Published October 2002

‘Sea-Ev Airport’? It may
be time to revisit issue

The trouble with Paine Field becoming a commercial airport, say some, is that it would invite the sort of gridlock and growth that would snarl traffic and ultimately give Boeing an excuse to relocate its Everett operations one day. In a twisted way, inviting airlines to actually service Paine Field might, the opponents claim, push out the guys who make the airplanes.

Those in support of commercial service at Paine Field say it’s all about jobs and maximizing use of an existing asset. Snohomish County Economic Development Council President Deborah Knutson says, “A key location factor for growing knowledge-based companies is close access to commercial airline service.”

This segment of the economy is dependent on proximity to passenger and cargo transport. Some of these might — and should — complement Boeing’s use of Paine Field for its operations.

From a real estate perspective, Snohomish County’s poor proximity to Sea-Tac as the only sizable passenger and cargo airport in this area may be an Achilles’ heel, according to several commercial Realtors who operate in the light-industrial end of the market and who, because of this, tend to primarily work in the Kent Valley/Tukwila area. Commercial air service at Paine Field would open up significant opportunities here, they say.

The indirect effect of other businesses perhaps finding favor with an Everett-area location simply because of easier access to passenger service is a strong possible outcome as well. Most folks in Snohomish County face a minimum hour-and-a-half drive time to Sea-Tac today. That would be reduced to 30 minutes or less if Paine Field carried passengers.

Paine Field has much to offer as a regional asset: good freeway access and Boeing as a major user already.

According to Dave Waggoner, director of the Snohomish County Airport (aka Paine Field), there’s “nothing legally that prevents Paine Field from becoming a commercial airport.”

So, it seems, the opportunity is there.

Sea-Ev Airport? It would serve the same role that Burbank does to LAX or perhaps San Jose does for the Bay Area. These models work well and spring new industries into the local economies.

Waggoner cautions about the demand side, though.

“Several regional carriers have used Paine Field in the past, but ultimately, locating here didn’t pencil for them,” he says, adding a short-term reality: “Since 9/11, most carriers are struggling to deal with demand at existing locations. And most of the time they are looking at opening in new markets when they do talk expansion.”

What has changed today that might make the discussion worth bringing up again is that as commercial carriers have replaced older model aircraft with quieter, newer planes, the noise issue may be less of a concern for local neighbors. Most of the more entrenched business leaders seemed to cave into pressure from the local neighbor concerns about noise the last time the issue was discussed.

The other change is that the third runway at Sea-Tac is still not up and operating yet. Delays due to further environmental study have dragged the third runway answer down and brought its viability into question.

This airport subject is a hot potato locally. It’s politically sensitive. Good people on both sides of the issue have reasonable arguments for and against it. But the business community was virtually absent the last time the subject came up. Opponents were far more vocal and, ultimately, persuaded the county, which owns the airport, to effectively say no to investing in commercial service at Paine Field.

While Sea-Tac may still go ahead with a third runway plan, there is still a need to move cargo and passengers efficiently.

More than 600,000 people live in Snohomish County, and it is highly likely that many people in north King County would prefer flying from Paine Field rather than Sea-Tac if the option were available to them. That’s a sizable and growing market and might justify the kind of investment that would pencil should commercial carriers see the opportunity and the business community get behind the idea.

Tom Hoban is CEO of Everett-based Coast Real Estate Services, a property management and real estate advisory company specializing in multi-family and commercial investment properties. He can be contacted by phone at 425-339-3638 or send e-mail to tomhoban@coastmgt.com.

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