share at roughly 43%.