The County Council spent 3 � years working on this ordinance. We held numerous public hearings and attempted to address the public's concerns. Many of the same concerns were mentioned during our Oct. 29^th Public Hearing.

FCCs are permitted by the Growth Management Act and there are certain requirements in the state statute for locating FCCs.  By the time the Council approved the ordinance we added requirements that went beyond those requirements of the State.

 When the moratorium came up some months ago via an emergency ordinance, I questioned the Prosecuting Attorney's office regarding the ability for an application to vest. The alleged reason the moratorium was an emergency some months ago was based on the fear that one can vest such an application.

The PA's office has informed the Council in no uncertain terms that an FCC application cannot vest. Per the ordinance, a FCC requires a "development agreement" - not the same as a typical development application that can vest. That fact alone allows the Council to change the requirements/regulations for an FCC at any time during the process. No emergency exists - or ever existed.  

However, upon consideration of testimony at the Oct 29^th hearing, I came to the conclusion that the ordinance can and should be revisited for consideration of appropriate revisions. I believe that 6 months is adequate time to consider revisions, and I supported the six-month moratorium.

John Koster

Paine Field: Let's Take a Breath

By County Councilmember John Koster

It is plain to see that emotions run high about commercial air service at Paine Field. Let's all take a deep breath, step back from the heat of the issue for a moment, and take a sober look at the realities of the situation...

See the entire speech