City staff urges review of Port’s SeaTac draft EIS; comment period ends July 21

Community Development Director Rebecca Deming updated the council on the SeaTac Sustainable Airport Master Plan and the Port of Seattle's draft Environmental Impact Statement, released May 22. Deming said the Port is the SEPA lead and the draft generally relies on previous FAA NEPA work; the City requested but did not receive a 90‑day comment window, leaving the 60‑day period that closes July 21.

Deming said the draft EIS identifies transportation as the only category requiring mitigation and that most other impacts were categorized as not significant because of regulatory requirements or prior analysis. She told council the City estimated the draft runs to thousands of pages and has begun staff and consultant review; consultants Pertit and Leland, engaged through the interlocal agreement, are assisting with the coordinated response alongside the City's legal team.

The City is participating in an interlocal review with neighboring jurisdictions and plans public outreach: the city and Burien will hold a joint public meeting for residents on July 14 at Burien's chambers, and written comments may be submitted online, by email or by mail to the Port. Deming emphasized litigation‑related questions are being reserved for a future executive session.

Council members pressed staff on technical points. Council Member Harris asked how the EIS quantifies the effect of one intersection on another and whether the City will produce a joint comment letter; Deming said the three cities intend a shared SEPA response with unified SEPA official signatures. Deputy Mayor Jean Oxiger asked whether the airport had an established capacity measure; Deming said capacity estimates change over time and cautioned that the EIS’s "no‑action" baseline appears to assume continued growth — a point the City is examining.

Next steps: Des Moines staff will continue coordinated review with partner cities and the City's consultants, finalize a joint comment letter, and hold the July 14 public meeting in Burien. The 60‑day comment period currently closes July 21.