Draft Environmental Assessment of the Airport Comprehensive Development Plan Released for Public Review

The Port of Seattle invites the public to review and comment on the completeness of the Draft Environmental Assessment of the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. This document analyzes potential environmental impacts of the proposed plan consisting of:

Twelve near-term projects that will be in operation or under construction by the year 2010, and

Forty-nine long-term projects that would likely will be initiated as activity reaches 45 million annual passengers.

The Comprehensive Development Plan for Sea-Tac Airport updates the terminal/landside development program proposed in the 1997 Sea-Tac Airport Master Plan Update. Since 1997, the airport has experienced profound changes as a result of new technology for ticketing, changes in passenger travel behavior, and increased security requirements. These changes in the aviation industry have been addressed in the plan by maximizing use of existing facilities and reducing the extent and cost of construction that was proposed in the Master Plan Update. The Port is conducting an environmental review of the CDP under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and intends to adopt the Final Environmental Assessment to meet its responsibilities to conduct environmental review under State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) to identify and minimize or mitigate potential environmental impacts.

The draft document as well as a list of locations with paper copies can be found online at www.portseattle.org or you may request a free copy on CD by contacting Brenda Thomas at 206-728-3382 or by email at SEPA.p@portseattle.org. Copies have been distributed to local libraries.

An Open House and Public Hearing on the project is scheduled for Thursday, April 26, 2007 between 6:00 and 8:00 PM at SeaTac City Hall, 4800 South 188th Street, SeaTac. During the Open House, the public can speak with project staff to learn more about the CDP and the environmental review process. A presentation by Port staff will start at 7:00 PM, followed by a formal public comment period. Accommodations for people with disabilities or alternative languages provided upon request. Please contact Cynthia Alvarez at (206) 956-4508 or Alvarez.C@portseattle.org at least one week prior.

Comments also may be submitted in writing directly to SEPA.p@portseattle.org, by fax to (206) 728-3188, or by mail to:
David L. McCraney
Manager, Environmental Review and Permitting
Port of Seattle
PO Box 1209
Seattle, WA 98111-1209