MRD left up in the air
Air service seen as either
economy booster or community nuisance

Photo courtesy of Snohomish County Airport/Paine Field A 12-member citizen panel recently concluded a study of the 1978 Mediated Role Determination, which was intended to limit Paine Field (above) to general aviation and aerospace roles. Now, it’s up to the Snohomish County Council to decide the MRD’s fate.

By John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor

Is airline service in Paine Field’s future?

The hotly debated question of air service was supposed to have been clarified by a yearlong study of the 1978 Mediated Role Determination (MRD) by a citizen panel of proponents and opponents of air service. The MRD was intended to limit the airport to general aviation and aerospace roles, such as support for Boeing and Goodrich facilities at the field, but “discourage” airline use.

Ironically, as the MRD was being passed, the new federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 limited the authority of local governments to regulate most aspects of air carrier operations. In 1990, the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act went a big step further by prohibiting airports from “imposing noise or access” restrictions on airlines, since the government had mandated that airlines fly much quieter aircraft by 2000 to remove noise threats to adjacent communities.

Also in 1990, the state of Washington adopted the Growth Management Act, which considers airports to be “essential public facilities” that are to be managed for the benefit of the state’s residents.

At its last scheduled meeting in December, the 12-member group appointed by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon concluded it is the responsibility of the County Council to rewrite the MRD to attempt to give it the legal strength it has never had or to discard it as an historic document that was, at best, a flawed shield to limit Paine Field’s development.

The panel also recommended that the county rely on its comprehensive planning process, mandated by the GMA, as well as the Airport Master Planning processes, mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration, to determine future land use and operations at Paine Field.

Members of the panel included co-chairpersons Ray Stephanson and Don Doran, A.J. Chase, Deanna Dawson, Tom Gaffney, Tom Hoban, Lori Kaiser, Kevin Laverty, Michelle Robles, John Shaw, Hugh Townsend and Mark Wolken.

Both sides praised the group’s civility in the discussion of the emotionally charged issue, but panel members who supported airline service as a way of boosting the county’s economy remained at odds with members of Mukilteo-based Save Our Communities and representatives of several south county communities, fearful that airline service would bring excessive noise, lowered properties values and a degraded quality of living.

Throughout the discussions, Gregory Hauth, president of the nonprofit Save Our Communities group, maintained the MRD is a “social contract. … By exploring the possibility of scheduled airline service at Paine Field, Snohomish County is casting aside an agreement it made 27 years ago with residents and property owners, (and those people) are feeling betrayed.”

During the citizen panel’s final meeting, seven panel members said the MRD is legally unenforceable and should no longer be used as a policy guide.

Businessman and attorney Shaw; Townsend, president and chief executive of Reid Middleton of Everett; and Everett consultant Wolken presented a joint statement urging the MRD be abandoned, noting it has been supplemented by legal agreements and federal legislation since it was approved in 1978. Shaw said “the market” should decide whether commercial flights come to Paine Field, not the outdated and debatable MRD agreement, which has no legal status.

Hoban, chief executive of Coast Real Estate Services in Everett, said, “Closer and more convenient access to commercial (air) passenger service” would generate more economic growth that would “benefit every corner of the county.”

Among others who have urged development of air carrier service at Paine Field in recent years was a Citizens Cabinet on Economic Development convened by Reardon. The cabinet recommended air service be developed to “attract more economic development … as well as provide more convenience for business travelers and residents who now face lengthy trips to Sea-Tac airport in traffic congestion that often turns to gridlock.”

Everett City Councilman and former Snohomish County Executive Director Paul Roberts told the panel the Washington Legislature in 1996 passed laws “recognizing airports as resources (and) requiring local jurisdictions to adopt plans and regulations to protect them. … Protecting air operations at Paine Field is in the public interest.”

Snohomish County is projected to grow from 644,000 people in 2004 to 930,000 or more by 2025, an increase of more than 285,000 residents. The county’s growing economy and an increased population base of potential airline users is expected to eventually attract offers from airlines interested in opening service at the county’s airport, according to several studies.

County Executive Director Peter Camp, coordinator for the panel, said he expects to have a comprehensive report on the panel’s work completed by late January for presentation to the county executive.

Related: Survey finds demand exists for commercial service

Related: Ongoing study will guide statewide airport upgrade