The Port of Seattle Commission and the SeaTac City Council approved a new Interlocal agreement (ILA) to move the community and the region forward. This agreement continues the partnership between the Port and the City which began with the City’s incorporation in 1990 and formalized by the original 1997 agreement. The current agreement was set to expire early in 2018.

The new ten-year agreement establishes benefits for city residents and businesses, and supports the continued operation of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as it serves regional demand and is the nation’s ninth-busiest airport in the U.S.

“Elected officials and staff of both the Port and the City of SeaTac have worked hard over the last couple of years to strengthen the relationship between our two agencies,” said John Creighton, Port of Seattle Commissioner. “The Port is not only committed to working with SeaTac to address the impacts of living next to a major international airport, we also want to share with SeaTac residents the benefits that come from the robust economic activity generated by Sea-Tac Airport for our region. This ILA reflects our new spirit of cooperation.”

Sea-Tac Airport is located entirely within the City of SeaTac boundaries, covering over 40 percent of the City’s land area. The ILA addresses the overlapping statutory authority between the City and the Port concerning such issues as planning, land use and zoning, transportation, surface water management, critical environmental areas and public safety. Sea-Tac Airport served over 45 million passengers and more than 366,000 metric tons of air cargo in 2016, making an ILA critical to the successful operation of the airport and the efficient and timely completion of projects to address operations and the traveler experience.

“This new ILA is a good step forward for the community and our working relationship with the Airport,” said Mayor Michael Siefkes. He added, “There are additional measures to address current and ongoing impacts while providing resources to the City to help with those efforts.”

“This agreement marks a new phase in the relationship between the Port of Seattle and the City of SeaTac,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Courtney Gregoire. “In addition to recognizing the airport’s impacts on the community, the Port looks forward to collaborating to enhance economic opportunities and workforce development in the City.”

More details about the ILA

The purpose of the ILA is to jointly establish a mutual and cooperative system to recognize jurisdictional authorities and to avoid disputes. It provides transparency, predictability and consistency when addressing operations of Sea-Tac Airport and the City of SeaTac, and reduces the potential for litigation between the Port and the City.

New or enhanced elements contained within the ILA include:

Support for public safety and traffic enforcement

Support of traffic impact fees, permit fees and stormwater fees for Port-owned property

Land use and development regulations that meet the unique needs of both the Port and the City

Quality assurance program for Port development permits integrated into the City system

A process for the Port to further support City business license compliance

For more information, visit Port of Seattle  or City of SeaTac online – http://www.portseattle.org/About/Pages/Interlocal-Agreement.aspx.

                                                   – Port of Seattle