PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA               Item No.       4c 
ACTION ITEM 
Date of Meeting     January 26, 2016 
DATE:    January 6, 2016 
TO:      Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:   Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Director, Maritime Environmental 
Paul Meyer, Manager, Maritime Environmental 
SUBJECT:  Memorandum of Agreement for Permitting Support between Port of Seattle and
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI)SDCI. 
Est. Total Contract Cost:   $360,000 for up to 3 years 
Source of Funds:        Annual operating Budget and future individual project
authorizations 
ACTION REQUESTED 
Request Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to  enter into a  new
memorandum of agreement with Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), to
fund city staff that will provide liaison services to expedite permitting and land use actions under
the jurisdiction of the City in an amount not to exceed $360,000 over three years. Costs are
covered in project funding. No new funding is requested.
SYNOPSIS 
The proposed agreement is consistent with similar agreements between agencies and has been
done before between the Port and Seattle. It provides funding for city staff from the Seattle
Department of Construction and Inspectionsto expedite the evaluation of Port permits under the 
jurisdiction of the City of Seattle. In addition, the agreement will result in having city staff
familiar with needs and issues of our working waterfront. The agreement sets out the respective 
responsibilities of the parties for the acceptance and expenditure of funds contributed by the Port.
A closer relationship between the city permitting and land use agency and the Port of Seattle is
needed to expedite permit processing as the volume and complexity of permitting actions have
increased over the past year and a half. Currently there are 10 actions in front of the agency for
review and approval with at least three more scheduled in the coming months.
The Port previously was authorized by the Commission in 2010 to enter into an agreement with
the City Seattle Department of Construction and Inspectionsfor similarly scoped liaison staff 
support. When our permitting needs declined, we allowed the MOU to lapse.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
January 6, 2016 
Page 2 of 5 

BACKGROUND 
The  Port  of  Seattle  Commission  has  authorized  the  CEO  to  enter  into  agreements with 
federal and local agencies to fund or provide additional staff resources at federal and local
regulatory agencies charged with the enforcement of federal and local law regarding, but not
limited to, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and local land use,
construction, and zoning regulations. The Port previously was authorized by the Commission in
2010 to enter into an agreement with the City of Seattle Seattle Department of Construction and
Inspectionsfor similarly scoped liaison staff support. This earlier agreement  was in effect
between 2010 through a portion of 2013; the agreement was canceled as the number of Port 
sponsored major construction projects were reduced and additional support was not needed.
A variety of factors have recently arisen that have complicated the regulatory process for marine
construction projects. These factors include: 
1) an increase in the number, complexity, and scope of pending construction project
actions in the last year. Currently there are 10 pending actions with the city with three or
four new actions considered over the next thre to six months. A large project with many
community and land use such as Terminal Modernization draws time and attention from
both City and Port staff.
2) a major change in the underlying shoreline regulations with the City's recent adoption
of the new shoreline master plan. The new shoreline regulations are difficult to apply and
the city and port have already had discussions as to their application to several projects
already. Having persons at the city with deeper knowledge of the regulations and a
working knowledge of maritime activities should decrease permitting review time. 
3) a heightened community scrutiny of port projects, particularly with regard to the
Terminal 5 modernization project. The city encourages public participation of permit
reviews. Having persons at SDCI with more detailed knowedge of Port projects will
make it easier for city staff to communicate with the public and defend their permitting
decisions. 
4) a rise in questions from the community and SDCI regarding appropriate uses of Port
maritime property. Educating city staff of the implicit and explicit uses of working
waterfront property may avoid costly extended negotiations over allowed uses which will
avoid permitting delays.
Executing a formal agreement with the City that provides direct staff liaisons within the Seattle
Department of Construction and Inspections has shown in the past to be an effective tool  to
improve the timeliness of permit acquisition.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
January 6, 2016 
Page 3 of 5 

