City of SeaTac offers to buy North SeaTac Park from Port of Seattle, pledging $20 million

The proposal comes as the Port of Seattle prepares for a third-quarter decision on whether North SeaTac Park is surplus to its aeronautical needs.

A Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) meeting between the city and the port is scheduled for May 20 to begin discussions on the offer and address any questions from port officials.

“We know that the Port is teeing up for a conversation and a decision in the third quarter of this year where they need to decide whether North SeaTac Park is surplus to the Port’s aeronautical needs,” Young said.

Young also thanked the SeaTac City Council for their leadership on the initiative.

No formal response has yet been announced by the Port of Seattle.

History of North SeaTac Park

North SeaTac Park was formerly a neighborhood located north of the airport between S. 128th Street on the north and S. 144th Street on the south, and developed prior to the opening of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in 1947. In 1974, the Port, with grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), began purchasing the land for noise mitigation purposes. In 1994, the City of SeaTac entered into a lease agreement with Port to manage the open space and developed much the area into a park and recreational facilities. As part of a later amendment, 55 acres of the 205-acre parcel was set aside for future development to meet airport needs.

Recently, activists have expressed concerned about the Port’s long-term plans for the land, especially given proposals in the Port’s Real Estate Strategic Plan and Sustainable Airport Master Plan that suggest potential development of portions of the park for aviation-supportive facilities, including cargo warehouses and parking lots .

One of the primary organizations leading the preservation efforts has been the Defenders of North SeaTac Park, also known as the Defenders of Highline Forest. This group has mobilized community members to advocate for the permanent protection of the park. Their initiatives include the Community Forest Consensus, a petition that has garnered over 3,700 signatures from residents, organizations, and elected officials.

Video

Video of Young’s statement courtesy STNI: Sea-Tac Airport Noise & Pollution:

Here’s a transcript of Young’s statement:

“Next, just want to reflect and extend my gratitude to city staff who put on a fabulous State of the City address last week — our first inaugural and first annual State of the City address — and thank you to the Mayor for delivering that address.

“Want to reflect that during the State of the City address, which I believe is or very soon will be posted online with a transcript of the address from the Mayor, there was a commitment to extend a letter of intent and an offer to purchase North SeaTac Park. That was the big news that was unveiled at the State of the City address.

“Later this — just earlier this evening — I did transmit the city’s offer to purchase North SeaTac Park to the Port Commissioners and to CEO Steve Metruck. So at this point, the offer that has been conveyed to the Port pledges — and just to alert the community of what’s contained in the offer — ultimately the city has pledged $20 million in future investments from capital improvements that the Port will be making and would pledge putting that back into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation in the Port’s name that will be then reinvested into North SeaTac Park for the benefit of this community, making investments in things like beautification of North SeaTac Park, increasing the accessibility of North SeaTac Park, and really making investments that will make North SeaTac Park the kind of amenity that this community can enjoy for a century and centuries down the road for all of our generations.

“Really excited to convey that and excited to await the Port’s response. We have an upcoming JAC meeting — Joint Advisory Committee meeting — on May 20th where we will be having early conversations on the Port’s receipt of that and any questions that they might have so that we can keep that dialogue open.

“Ultimately, we know that the Port is teeing up for a conversation and a decision in the third quarter of this year where they need to decide whether North SeaTac Park is surplus to the Port’s aeronautical needs.

“And so that’s the offer that we’re putting out here — is a plan that would allow them to fulfill their promise to this community.

“So happy to convey that.

“And thank you City Council for your bold leadership on that.”