A review of the 27-year-old agreement that guides the use of Paine Field is long overdue. Now that it’s in the works, clarity about whether commercial passenger service is in the county airport’s future may finally be on the way.
Despite claims to the contrary, the Mediated Role Determination – a combination of documents negotiated in the 1970s – is anything but clear regarding scheduled passenger service. While uses such as charter service, large transport training operations and air cargo aviation are clearly discouraged in the MRD, there is no mention of scheduled airline service.
Is discouragement of airline service implied? Who knows?
Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon is forming a panel to review this and other questions about Paine Field’s future. Mukilteo Mayor Don Doran, who opposes commercial air service, and Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson, whose vision team supports it, have been asked to co-chair the panel.
Much has changed since 1978, when the MRD was adopted. The population immediately south of the airport has grown, as it has in the rest of the county. That means current air traffic out of Paine affects more people now. It also means more people countywide would benefit from being able to fly out of Everett rather than navigating unpredictable traffic on I-5 between here and Sea-Tac International Airport.
Airplanes have gotten significantly quieter in 27 years, so the noise generated from each flight is much less.
The northward population push from King County is reaching a critical point for Snohomish County, which is expected to have 300,000 more residents by 2025. Today, 40 percent of the workers who live here commute to jobs outside the county. Will we be little more than a bedroom community, with all the commuting miles and the narrow tax base that entails, or will we be able to attract major new employers who will keep workers close to home? Many such businesses won’t locate here if commercial air service isn’t available nearby.
No airline currently is knocking on Paine Field’s door, so a quick decision isn’t necessary. That day likely is coming, though, so it’s a good time to begin clarifying the airport’s potential role.
Those opposed to commercial service would be wise to keep an open mind during this process. If, despite opponents’ best efforts, the county finally decides to allow commercial service at Paine, opponents will want to be in the best position possible to negotiate limits on it.
No one is lobbying for Sea-Tac North. A realistic picture of Paine Field’s future probably looks more like small airports in Pasco and Walla Walla, where a small terminal services a few regional flights per day. It’s a picture that, for the good of the entire county, needs to be considered.
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