TagSea-Tac Communities Plan(240)

At a June 5, 1979 meeting, the Port of Seattle Hardship Acquisition Committee unanimously recommended the early purchase of Parcel A-447, owned by Mrs. Carrie Cochrane, under special hardship acquisition criteria. The Committee determined that Mrs. Cochrane's physical and financial condition could worsen if she remained in her current home until the regularly scheduled acquisition, approximately two years away. The recommendation was signed by Committee Chairperson W. Thomas Ruttkay on July 20, 1979.

In May 1979, Jeanne Zalud of Des Moines, WA applied to serve as a citizen representative on the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) for the Sea-Tac Communities Plan, citing her community involvement and knowledge of the S.T.C.P. The Zone 3 Steering Committee responded in July 1979, acknowledging her application but informing her that further action on PAC representation had been postponed until January 1980. The committee expressed its position that proper citizen representation on the PAC should come from residents of the affected communities, with north and south representatives drawn from noise remedy areas and east and west from land use areas.

In April 1979, the Citizens Advisory Committee recommended that the Port of Seattle pursue early acquisition of a property owned by Tom Fest (parcel Z-685) under hardship status. The Committee determined that a quick purchase would benefit both parties, urging the Port to promptly establish a fair price and the owner to sell the property as a single parcel rather than subdividing it into three lots. The recommendation also specified that the owner should not be required to pay sewer hook-up costs before the sale unless the Port agreed to them.

This March 1979 newsletter from the Westside Hilltop Area Survival Committee (WHSC) updates Hilltop Community residents on two key hearings: one opposing the Port of Seattle's proposed corporate aviation facility north of South 176th Street, and another challenging a requested rezone of 30 acres of westside greenbelt land near Sea-Tac Airport. The committee reaffirms its position that no airport development should proceed without proper community safeguards, and addresses rumors about residents' legal liability for the committee's activities. The newsletter also notes that the State Legislature approved legislation allowing the Port of Seattle to extend the airport impact zone to include the Hilltop area.

In this January 25, 1979 letter, Washington State Representative John Jovanovich (31st District) writes to Ms. Jean Pihlman explaining that the Sea-Tac Comprehensive Plan (STCP), adopted by the Port of Seattle and King County, primarily addresses the airport and its noise-impacted areas. He urges that citizen representatives on the Policy Advisory Committee — the body responsible for monitoring the plan — should come directly from the noise-impacted communities, so that their needs are properly understood by decision-makers.

This 1979 article from the Port of Seattle's Tradelines newsletter describes the Sea-Tac/Communities Plan, a pioneering cooperative effort between the Port of Seattle, King County, and the FAA to address aircraft noise impacts on neighborhoods surrounding Sea-Tac International Airport. Rather than focusing solely on reducing noise at its source, the plan targeted the affected communities directly through measures such as home acquisitions in severely impacted areas, 'purchase guarantees' for moderately impacted zones, and residential insulation cost-sharing programs. Adopted in 1976, the plan is presented as an innovative model for airport-community compatibility planning, though the article acknowledges it represents only a partial solution to the broader challenges airports and their neighboring communities face.

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.

This document outlines the structure and responsibilities of the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) established in 1978 to oversee implementation of the Sea-Tac Airport Communities Plan. The 12-member committee—drawn from King County, the Port of Seattle, local businesses, government, schools, airlines, and community representatives—was charged with long-term monitoring, addressing special issues, and making recommendations to the King County Executive, Council, and Port of Seattle Commission. The PAC met quarterly at the Sea-Tac Conference Room, with members serving three-year terms and staff support provided jointly by the Port and County.