A 50-signature petition from residents near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has forced a public hearing on the Port of Seattle's proposed Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Near Term Projects, a 31-project package that includes a second terminal and 19 additional aircraft gates.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, from 4 to 6 p.m., in hybrid format at the SEA Airport Conference Center and online. Verbal comments will be recorded and transcribed into the official public record for the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Draft Environmental Impact Statement, according to the Port. The SEPA file number is 2026-01.

Brian Davis of the Burien Airport Committee told South King Media that community action triggered the session under state law.

"This hearing is the result of action taken by people in the airport communities," Davis said. "We circulated a petition and easily met the 50 signature requirement contained in state law. In addition, the law requires a hearing if two or more impacted cities requested one. The city managers of Des Moines and Burien did so."

Davis noted that the hearing gives residents direct access to the elected officials who hold the final decision.

"This means people will have the chance to speak directly to the Port commissioners who will ultimately vote on the projects in the airport expansion plan," he said. "None of the commissioners attended the Port's open houses last week."

What the plan contains

The SAMP Near Term Projects comprise 31 proposed improvements the Port says are intended to increase efficiency, safety, access and support facilities at Sea-Tac. Beyond the second terminal and concourse with 19 additional gates, the package includes an elevated busway linking the rental car facility with the new and existing terminals, expanded cargo facilities, roadway realignments and other infrastructure work.

For an airport that has operated near capacity, the gate count is the operative number. Nineteen additional contact positions would expand the airside envelope for airline scheduling and could shift capacity constraints from stand availability to airspace and runway throughput — questions the environmental review is designed to test.

The Port frames the Draft Environmental Impact Statement as an impartial analysis of potential environmental impacts before commissioners decide. The document also evaluates reasonable alternatives and identifies measures that could avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts. What it does not do is approve anything; the commissioners retain the vote on each project in the plan.

How to participate

Residents can attend in person at the SEA Conference Center on the mezzanine level of the airport at 17801 International Blvd. in SeaTac, or join online through the Port of Seattle Commission Meetings portal. Comments on the DEIS may also be submitted by email, U.S. mail or through the project's online comment portal.

Paper copies of the SAMP are available for review at nine locations: the airport office building at SeaTac, Port of Seattle headquarters at Pier 69 in Seattle, and public libraries in Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac (Valley View), Federal Way (320th), White Center, Tukwila and Vashon.

The Port's contact for the process is Steve Rybolt, Senior Environmental Program Manager, reachable at (206) 787-5527 and [email protected].

The July 9 hearing marks the point at which community opposition moves from petitions and open houses into the formal SEPA record. What the commissioners hear — and how the DEIS weighs 19 new gates against the environmental consequences for Burien, Des Moines and neighboring cities — will shape the vote that determines whether the expansion proceeds as proposed.