Runway Battle To Land In Court -- Regional Panel Oks Sea-Tac Expansion; Long Legal Fight Looms

SEATAC - The political battle over a Sea-Tac third runway is over. Now the legal battle begins.

As early as next week, third-runway opponents will ask the courts to block the project approved yesterday by the Puget Sound Regional Council.

The Airport Communities Coalition, made up of cities near the airport and the Highline School District, intends to challenge the planning process used to select the site and the environmental analysis done on the project's impact.

"We don't think this has been planned consistent with how regional planning should be done," said Peter Kirsch, a Washington, D.C., attorney hired by the cities.

Runway designers, meanwhile, are ready to shop for fill dirt and start buying out homeowners in the path of the project.

The project was approved by 84 percent of the members of the regional council, made up of about 475 representatives from King, Pierce, Snohomish and Kitsap counties.

Still to come is official approval of the $455 million job by the Port of Seattle, which operates Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That vote could occur July 23.

In addition, the Port needs permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand the airport, and from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill nearby wetlands. Neither agency is expected to deny permission, but appeals and delays could drive up costs and threaten the project.

Officials already have begun a study to identify sources for

the 20 million cubic yards of dirt needed to fill a nearby ravine. The proposed 8,500-foot runway would be almost 200 feet above ground level.

The study will be done in September, about the same time the Port could begin buying 270 homes in the path of the runway.

In yesterday's decision, King County's votes were evenly split for and against the project, while Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap counties were strongly in favor.

Cities opposing the project were Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way and Tukwila.

Votes are allocated to cities and counties based on population and property values.

Port officials say they need the new runway because Sea-Tac has been pushed to capacity and only one runway can be used in bad weather.

Yesterday's vote brought a sigh of relief to residents of cities such as Redmond and Arlington, once listed as potential sites for a new regional airport. The Sea-Tac expansion, they believe, will eliminate the need for a new airport anytime soon.

Michael Feldman, in charge of airport planning, said Sea-Tac already has surpassed the number of flights projected for 2002. With expansion, he said, it could handle traffic until 2030.

Not everyone agrees.

Foes predict the airport will hit another logjam between 2010 and 2020, even with the third runway. That means 10 years from now, planners could be tiptoeing to the north or south, looking for a new airport site.

Many officials yesterday talked about the airport's important economic role. "We need infrastructure to take our goods to market. That includes railroads and highways, and it includes runways. We need all those things to make it work," said Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, who voted for expansion.