Several South Snohomish County cities — including Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace — came out against the proposed commercial flights at Paine Field in recent years, citing concerns about noise and property values.
“I don’t think anybody believes it’s a matter of two or three flights per day from Horizon Airlines … once they open the door, it’s sort of like the floodgates are open,” said Edmonds Mayor Gary Haakenson.
Proponents of commercial flights have cited the economic benefits air service will provide, but Haakenson said “no one has yet been able to itemize what those benefits are.”
“The folks who are really pushing this live in Everett and North Snohomish County and want it because of the time it takes to get to Sea-Tac,” he said. “My response to that is they chose to live in the area because of the quality of life they receive, and they are now talking about changing the quality of life for people who live in other areas.”
Haakenson said the Edmonds council has passed a resolution against commercial flights every January for the past three years. Mountlake Terrace has also passed resolutions against the flights, in 2005 and again in June 2008, said John Caulfield, Mountlake Terrace city manager.
Although Mill Creek passed a resolution opposing flights in the early 1990s, it is the only South County city not to re-affirm opposition within past two years.
“Mill Creek would be in the flyover zone,” said Mill Creek Mayor Terry Ryan. “I wouldn’t be excited about that. It definitely affects Mukilteo, Lynnwood and Edmonds more.”
The airlines should be required to use smaller planes, Ryan said, and “maximize the number of flights per day” to lessen the impact.
The impact on residents is a concern for Lynnwood City Councilman Ted Hikel, who questioned how proposed flights would affect South County schools and public buildings.
“I’m sorry that the majority of people in the county apparently feel that inflicting the impact on the south county isn’t important to them,” Hikel said.
Mitigation funds for affected areas are never mentioned, he said, noting that Sea-Tac received $100 million in federal mitigation funds for the third runway.
Very soon, Paine will end up “like another Midway,” he said, in reference to Chicago’s second, smaller commercial air field.
“You just don’t do that to communities and not have repercussions,” Hikel said. “We either rise together or we sink together.”
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