Port commissioners not interested in deal to own Boeing Field

Nearly a year ago, King County Executive Ron Sims and then-Port of Seattle Chief Executive Mic Dinsmore announced a blockbuster deal that would give Boeing Field to the Port and a 33-mile trail to the county. But this week Dinsmore's successor, Tay Yoshitani, said Port commissioners aren't interested in owning the airport.

"We have pretty much concluded — for a number of reasons — that it doesn't make sense for us to own" Boeing Field, Yoshitani said in a speech to the Rotary Club of Seattle Wednesday. "We just don't see the value in the Port taking on that financial responsibility."

The swap proposed by Sims and Dinsmore called for the Port to spend $169 million to help the county buy a rail corridor from Renton to Woodinville and develop it as a 33-mile trail. In return, the Port would get Boeing Field, also known as King County Airport, and waterfront land where it could build a new rail yard, helping it compete with other West Coast ports.

Sims' top aide said Yoshitani's announcement isn't a deal-killer. "We continue to be in negotiations with the Port commission. We're having ongoing conversations," said Kurt Triplett, Sims' chief of staff.

In his speech, Yoshitani said the commission supports the idea of the public buying the rail corridor from BNSF Railway. And he said the Port is still willing to put "significant dollars toward such a purchase." But he didn't say how much that might be. He also said the Port would be willing to manage the airport for King County as long as it didn't cost the Port, according to a transcript made available Thursday.

Yoshitani declined through a spokesman to comment Thursday on his speech, his first major public address since coming to Seattle.

The rail-to-trail deal has hit several snags since Sims and Dinsmore unveiled it last October. Metropolitan King County Council members have criticized it because of fears that the Port would run commercial flights out of Boeing Field, which neighboring residents oppose. Rail advocates have argued that the corridor should be preserved for future train use. And a majority of Port commissioners don't want to own Boeing Field because "we don't know what we're going to do with it," Port Commissioner Alec Fisken said.

A key issue for the Port is how to keep Boeing Field from competing with its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That was a major concern when Southwest Airlines proposed two years ago moving its flights from Sea-Tac to Boeing Field.

Triplett said Port commissioners might be interested in a modified proposal that would have the county keep the airport, but give the Port commission veto power over investments at the airport that would expand cargo- or commercial-jet service at the airport.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com.