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Advisory committee urges EIS to study aircraft-noise effects on home values in Des Moines City
Summary
An airport advisory panel concluded the current environmental analysis does not adequately quantify property-value impacts in Des Moines City and will ask city reviewers to include a more specific hedonic/pairwise resale analysis rather than commissioning a full study themselves.
Presenter, a committee member leading the discussion, told the group the study Joe circulated uses a hedonic method and “is not something to be published yet” because it lacks the sensitivity to show local impacts in the Seattle/Des Moines area.
Committee members agreed the draft environmental analysis (EIS/CEIS) cites literature that links noise to property values but does not provide a fiscal assessment of expanded noise contours. “There’s evidence of significance,” a committee member said, “but it hasn’t been tracked here,” and the panel agreed to flag that omission in its advisory comments to the cities rather than hiring a consultant immediately.
The committee discussed asking the cities or their consultants to run a hedonic/pairwise resale exercise focused on homes under the 65 DNL contour and to report estimated appreciation or capitalization losses by neighborhood. Members noted data sources (county assessor records and multiple-listing service data) are publicly available but require time and skilled analysis. The group also discussed whether a coordinated committee letter or individual letters from members would be the most effective way to convey this concern to the city and consultant team.
The meeting closed with members agreeing to draft feedback recommending that property-value impacts be addressed with a more sensitive methodology and, if possible, with concrete numbers drawn from second-sale/resale data.
