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New letter in preparation from Mercer Island Mayor to Renton Airport Director
The Mercer Island City Council and Mayor have predictably grown tired of Renton Airport’s new night-time jet traffic whizzing over their homes, less than 400 feet above their treetops.
Many of us familiar with Renton Airport could see this coming. Renton’s new Public Works Director and Renton Airport Director pushed out five propeller-aircraft businesses this past year and began encouraging private jet activities despite numerous warnings that this would result in many night-time noise complaints. This new focus on business jets and commercial turboprops was contrary to Renton’s Airport Sustainability Management Plan, a guiding document that the FAA sponsored and our Renton Airport Advisory Committee created specifically to ensure long-term airport harmony with the surrounding community.
Mercer Island is now asking Renton to try to direct the new jet traffic further away from their treetops. They want the jets to either climb over the Lake Washington channel between Mercer Island and Kennydale, or make a steeper climb to increase their clearance above their Island. Their concerns are safety as well as noise, as these jets can be going 200-300 miles per hour as they cross the middle of Mercer Island.
It remains to be seen whether their traffic pattern requests are possible, and whether these changes would be enough to stem the increasing complaints from residents of Mercer Island. And while these traffic pattern suggestions seem like reasonable recommendations, they may unfortunately increase jet noise in the Kennydale community with closer aircraft and steeper climb outs.
Our South Renton and Talbot Hill neighborhoods are also getting new night-time jet noise south of the airport. This didn’t have to happen, and it should not be allowed to get worse.
I recommend Renton residents tell our City Council and Mayor to stop encouraging new jet tenants, and restore a strong bias toward propeller-powered aircraft that better serve our Renton community.
Below is a draft letter that captures the Mercer Island Council’s concerns and suggestions. This letter will go before the Mercer Island City Council for approval on September 16. If the final version has any changes, I’ll post it.
[Update as of September 16: This letter was unanimously approved as the ninth item on the Consent Agenda at the September 16th Mercer Island City Council meeting]
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