Proposed Airport in Rural Thurston County Will Stay Under Consideration for Now

Oct. 15—A rural site in Thurston County remains in the running for a new airport, according to a new state commission report.

The Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission initially planned to identify two locations for further study by Oct. 15 and select one preferred site by June 2023.

Instead, the state commission issued a report to the legislature indicating it had selected two options that were already under consideration: building a two-runway airport on a greenfield, or undeveloped, site in either Pierce or Thurston County, and adding capacity to Paine Field in Snohomish County.

This action effectively organized the remaining sites into two options rather than remove proposals from their short list. The report says the commission decided to do this during a Sept. 23 meeting so it could continue to develop a greenfield option.

"The Commission has adopted a resilient strategy focused on a system solution," the report says. "It provides options within options. It continues the analysis on the greenfield options... and it pursues an 'Airport of the Future' approach that addresses harmful emissions and noise."

Community engagement will be a focus for the state commission over the next few months, according to a Friday update. The commission expects to narrow the options by spring 2023 after reviewing the results of an in-depth analysis for each greenfield site.

The analysis will look at local airspace, air cargo, environmental factors, transportation access, infrastructure, cost estimates and more, according to the report.

In 2019, the state legislature tasked the commission with finding a site for a new airport to be constructed by 2040. Such an airport would help meet commercial and cargo demand as Seattle-Tacoma International Airport reaches capacity.

News of the proposals in Pierce and Thurston counties has drawn organized opposition from many local residents, elected officials and candidates during an election year. In Thurston County, the Board of Commissioners has remained steadfastly opposed to any new airport in the county.

The so-called "Thurston County Central" site, still under consideration, has been identified as a circular area that spans six-miles in diameter northeast of Tenino and southeast of Olympia.

Two sites in Pierce County also remain on the table. "Pierce County East" is area south of Graham that state Route 161 runs through. "Pierce County Central" is south of South Creek that includes where state Routes 702 and 7 meet.

The state commission narrowed a list of 10 greenfield sites to those three locations in Pierce and Thurston counties in September.

Expanding Paine Field gathered the most support during an open house hosted by the state commission from Aug. 15 to Sept. 11. A majority of respondents said they supported improving Paine Field to accommodate commercial passenger demand and air cargo needs as well.

As for the three greenfield sites, a majority of respondents to the open house opposed all of those proposals.

The public can submit comments and questions about the proposals to [email protected].

This story was originally published October 14, 2022 11:15 AM.

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