The new passenger terminal at Paine Field is expanding its footprint.
After the number of anticipated daily flights from the airport increased from 12 to 24, Propeller Airports asked the county for additional space to expand its parking. The Snohomish County Council agreed to lease an additional 192,963 feet of property for parking this week.
Propeller CEO Brett Smith said the company requested the additional parking space to help alleviate problems for travelers, especially during busier times.
"Just imagine coming here ... you got here an hour before and couldn't find a parking space and missed your flight, that would be a disaster," he said.
A total of approximately 650,000 square feet of property will be available for parking now.
There is now enough room for approximately 1,070 parking stalls.
Snohomish County Communications Director said they believe the amount of parking is appropriate for the number of flights anticipated for the airport.
The lease for additional space will generate more revenue for the county. The county receives revenue as a portion of gross receipts. The county anticipates $157,110 in increased annual revenue, with further increases in the future.
Alaska Airlines, United, and Southwest have all announced daily flights out of Everett bringing the total number of departures to 24 flights per day. Destinations include Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland, and several cities in southern California.
Propeller expects around 600,000 to 700,000 passengers processed each year. That's compared to around 45 million every year at Sea-Tac Airport.
Airplane noise and traffic congestion have been a big point of contention among neighbors in Mukilteo who attempted to stop the project from moving forward.
And the project faces delay after the Federal Aviation Administration announced in June that it would have to conduct a supplemental environmental assessment of the effect of additional flights.
A 2012 assessment, which approved of passenger service at Everett's county-owned airport, involved different airlines and only up to 12 flights per day. The FAA could not say how extensive the study might be, but supplemental environmental assessments typically take six to 18 months.
The passenger terminal will be complete in the next few weeks. When it will open to the public is currently up in the air due to the FAA study.
