MUKILTEO — A King County judge last week upheld Snohomish County’s lease arrangement with a New York company trying to build an air passenger terminal at Paine Field.
King County Superior Court Judge Samuel S. Chung rejected a petition from Mukilteo and the Save Our Communities group. Their petition, filed in March, sought to void the county’s lease option with Propeller Airports. They argued that the county should have performed a review under the State Environmental Policy Act before committing to the multi-decade agreement.
Chung ruled Thursday that no such review is required; it’s already built into a later stage of the process.
“We are pleased that the courts agreed with us and look forward to moving ahead with this project that will bring so much benefit to the community, including residents of Mukilteo,” Propeller CEO Brett Smith said. “We’re moving forward with the project. We’re very excited to get to move forward.”
Smith said he’s in talks with airlines, which he would not name, about the future terminal.
“There continues to be strong interest,” he said.
Smith also said he would prefer to discuss the project directly with Mukilteo Mayor Jennifer Gregerson, rather than fighting about it in court.
Gregerson said legal action has been necessary to protect Mukilteo from the potential impacts of commercial flights. The mayor said she was disappointed in the court’s decision, but ready to persevere.
“We continue to want to protect our quality of life and it’s an issue that’s really important to our residents,” she said. “We’ll continue to pursue all avenues.”
Controversy over allowing commercial flights at Paine Field has been ongoing since the 1970s.
A 2012 Federal Aviation Administration study concluded that noise, traffic and pollution from commercial passenger jets would not harm surrounding neighborhoods. It looked at 23 flights per day, far more than Propeller has suggested.
The cities of Mukilteo and Edmonds, along with Save Our Communities and two people who live near the airport, sued in federal court in 2013 to challenge the FAA study. Judges signaled earlier this month that they’re preparing to rule on that case in light of Propeller’s plans to build the terminal. They haven’t said when to expect a decision.
Propeller’s option to lease land at Paine Field was approved March 2, with county council members voting 3-2 in favor.
The agreement gives the company three years to design a passenger terminal and perform environmental studies — the same studies Mukilteo and airport neighbors said should be done before signing any contract.
If plans are approved, Propeller could be in town for 50 years. The contract allows them to sign a 30-year lease, with two optional 10-year extensions.
The company would pay for building and operating the terminal. The two-gate terminal building could be up to 30,000 square feet in size.
For now, the company is paying the county $3,575 per month. That’s one-tenth of the $35,755 monthly lease if the deal advances.
Airlines would determine which destinations Paine Field flights serve. Spokane, Portland, Oregon or the Bay Area might be possibilities.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
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