TagPSRC(89)

The Puget Sound Regional Council's 2018 Regional Transportation Plan outlines how the central Puget Sound region, which has seen rapid population and job growth since 2010, intends to manage an additional one million residents by 2040. The plan details major investments across highway, transit, rail, ferry, bicycle, and pedestrian systems to reduce traffic congestion and better connect housing, employment centers, and freight hubs. It aims to provide equitable access to the region's natural, cultural, and recreational assets while keeping the transportation system sustainable through projected growth.

The Puget Sound Regional Council's 2018 Regional Transportation Plan outlines strategies to manage the central Puget Sound region's rapid growth, which has added over 375,000 residents and 330,000 jobs since 2010. The plan details investments in highway, transit, rail, ferry, bicycle, and pedestrian systems to reduce traffic congestion and better connect housing with employment centers and freight hubs by 2040. Note: This document focuses on regional transportation planning broadly and does not specifically address Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

Sea-Tac Airport saw record activity between 2014 and 2017, with over 46 million passengers and 425,895 metric tons of cargo passing through in 2017 alone. Passenger growth is slowing — dropping from a 13% year-over-year increase in 2015 to just 2.6% in 2017 — while air cargo, driven largely by domestic freight, surged 16% compared to the prior year. Summer months remain the busiest for passengers, and air mail volumes have shown a steady annual increase throughout the period.

The Burien Airport Committee (BAC) met on February 20, 2018 to discuss aviation capacity concerns near Sea-Tac Airport, including responses to Resolution No. 396, which calls for addressing regional aviation capacity needs in western Washington. The agenda covered updates on several airport studies, an interlocal agreement among four cities to jointly respond to the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and ongoing noise-related efforts such as the Quiet Skies Burien initiative. Draft minutes from October 2017 reflect earlier committee work on scoping questions for the EIS and efforts to coordinate a unified voice among nearby airport-impacted cities.

This December 2011 report from the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) provides guidance on how local governments in the Puget Sound region should plan land use around airports to minimize conflicts related to aircraft noise, airspace protection, and public safety. It outlines federal and state requirements, reviews current and future land use patterns near airports, and offers step-by-step recommendations for incorporating airport compatibility into local comprehensive plans. The document is particularly relevant to communities near facilities like Sea-Tac Airport seeking to align zoning and development policies with aviation operational needs.

The VISION 2040 Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, published by the Puget Sound Regional Council in July 2007, identifies a Preferred Growth Alternative for managing forecasted population and development growth in the Puget Sound region through the year 2040. It supplements a May 2006 Draft EIS that examined four conceptual growth alternatives, adding analysis of environmental impacts associated with the preferred option. The document was prepared in accordance with Washington State's Environmental Policy Act and invites public comment on regional growth planning policies.

This document traces the history of commercial airport capacity and noise policy decisions in the Central Puget Sound region from 1973 to 2006, focusing on Sea-Tac Airport. It covers key milestones such as the Port of Seattle's various noise mitigation programs, agreements with the Highline School District, and debates over building a third runway and expanding Boeing Field. The chronology highlights the ongoing tension between meeting growing air travel demand and addressing the noise impacts on surrounding communities and schools.

In December 2004, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Executive Board adopted Resolution EB-04-01, calling on the State of Washington to take the lead in planning for the region's long-term commercial air transportation capacity, including exploring high-speed rail alternatives. The resolution acknowledged that a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was under construction and would be operational by 2008, but that no additional runway was planned beyond that. PSRC committed to cooperating with state agencies, the FAA, and the Port of Seattle to assess future airport capacity needs and coordinate planning with existing regional and statewide transportation plans.