PORT OF SEATTLE
MEMORANDUM
COMMISSION AGENDA– STAFF BRIEFING
Item No.
9a
Date of Meeting
August 23, 2011
DATE: August 17, 2011
TO: Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
FROM: Stan Shepherd, Manager Airport Noise Programs
SUBJECT: Briefing and Policy Roundtable: Part 150 Aircraft Noise and Land Use
Compatibility Study Update
SYNOPSIS:
Today’s Commission update will provide information about the Part 150 Study’s progress, the
study’s ongoing public involvement, and will provide the mayors from the neighboring
communities or their designees an opportunity to discuss the draft recommended noise reduction
options with the Commission.
The Part 150 Study process is designed to identify significant noise areas surrounding Sea-Tac
Airport, and to recommend measures to address existing and future noise impacts on land uses
around the airport. There will be a public hearing and public comment period before the final
study is submitted to the Commission for review. It is expected that the Commission will
consider a resolution in early 2012 approving the Part 150 Study recommendations before they
are forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for review and approval.
PART 150 STUDY UPDATE:
Community Outreach
The Part 150 Study began in late 2009. The Commission has been briefed five times on the
study in public session, providing the public with opportunities to testify. To date, there have
been four large-scale public outreach events: February 24, 2010, in Des Moines; June 9, 2010, in
Burien; October 27, 2010, in Des Moines; and April 9, 2011, at Sea-Tac Airport.
COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
August 17, 2011
Page 2 of 5
A fifth and final public workshop, which will be combined with a public hearing, is planned for
later in the year or early in 2012. The goal of this event will be to formally gather public
comments and to address any questions about the study and its findings. This will be
accomplished through an informational session where the Part 150 consultant and Port staff will
engage with people one-on-one to answer questions. There will also be a separate public hearing
following the informational session where people can make formal comments for the record
either orally or in writing.
All past outreach events were well attended and designed for maximum public involvement, with
a focus on obtaining input on ways for reducing the noise caused by aircraft operations at Sea-
Tac Airport.
Staff has offered, on several occasions, to provide Part 150 information discussions to city
councils and other interested groups. A number of entities took advantage of the offer including:
the Federal Way City Council; the SeaTac City Council; the Des Moines City Council; the City
of SeaTac Hotel/Motel Committee; the Highline School District; the Burien City Council and the
Normandy Park City Council. Members of the study team also met with a couple of community
organizations and a number of elected stakeholders at the local, state and federal levels.
Other community involvement efforts:
• Provided on-going briefings to the Highline Forum to ensure that elected leaders in
communities surrounding the airport are kept informed and have the ability to offer input
throughout the process. To date, there have been eight discussions at the Highline
Forum.
• Hosted five Technical Review Committee meetings where the study team solicited
feedback on issues such as data review and land use analysis. The Technical Review
Committee is comprised of technical experts including land-use planners from local
airport communities, FAA, Puget Sound Regional Council, Boeing Field, Washington
State Department of Transportation, and Alaska and Horizon Airlines. A sixth and final
TRC meeting is planned for August 24
th
.
• On July 12, 2010, provided a special data review session for the public to ask questions
about noise metrics and other Part 150 process questions.
Port staff also continues outreach to the communities around the airport with limited English-
speaking capabilities. Informational flyers describing the public meetings in several languages
were developed and distributed. There also is a dedicated language telephone line where callers
can leave a message in their own language and receive a return call by someone who speaks their
language. Interpreters are available for anyone who requests interpretive services at the public
meetings. All limited English-speaking services will be continued for the fifth and final public
outrach event.
COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
August 17, 2011
Page 3 of 5
Noise Remedy Boundary Maps
As required by the FAA, the Part 150 study is updating the Noise Exposure Maps for Sea-Tac
Airport. The FAA requires airport operators to use its Integrated Noise Model to create the
Noise Exposure Maps and to measure noise with the metric of Day Night Level (DNL).
Updated Noise Exposure Maps are used by the FAA to determine eligibility for federal funding
for programs like the Sea-Tac Airport residential sound insulation program. Funding is provided
to address noise impacts only in areas experiencing noise of 65 DNL or higher.
The current noise remedy boundary was adopted based on the 1985 Part 150 Study, which
calculated a 65 DNL contour using projections of aviation activity in the year 2000. The current
boundary was scheduled to be updated after the Third Runway went into operation. In the
current Part 150 Study, Port staff and the consulting team: (1) Developed a 65 DNL noise
contour based on projections of aviation activity in the year 2016, and (2) used that noise contour
to prepare a new proposed boundary for the Port’s noise remedy program. The new proposed
noise remedy program boundary is smaller than the current boundary due to a significant
decrease in the geographic area that is projected to experience noise levels at or above 65 DNL
in 2016.
