My Public Statement for Yesterday's SAMP/SEPA Public Hearing

                July 9th Thursday, Public Statement for SAMP/SEPA Public Hearing

I live in the Cedarhurst Neighborhood, in what Burien city planners call the North of NERA project zone in Boulevard Park. Currently we are facing a double impact from both the Sustainable Airport Master Plan and major city zoning changes driven directly by airport compatibility. Because my neighborhood sits directly beneath the flight paths and experiences severe aircraft noise, the City of Burien is actively pushing to phase out single-family residential zoning in my neighborhood to adapt.

My neighborhood has been mapped as being incompatible with airport usage, and city staff have followed the Airports and Compatible Land Use Guidebook as a map to push this forward. Due to the Airport’s proposed expansion, my neighborhood is currently being targeted for Industrial business rezoning in an historic and fully residential neighborhood. This will create an increased economic and environmental displacement risk in addition to the burdens and impact this neighborhood already experiences. This would also create an increased risk for hundreds of people with existing social, economic, and health vulnerabilities in this Neighborhood. 

Several Burien planning commissioners told myself and other residents at yesterday’s public hearing that this taking of residential zoning is necessary to not subject any future residents to the burdens of the airport. That health and public safety of future residents depend on no longer remaining even on the Burien city side of the current flight path and the situation is made more acute by the proposed expansion. 

The expansion’s 30% increase will add flight capacity equivalent to a new runway without physically paving one and will cause more economic and physical strain on city roads, parks, underground water, and public health for my neighborhood. 

Many residents there I have personally talked to that have lived there for the past two generations and have been steadily impacted by the airport and don't understand how we can be asked to shoulder even more burden. 

Many residents in my neighborhood remember the third runway as the scar that was left on this place without any compensation for burdens felt into today, to carry even more seems at best an afterthought, and at worst, an insult to my neighborhood and the neighboring communities that might meet this same fate.

This experience and impact of residents of this neighborhood is directly because of the airport and therefore the impact of my neighborhood and its pressures belongs in the DEIS.

Thank you. 

Public Comments are open until July 21st 4pm 

what you say will go on the public record, 

Email: SAMP@portseattle.org