TagWestside Hilltop Survival Committee(7)

Washington's Supreme Court unanimously upheld King County's approval of Boeing's plan to build corporate headquarters on a 30-acre site near Seattle-Tacoma Airport, rejecting challenges from a local citizens' group. The court ruled the approval was a legislative action rather than a quasi-judicial rezone, meaning the appearance-of-fairness doctrine did not apply, even though two County Council members had accepted campaign contributions from Boeing employees. The ruling also addressed a separate Snohomish County case, allowing environmental-impact statements for two large residential developments to be submitted piecemeal.

In December 1979, the King County Council passed Motion No. 4668, concurring with the Zoning and Subdivision Examiner's recommendation to approve a land reclassification petitioned by the Port of Seattle (File No. 224-78-R), related to development of a Boeing facility near Sea-Tac Airport. As conditions of approval, the Port of Seattle was required to provide 5 acres for a neighborhood park along 12th Avenue South and to enter into a memorandum of understanding with King County freezing development on a 55-acre Westside Greenbelt buffer zone for ten years. The motion also mandated a separate public hearing in affected communities during the site plan approval process, reflecting efforts to balance airport-related development with residential stability concerns.

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.