If approved by the FAA, the updated noise remedy boundary will define the area in which the
Port may pursue FAA grants for noise mitigation. Homes that were eligible for (but have not
participated in) the sound insulation program based on the old boundary, but fall outside the
updated boundary, will have one last opportunity to apply for sound insulation before the
updated boundary becomes final.
Preliminary Recommended Noise Mitigation Options
Port staff and the consulting team reviewed all the stakeholder input on how to reduce noise in
the communities. Options that have a potential noise reduction benefit for the communities
around Sea-Tac Airport and are feasible are being carried forward for further evaluation.
In the next phase of the study, these prelimary options for noise reduction will be further
evaluated based on several criteria including noise reduction significance, funding eligibility,
availability of both airport revenues and FAA grants, and whether significant progress on
completing them can be accomplished within a five-year timeframe.
Following are the items that will be carried forward for further evaluation in the Part 150
process.
• Single Family Sound Insulation – Continue offering sound insulation to eligible homes
within the updated noise remedy boundary;
COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
August 17, 2011
Page 4 of 5
• Air Conditioning – Include air conditioning with the standard insulation package for
single family homes within the updated noise remedy boundary that have not been
previously insulated and do not already have air conditioning;
• Multi Family Owner-Occupied Sound Insulation – Offer sound insulation programs to
eligible multi-family, owner-occupied residences (condominiums) inside the updated
noise remedy boundary;
• Multi-Family Tenant-Occupied Sound Insulation – Offer sound insulation programs
to eligible apartment buildings inside the updated noise remedy boundary;
• Mobile and Manufactured Homes Avigation Easements – Offer to purchase avigation
easements for mobile and manufactured homes on private land within the updated noise
remedy boundary;
• South Approach Transition Zone (ATZ) Voluntary Buyouts – Offer to purchase
residential properties experiencing noise levels of 65 DNL or greater in the South ATZ of
the Third Runway and offer relocation benefits. This is anticipated to be a voluntary
program. If acquired, the parcels must be used in the future as commercial/industrial
land, or other compatible, nonresidential uses.
• Church Sound Insulation Feasibility Study – Initiate a sound insulation study to
evaluate the noise levels at churches located within the updated noise remedy boundary.
Hush House Feasibility Study
The consulting team is evaluating potential locations for a hush house on the airfield. If
approved through the Part 150, the hush house would potentially be funded 80% by FAA grants
and the remainder paid for by all airlines in proportion to their frequency of operations via
charges to the landing fee. A hush house, or Ground Run-up Enclosure (GRE), is a large three-
sided structure in which aircraft perform required engine testing and can have a quantifiable
noise reduction impact. The hush house evaluation began with six general locations on the
airfield. Due to the limited amount of available land at Sea-Tac, each location presents some
difficult tradeoffs. The consulting team is further evaluating a few sites.
NEXT STEPS:
• Prepare draft recommendations in fall of 2011;
• Evaluate the flight tracking and noise monitoring system for potential technology
improvements;
• Evaluate noise abatement programs for potential improvements, including ways to
improve the Fly Quiet program;
• Host one more Technical Review Committee meeting on or about August 24, 2011;
COMMISSION AGENDA
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer
August 17, 2011
Page 5 of 5
• Prepare a draft Noise Compatibility Plan (NCP), which includes draft recommendations
for public review;
• Brief Port Commission on draft NCP;
• Host the final public outreach event including a formal public hearing and comment
process in late 2011;
• Prepare any state environmental documentation needed based on proposed NCP;
• Brief Port Commission on public outreach event and final NCP;
• Prepare final NCP to be submitted to the FAA;
• Commission briefing and resolution adopting NCP; and
• FAA starts 180-day review period in early 2012.
OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS BRIEFING:
PowerPoint Presentation
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS:
• June 28, 2011 – Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Upate Briefing held in
Federal Way.
• October 26, 2010 – Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Update Briefing.
• June 22, 2010 – Part 150 Noise and Land Use Compatibility Update Briefing.
• March 23, 2010 – Part 150 Noise and Land Compatibility Study Update held in
Normandy Park.
• February 23, 2010 – Briefing and Policy Roundtable with Mayors (or their
representatives) from Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, SeaTac and
Tukwila.
• November 23, 2009 – Authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to update the Part
150 Noise Compatibility Plan for an overall approximate cost of $2.5 million,
representing an increase of $1.5 million over the previously authorized amount.
• June 23, 2009 – Authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to procure and execute a
contract for consultant services to implement an update to the Part 150 Noise
Compatibility Plan for an estimated cost of $500,000 to $1.0 million.
