PORT OF SEATTLE 
MEMORANDUM 
COMMISSION AGENDA             Item No.      6b 
ACTION ITEM             Date of Meeting   August 14, 2012 

DATE:    July 27, 2012 
TO:      Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
FROM:    Elizabeth Leavitt, Director, Aviation Planning & Environmental 
Dave Tomber, Aviation Planning Program Manager 
SUBJECT:  Airport Sustainability Master Plan 
Amount of This Request:    $6.0 million    Source of Funds:   Airport Development Fund 
Est. Total Project Cost:     $6.0 million    Est. Jobs Created:  N/A 
ACTION REQUESTED: 
Request Commission authorization for the Chief Executive Officer to: (1) approve the scope and
budget for the creation of an airport sustainability master plan (SMP) at Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport, and (2) advertise and execute a contract for consulting services for the
Airport SMP, with a total estimated value of $6.0 million. 
SYNOPSIS: 
The Airport SMP covers strategic planning needs related to coordinating long-term development
of the Airport, and meeting the Commission's Century Agenda goals. The Airport is due to
update its Master Plan, and with the increasing emphasis now being placed on sustainability, this
update will be done as a sustainability master plan, which additionally looks at providing
capacity for growth in a sustainable manner within the limited footprint of the Airport. The
master plan will be developed between 2012 and 2016. This memorandum requests
authorization to create the Airport SMP and advertise and execute a contract with an airport
master plan consultant. 
The FAA (Federal Aviation administration) Advisory Circular on airport master plans strongly
recommends that airports prepare master plans. The FAA is closely linked to the master plan
process in several ways, such as: 
Airport Layout Plan (ALP)FAA grant assurances require that the ALP be kept current.
The FAA approves the ALP, which is is part of the airport master plan. Minor changes can
be handled with a written description, but the FAA prefers to pull everything together in an
updated drawing set when major changes are anticipated.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 27, 2012 
Page 2 of 6 
Aviation ForecastThe FAA also approves the forecast component of the master plan to
ensure consistency with the FAA's Terminal area Forecast (TAF). The FAA wants to ensure
that the underlying assumptions and methodologies are appropriate. Projects must be shown
on an FAA-approved ALP to be eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding. 
EnvironmentalProjects identified on the ALP component of the master plan that require
environmental review need to avoid segmentation. Segmentation can occur when projects
approved individually on a piecemeal basis do not show as great an impact as when looked at
together. A master plan is a best practice that enables projects to be examined holistically
during environmental review in a comprehensive way. 
TransparencyMaster plans have a public element for agencies, users, and communities.
Transparency is a good relationship builder for communicating issues the airport is facing. 
A key component of the Airport's Master Plan is to integrate sustainability. A sustainability
master plan is a blueprint for long-term Airport development that reduces environmental
impacts, achieves economic benefits, and increases passenger experience and integration with
local communities. Traditional master planning looks at accommodating an airport's forecasted
demand and the associated impacts. A sustainability master plan looks at sustainability issues
(environmental, economic and social) as core objectives rather than secondary considerations.
Examples include identifying ways to reduce building area, energy consumption, environmental 
impacts, and carbon footprint. Grant funding may be available from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) for pilot studies that integrate sustainability into master plans, and staff
will pursue this potential opportunity. 
The Airport SMP will require follow-on environmental review, with a total estimated value of
$3.9 million. This will be part of a separate request staff anticipates bringing to the Commission
in 2015. 
BACKGROUND: 
Airports can be described as a three-legged stool, balancing capacity between airside, terminal
and landside areas of the airport. Overall airport system capacity is limited by the pinch point of
the area with the least capacity.
The last formal master plan for the Airport was done in the mid-1990s, and it was focused
primarily on the new third runway. At that time, the Airport handled22 million annual
passengers (MAP). The Airport is now handling far more passengers, almost 33 MAP in 2011 a
50% increase in passenger traffic since the last master plan. Anticipated growth will approach 
40 MAP over the next decade. , and planning studies since the last master plan have indicated
that the airfield has the potential capability of providing capacity up to 55-60 MAP. This growth
is the result of airlines flying larger aircraft with more seats and a higher load factor (percentage
of seats filled with passengers). At the time of the last master plan, Sea-Tac had an annual
average of 59 passengers per aircraft operation, and in 2011 this number had grown to an anuual
average of 104 passengers per aircraft operation. Peak activity drives the need for most facilities
at the airport. At the time of the last master plan, Sea-Tac processed 3,800 peak hour departing

