PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.      7a 
STAFF BRIEFING 
Date of Meeting     July 12, 2016 
DATE:    June 24, 2016 
TO:     Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Elizabeth Leavitt, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability 
Tom Hooper, Senior Planner 
SUBJECT:  Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) Briefing 

SYNOPSIS 
This briefing provides an update on SAMP planning. Airport master plans begin with a wide
range of alternative concepts, and generally conclude with one or two alternatives which are
carried into environmental review along with a "no action" alternative. At this time, staff is
presenting results of on-going analysis and not making a recommendation to Commission on a
final preferred alternative(s). As the SAMP team moves forward with additional analysis to
solidify a recommendation for the Commission and prepare for environmental review, we will
continue to work with internal and external stakeholders to flesh out options in other functional
areas, such as airport support facilities and transportation related issues. 

SUMMARY OF SAMP PROGRESS 
The April SAMP planning update to Commission included analysis that determined three key
plan elements are needed to meet all program requirements and century agenda goals: 1)
additional aircraft accessible land in the South Aviation Support Area (SASA) for cargo
facilities and/or aircraft maintenance, 2) hardstands south and north of existing and future gates 
for holding aircraft during peak operating hours and parking aircraft overnight, and 3)
accommodation of widebody aircraft on Concourse B to accommodate growth in international
activity. All of these elements are included in Concept 4 and are now the basis for additional
planning presented in this briefing. 
Airside simulation modeling determined that the airside will reach critical delay between 2029
and 2034 and that aprons for holding aircraft (aircraft hold positions) are essential to keeping 
aircraft moving and reducing delay. The SAMP team has since met with the representatives
from the FAA and airlines to gather input on how best to simulate the use of gates and aircraft
hold positions in another round of airfield modeling. Through additional modeling with a
refined rules base for use of gates and aircraft hold positions, the team is testing variations on
Concept 4 to gain a better understanding of the need for aircraft hold positions south and north
of existing and future gates.
The SAMP team has further refined the north terminal roadways concept and is working to
optimize regional and local access. The team is also developing a three dimensional model in 
order to set the geometry of the north terminal roadways and the gate expansion to the north
Template revised May 30, 2013.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
June 24, 2016 
Page 2 of 3 
within the space constraints of existing roads and Link Light Rail. Work in other areas that is
included in this briefing includes options for landside people movers and various layouts of
facilities in the South Aviation Support Area (SASA) that accommodate commercial
development. The SAMP team is concurrently conducting additional airside and landside
simulation modeling to refine requirements and alternatives. This work is helping to shape
alternatives and a future capital program including: project phasing, cost estimates, locating
support facilities and more detailed planning to set the geometry of gate expansion to the north,
a second terminal and supporting roadways. 

BACKGROUND 
In September 2012, the Port Commission approved scope and budget of $6,000,000 for the
creation of a Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP). Since October of 2014, staff has briefed
the Commission four times on SAMP planning progress, including: forecast results and
challenges associated with planning to accommodate forecast activity; and preliminary options
for terminal, landside and cargo development.
The master plan process provides an opportunity to take a comprehensive assessment of
facilities capacity and forecasted demand over 5-, 10-, and 20-year timeframes. Airport master
plans are typically prepared approximately every 10 years. The last formal master plan for Sea-
Tac was developed in the mid-1990s and was focused primarily on the third runway. 
The primary objective of an airport master plan is to provide a roadmap for the phased
redevelopment/expansion of facilities, maintaining a balance of capacity in all key functional
areas. Overall airport system capacity is limited by functional areas with the least capacity. 
Terminal and landside facilities are generally balanced to the fixed capacity of the airfield.
Through alternatives development and evaluation, the SAMP will culminate in a capital
improvement program and plan of finance that will deliver cost-effective projects to remove
capacity pinch points, increase efficiency, integrate sustainability considerations, and provide a
high level of service to airport customers.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
June 24, 2016 
Page 3 of 3 
ATTACHMENTS TO THIS BRIEFING 
PowerPoint presentation 
SAMP Public Outreach report 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
April 12, 2016 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
January 26, 2016 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
September 8, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
April 28, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
March 24, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Briefing on Sea-Tac Cargo as part of the
Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)" 
January 27, 2015 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Planning Update" 
October 7, 2014 - Commission Briefing: "Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP)
Forecast and Facilities Challenges" 
February 28, 2014 - Commission authorization to amend the existing Sustainable
Airport Master Plan (SAMP) service agreement with Leigh Fisher Associates for IAF-
related planning tasks for an increase of $3,650,000 and a new total contract amount
of $9,650,000 
September 5, 2012 -  Commission authorization for SAMP development and to
advertise and execute a contract for consulting services for the SAMP, with a total
estimated value of $6 million 
August 14, 2012 - Commission deferred consideration of a request to approve funding
for the Sustainable Airport Master Plan (SAMP) 
June 27, 2012 - Commission Briefing: "Terminal Development Challenges"