Green Car Rental Facility for Sea-Tac

Last week, the inaugural ribbon was cut for the Rental Car Facility (RCF) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is due to open on May 17. The project is five stories and 2.1 million square feet, and it’s due to be completed under budget at some $20 million, rather than $419 million. It will support all airport-related rental car operations in one convenient location to meet current and future demands from the public.

It’s expected that traveller numbers will rise to 45 million a year by 2025. This RCF is now the biggest consolidated car hire facility in the country to be certified Silver by the US Green Building Council (USGBC), a preeminent scheme for the highest performance green buildings. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the preeminent programme for green building certification. The building will improve the efficiency, size and space of rental car operations, which had previously been spread out from the main terminal.

Aside from the rental car facility, the building includes a bus maintenance facility, the initial purchase of compressed natural gas (CNG) shuttle buses, and improvements to the main terminal. Also included in the project were off-site road improvements to local roads – like the addition of another lane to the International Blvd. bridge over SR-518 so travellers can directly exit to the RCF and the creation of a direct access on-ramp to SR-518.

These changes will reduce the number of cars on the airport expressway and congestion on airport drives. Additionally, the bus maintenance facility, which is 22,000 square feet, was built south of the airport to support the Port of Seattle’s existing employee parking bus system and the shuttle bus operation. The site has six maintenance bays, a washing and cleaning facility, and a CNG fueling station.

The entire cost of the project will virtually be paid for with a customer facility charge (CFC), which will be $6 added to each car hire transaction day. Additional non-CFC costs will be covered through non-aeronautical revenue funds. The lease with the car hire firms will be 30+ years, which matches how long it will take to repay the bonds.

Port of Seattle Commission president Gael Tarleton says the RCF created 3,900 construction jobs, as well as generated $25 million in local taxes at a time when the economy needed the good news. The project looks to meet the growing needs of the region and does so in a way that’s environmentally and economically sound.

SeaTac City Council member Barry Ladenburg says the new RCF will provide another convenience that will emphasise the city’s focus on leisure and business travellers by increasing customer service within and around Sea-Tac airport. It’s expected to reduce traffic congestion, as rental car customers won’t share the same airport drives with passengers being dropped off or picked up. Congestion on city streets will also be reduced by the shuttle bus system. With LEED certification, they have another example of partnership efforts with the Port of Seattle that will increase efforts for more sustainable development.

Avis Budget Group director of properties Lorie Tallarico says they will be able to offer a more efficient experience to their customers with this new facility, as well as a nicer work environment for employees. Traffic jams in and out of car hire garages and trying to refill their stalls during peak hours will be no more.