REQUEST JUSTIFICATION AND DETAILS 
Objectives 
The agreement provides support of a Senior Land Use Planner, Senior Zoning Reviewer,
and a Project Facilitator in consideration of Port funding.   Early and  meaningful 
collaboration  on  permitting and land  use planning  between the Port and SDCI  reduces
infrastructure project schedule and cost risk as the time required to obtain permits from SDCI 
should decrease. Additional benefits from close coordination with SDCI along the permitting
process is reduction of costly and time consuming design changes, advanced planning for
appropriate mitigation requirements associated with construction activity, and early guidance to
changes in City code. Expedited review improves Port competitiveness by virtue of more timely 
permit decision making. 
Scope of work 
The City's SDCI will provide the following services as part of the agreement:
Facilitate scheduling timely pre-submittal conferences and permit intake
appointments; 
Provide timely and accurate information on application submittal requirements; 
Respond to questions and provide follow-up in a timely manner; 
Facilitate coordinated review of projects with other departments; 
Identify process and code issues early in the pre-application and review process; 
Facilitate timely resolution of code and process issues within the Seattle
Department of Construction and Inspectionsand across department lines; 
Provide a timely and predictable process to raise and resolve code and permitting
issues; 
Review projects within agreed upon timelines identified in the project schedule;
and 
Provide a single point of contact for project facilitation of Port projects. 
Schedule 
The agreement is for up to three years renewable on the signed anniversary of the agreement.
Either party can choose not to maintain the agreement after a thirty day notification allowing
the Port flexibility to choose whether to continue the agreement if permitting project loads
decrease suddenly. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS 
Source of Funds 
No new funding is requested. Sixty percent of the funding for the city staff resources on specific
projects will come from capital projects approved by the Commission. The remainder of the
annual costs will come from programmatic planning funds that will be provided from the

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
January 6, 2016 
Page 4 of 5 

Maritime Environmental operating expense budget. Costs for projects needing local approvals
that are under Northwest Seaport Alliance (NWSA) management will be from capital and
expense project design approved by the NWSA Managing Members. 
Costs 
Costs for permit liaison support will be approximately $101,400 per year to reimburse the city
for a 0.5 full-time-equivalent staff support position. Cost will increase by a Consumer Price
Index inflator if the agreement is extended beyond the original one-year term. Estimating a 3%
inflator, the value of the contract over three years is estimated at $315,000. 
Duration 
The contract duration is for one year from the date of execution. The Port may propose annual
extension up to a maximum of two years by providing 60-day notice to the Department of
Planning and Development. Either party may cancel the agreement with 30 days' written notice.
STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES 
In order to position the Puget Sound region as a premier logistics hub the Port will need to
maintain and grow its infrastructure investments.  Timely acquisition of permits and
authorizations necessary for Port maintenance operations and capital projects is a requirement to
meet schedule and budget. The services acquired from SDCI through this agreement will reduce
review timelines through a coordinated process with Port environmental project managers.
Expedited review improves Port competitiveness by virtue of more timely permit decision
making. 
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS 
The following alternatives were considered for accomplishing the work described above: 
Alternative 1  Do not authorize the agreement between the Port of Seattle and City of Seattle
Seattle Department of Construction and Inspectionsas described above. This alternative is not
recommended. 
Pros: 
Cost savings from not funding agreement. 
Cons: 
Permitting time will not decreaseresulting in potential project delays. 
There is no certainty of expedited information of pending changes in regulations. 
The likelihood  of  unanticipated  new  and costly  mitigation  and monitoring  will 
increase.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer 
January 6, 2016 
Page 5 of 5 

Alternative 2  Authorize a memorandum of agreement between the Port of Seattle and City of
Seattle Seattle Department of Construction and Inspectionsas described above.  This is the
recommended alternative. 
Pros: 
Pre-determined SDCI  staffing with institutional knowledge of industrial marine
development. 
Permitting time will decrease, facilitating project timelines. 
Pending regulatory changes will be foreseen, allowing for adequate planning to meet
new requirements. 
mitigation and monitoring activities will be identified early in the permitting process.. 
Cons: 
Extra cost associated with SDCI staffing support. 

ATTACHMENTS TO THIS REQUEST 
None. 

PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS 
December 1, 2010  Commission authorized the CEO to continue interagency
agreements with Department of the Army to fund staff resources at that agency and
enter an agreement with City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development.