TagNoise Remedy Update(34)

This 1st draft memo from Jay Holman proposes adding an Airport Advisory Committee provision to RCW Chapter 53.54 on aircraft noise abatement. The committee would consist of five citizens living within five miles of the airport, appointed by Port Commissioners from a list submitted by the county, and tasked with meeting monthly to review Port decisions, relay community concerns, and make noise abatement recommendations. Members would serve staggered five-year terms, with new appointments beginning annually in 1982.

This document is a public comment form from the Airport Noise Remedy Update program, inviting community members to share their feedback on an Open House event and the preliminary program boundaries that were presented for review. The form provided a large blank space for written comments, indicating it was distributed to residents likely affected by airport noise near Sea-Tac Airport. It represents part of an ongoing public engagement process aimed at updating noise remedy policies and determining the geographic scope of the program.

This document outlines a proposed framework for an Airport Citizen Participation Program centered on the Noise Remedy Update, which expanded and refined the noise element of the Sea-Tac Communities Plan from 1982 to 1984. It details four key programs — Acquisition, Demonstration, Highline Plan Update, and Noise Abatement — each with specific goals such as relocating 524 residential units, trialing neighborhood reinforcement for 26 homes, and establishing a Joint Committee on Airport Overflights. All programs feed into a public Forum coordinated by the Port of Seattle's Public Information Department, with citizen representatives serving on advisory committees.

This document presents the Noise Remedy Update for Jackson International Airport (Sea-Tac), operated by the Port of Seattle, outlining the overall program boundaries for noise mitigation efforts in surrounding communities. It includes detailed maps showing three categories of noise remedy zones: Acquisition (properties purchased by the Port), Purchase Assurance (properties guaranteed a buyer), and Sound Insulation (properties eligible for noise-reduction improvements). The affected areas span multiple neighborhoods north and south of the airport, including White Center, Boulevard Park, Normandy Park, Des Moines, and parts of Kent and Renton.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport operates several noise programs aimed at reducing the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding communities, including sound insulation, flight track monitoring, and community land-use planning. A key component is the Part 150 Noise Study, which makes the airport eligible for federal grants and focuses on areas within the 65 decibel Day Night Level (DNL) contour, without imposing flight restrictions or shifting noise to other neighborhoods. The program also includes an updated Noise Remedy Boundary that has been expanded beyond the previous boundary to better reflect projected future noise contours around the airport.

The Port of Seattle is updating its Part 150 noise management plan for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which includes revising the official noise remedy boundary based on 2018 future noise contour projections. The updated boundary is generally smaller than the current one, reshaping which properties qualify for noise mitigation assistance. Continuing programs under the new boundary include sound insulation for both single-family homes and owner-occupied multi-family residences located within the affected area.

This quarterly Sea-Tac Noise Abatement Report from the Port of Seattle (Q4 1992) tracks progress in reducing airport noise, highlighting that 71% of jet flights were operated by quieter Stage 3 aircraft, up from 63.4% the previous quarter. All airlines stayed within their allocated noise budgets, and new nighttime restrictions effective October 1, 1992 limited louder Stage 2 jets between midnight and 6:00 a.m. The report also outlines noise abatement flight procedures designed to route departing and arriving aircraft over industrial areas and water to minimize noise impacts on surrounding communities.

The August 1985 Sea-Tac Forum newsletter covers updates to the Port of Seattle's Noise Remedy Program, including plans to acquire 524 additional homes near the airport between 1986 and 1990, on top of the 788 already being purchased. It also announces the expansion of the airport's noise monitoring system from 9 to 11 sensors, the appointment of a new noise abatement manager, and the introduction of quieter Stage 2 and Stage 3 aircraft by tenant airlines. Additional items include a proposed national veterans cemetery on land south of the airport and a call for volunteers to help manage North Sea-Tac Park.

In July 1984, homeowners on 26th Ave. South near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport wrote to Port of Seattle Commissioners supporting the acquisition of their properties under the Noise Remedy program, citing increasing aircraft noise, growing industrial traffic hazards, and uncertainty that had delayed home maintenance. A separate letter from the Port's Director of Aviation to an airline captain acknowledged that non-compliance with existing noise abatement procedures — such as aircraft flying lower or turning sooner than prescribed — was a significant community concern, and noted that the Port was developing computer software using FAA radar data to automatically detect and report such violations.