TagNoise Remedy Program(7)

This document summarizes the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, a 1973 joint study by the Port of Seattle and King County to improve compatibility between Sea-Tac International Airport and its surrounding neighborhoods. The plan examined aircraft noise exposure, air and water quality, and community growth, finding that noise levels were expected to decrease over time due to quieter aircraft technology despite rising flight operations. It proposed a range of noise remedy programs—including property acquisition, purchase guarantees, and insulation assistance—affecting thousands of homes in areas north and south of the airport.

In September 2003, the Port of Seattle Commission considered authorizing a $3.69 million program to sound-insulate 98 single-family homes near Sea-Tac Airport that fell within the projected 2010 65 DNL noise contour and were built before local noise codes took effect. The project, stemming from a 1997 Environmental Impact Statement related to the airport's third runway, aimed to reduce interior noise levels by at least 5 decibels in eligible homes in Des Moines and unincorporated King County. Funding was to come primarily from federal Airport Improvement Program grants (80%), with the remainder drawn from the Airport Development Fund, and homeowners were required to grant the Port an avigation easement in exchange for the insulation work.

A 1992 brochure from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) argues that the Port of Seattle broke its 1973 promises to soundproof homes affected by Sea-Tac Airport noise, noting that only 700 of 10,000 impacted homes had been insulated and no public buildings had been treated despite a recognized obligation since 1988. The brochure opposes the Port's plan to spend up to $1.2 billion on a third runway at Sea-Tac, questioning how residents can trust new commitments when past ones went unfulfilled. It calls on the Port to fulfill its existing mitigation obligations before pursuing further airport expansion.

In 1990, the Port of Seattle's Port Commission passed Resolution No. 3062, endorsing an agreement reached by the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Noise Mediation Committee after 18 months of study by community representatives, airlines, pilots, the FAA, and airport users. The agreement established a Noise Budget and Nighttime Limitations program aimed at reducing aircraft noise levels by at least 50% by 2001 compared to a 1989 baseline, while also expanding the existing Noise Remedy Program to insulate more homes and remove financial burdens from homeowners. The resolution authorized the Executive Director to implement the agreement's terms, including revising airport regulations, entering noise limitation agreements with airline tenants, and installing a Noise Management System to monitor compliance.

In February 1984, the Port of Seattle sent an update to concerned citizens about proposed noise remedy programs near Jackson International Airport (Sea-Tac), including land acquisition, purchase assurance, and sound insulation initiatives. A subcommittee recommended expanding the program boundaries to cover 275 additional residences under purchase assurance and 44 more under land acquisition, with criteria addressing airport-related development buffers and neighborhood continuity. The Port Commission was scheduled to review these recommendations at a Staff Review Session on February 28, 1984.

A 1978 internal memo from Ed Parks to Policy Advisory Committee Members announces a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 6, 1978, at 2:00 p.m. in the Airport Conference Room at Sea-Tac International Airport. The meeting, organized as a joint effort of the Port of Seattle and King County, covers four agenda items: an update on Policy Advisory Committee Reorganization, Sea-Tac Westside Developments, the King County Capital Improvement Program for 1979, and Noise Remedy Programs.