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 27, 2012 
Page 3 of 6 
passengers during a busy day in August, and in 2011 this number had grown to 5,500 peak hour
departing passengers. Sea-Tac will need to plan for an activity level of 8,300 peak hour
departing passengers during a busy day in August at 55-60 MAP. 
The goal of the SMP is to creatively re-imagine the terminal and landside in a way that balances
capacity with the airside, while optimizing capacity of a small footprint in a high-density
operating environment. This will require addressing new challenges and issues that have
emerged in the dynamic airport/airline industry, such as: airline mergers, new entrant airlines for
international service, rapidly evolving technology, increased security, renewal of aging facilities,
increased non-airline revenue, and improved environmental performance.
These challenges will drive many changes to our facilities, including: 
Addition of an Airport hotel 
Long-term federal inspection services (FIS) facility upgrades 
Transformation of check-in lobby 
Higher capacity baggage system 
Facility renewal/replacement 
Improvements that reduce energy/water/carbon and other operating costs 
Modifications to roadways and curbsides that increase capacity 
Increased vertical circulation 
Optimization of (?) Additional (?) security checkpoints 
Preparing facilities for flexibility and change 
Technology and process improvements 
The Airport SMP will define the future vision for the Airport with solutions grounded in a
balance of strategic goals for capacity, sustainability, customer service, technology evolution,
passenger needs, and minimized cost of development through "inspansion." The Airport SMP
will address the following preliminary Century Agenda goals established by the Commission: 
Triple annual cargo volume to 750,000 metric tons. 
Make Sea-Tac Airport the West Coast "Gateway of Choice" for international travel. 
Double the number of international flights and destinations. 
Double the economic value of cruise traffic to Washington state. 
Meet all energy needs through conservation and renewable sources. 
Meet or exceed agency requirements for storm water leaving port owned or operated
facilities. 
Reduce air pollutant emissions by 50 percent. 
Reduce carbon emissions from all Port operations by 50 percent compared to 2005 levels,
and reduce aircraft-related carbon emissions at Sea-Tac by 25 percent.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 27, 2012 
Page 4 of 6 

PROJECT JUSTIFICATION: 
The purpose of this contract is to ensure coordinated development of the many complex
functions across the Airport through a comprehensive approach. A piecemeal approach typically
results in lost opportunities and higher development costs.
The Airport SMP will define the vision for future airport development. It will identify the issues,
solutions, priority, sequence, cost, and financing. Without this master planning effort, the airport
is at risk of moving forward with individual projects that might be in the wrong place, at the
wrong time, at too high a development cost. 
The immediate drivers for this project include several large and significant projects that need to
be integrated into the Airport campus, including the followign: an airport hotel, a long -term FIS 
facility, reconstruction of an aging runway, airfield improvements to improve safety, and
baggage screening system recapitalization that will enhance both speed and security while
reducing ongoing operating costs (a project potentially linked to federal funding from the
Transportation Security Administration). 
PROJECT SCOPE OF WORK AND SCHEDULE: 
Scope of Work 
The Airport SMP scope will include the following tasks: 
Strategic ObjectivesConfirming study goals and focus areas. 
Sustainability  Determine, understand, and fully integrate environmental, social, and
economic responsibilities. 
ForecastDetermining future activity levels for passengers, cargo, and flights. 
InventoryGathering and preparing background data and drawings for analyses. 
RequirementsDeveloping basis for sizing facilities to provide adequate capacity to meet
future activity levels. 
OptionsTesting potential layout options and identifying a preferred option. 
FinancialAnalyzing financial capacity to support decision-making for capital
improvements. 
Implementation PlanPreparing a capital improvement program based on preferred option. 
Airport Layout Plan (ALP)Updating the current ALP for approval by the FAA. 
Public InvolvementCommunicating master plan progress and conclusions to the public
and other stakeholders.

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 27, 2012 
Page 5 of 6 

Early action items in the Airport SMP will support known projects, such as: 
Long-Term FIS FacilityPlanning-level definition for basis of design and environmental
assessment. 
Center Runway Reconstruction and Airfield ImprovementsSimulation and physical
planning to support center runway reconstruction, analysis of requirements for larger gauge
Group VI aircraft (i.e. Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-800), and taxiway improvements that
will enhance safety by minimizing runway incursions. 
Airport HotelCollaborative workshops between Port staff and Hotel Developer, enabling
each party to complete design and construction for respective work. 
The proposed contract for the Airport SMP will provide consulting services for strategic
planning needs related to coordinating long-term development of the airport, meeting Century
Agenda goals and providing capacity for growth in a sustainable manner within the limited
footprint of the airport.
Schedule 
The timeline for the Airport SMP is as follows: 
2012 (Q3)Commission approval. 
2012 (Q4)Begin planning. Determine timing of early action items (FIS, Airfield, and
Hotel). 
2015 (Q3)Begin environmental review. 
2015 (Q4)Complete planning. 
2016 (Q4)Complete environmental review. 
2016 (Q4)Airport SMP Complete. 
A separate authorization will be submitted in 2015 for the procurement of a consultant to
conduct environmental review of the Sustainability Master Plan. 
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: 
Budget/Authorization Summary:               Capital       Expense    Total Project 
Original Budget                              $0     $6,000,000     $6,000,000 
Previous Authorizations                         $0           $0           $0 
Current request for authorization                     $0      $6,000,000      $6,000,000 
Total Authorizations, including this request              $0      $6,000,000      $6,000,000 
Remaining budget to be authorized                 $0           $0           $0 
Total Estimated Project Cost                      $0     $6, 000,000     $6, 000,000 
Project Cost Breakdown:                   This Request       Total Project 
Consulting Services                        $ 5,990,500        $ 5,990,500 
Total                                    $6,000,000         $6,000,000

COMMISSION AGENDA 
Tay Yoshitani, Chief Executive Officer 
July 27, 2012 
Page 6 of 6 

Budget Status and Source of Funds: 
The source of funds for this contract for the remainder of 2012 will be $200,000 included in the
2012 operating budget for Aviation Planning, which is adequate to cover anticipated work this
year. Future costs will be included in the annual operating budgets for 2013, 2014 and 2015. 
The requested contract maximum is based on projected work and historical data for this type of
project. No work is guaranteed to the consultants, and the Port is not obliged to pay consultants
until a service directive is executed and work performed. 
Grant funding may be available from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for pilot
studies that integrate sustainability into master plans, and staff will pursue this potential
opportunity. 
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS: 
Alternative 1) Do not create an Airport SMP. Many projects are anticipated to meet future
growth of the airport, and this alternative does not allow for coordinated development of multiple
complex functions. There is a risk of individual projects being in the wrong place, at the wrong
time, at too high a development cost. There is a risk of project segmentation during
environmental review if projects are not examined in a comprehensive way. This is not the
recommended alternative. 
Alternative 2) Create an Airport SMP using only in-house resources without hiring a consultant.
This alternative cannot be completed within a reasonable timeframe due to the number of FTEs
required to complete the work. Specialized expertise is also needed to supplement skills of Port
staff. This is not the recommended alternative. 
Alternative 3) Create an Airport SMP using in-house resources and a consulting firm with
expertise in airport master planning. Many projects are anticipated to meet future growth of the
airport, and this alternative allows for coordinated development of multiple complex functions.
This alternative will enable the port to develop a vision for future airport development at least
cost. This is the recommended alternative. 
OTHER DOCUMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REQUEST: 
None. 
PREVIOUS COMMISSION ACTIONS OR BRIEFINGS: 
June 26, 2012 - Commission Briefing: Terminal Development Challenges.