[Federal Register: July 24, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 143)]
[Notices]
[Page 43278-43280]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24jy08-108]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Preparation of a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for
Transit Improvements in the BeltLine Corridor in the City of Atlanta,
GA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
and 4(f) Evaluation.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) are planning to prepare a Tier
1 Environmental Impact Statement (Tier 1 EIS) and 4(f) Evaluation for
an approximately 22-mile loop of proposed transit and trail
improvements within the City of Atlanta. The Tier 1 EIS will be
prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as
[[Page 43279]]
well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), enacted in
2005. The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to alert interested
parties regarding the plan to prepare the Tier 1 EIS; to provide
information on the nature of the proposed project; to invite
participation in the Tier 1 EIS process, including comments on the
scope of the Tier 1 EIS proposed in this notice; and to announce that
public scoping meetings will be conducted. Tiering reflects FTA and
MARTA's belief that it is necessary to focus on the actual issues ripe
for decision at each level of environmental review (40 CFR 1508.28). It
is the intent of this preliminary environmental documentation to
determine and environmentally evaluate transit mode and general
alignment for both the transit and trails in this corridor.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the Tier 1
EIS should be sent to Don Williams, Project Manager, MARTA, by
September 22, 2008.
Scoping Meetings: Eight public scoping meetings will be held
between August 19 and August 21, 2008, at locations indicated under
ADDRESSES below. An interagency pre-scoping meeting will be held on
August 12, 2008, and an interagency post-scoping meeting will be held
on August 22, 2008, at MARTA Headquarters.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS should be
sent to Don Williams, Project Manager, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid
Transit Authority, 2424 Piedmont Road, NE., Atlanta, GA 30324-3330.
Comments may also be offered at the public scoping meetings and via e-
mail at dwa_beltlinestudy@bellsouth.net.
The dates, times, and locations for the public scoping meetings are
as follow:
Meetings 1&2: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8
p.m., Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, Room B,
Atlanta, GA 30327.
Meetings 3&4: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8
p.m., The Trolley Barn, 963 Edgewood Avenue, NE., Atlanta, GA 30307.
Meetings 5&6: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8
p.m., Georgia Hill Neighborhood Center, 250 Georgia Avenue, SE.,
Atlanta, GA 30312.
Meetings 7&8: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8
p.m., Central United Methodist Church, 503 Mitchell Street, SW.,
Atlanta, GA 30314.
The appropriate federal, state, and local agency offices will be
notified individually about the time and location of the interagency
scoping meeting.
The locations of the scoping meetings are accessible to persons
with disabilities. If translation, signing services, or other special
accommodations are needed, please contact Project Hotline at (404) 524-
2070 or for hearing impaired TTY (404) 848-4931 at least 48 hours
before the meeting. A scoping information packet is available on the
project Web site at: http://www.itsmarta.com/newsroom/beltline.html or
by calling the Project Hotline at (404) 524-2070. Copies will also be
available at the scoping meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Schilling, Community Planner,
Federal Transit Administration, 230 Peachtree, NW., Suite 800, Atlanta,
Georgia 30303, Telephone: (404) 865-5600, Facsimile (404) 865-5605; Don
Williams, Manager Regional Planning and Analysis, Metropolitan Atlanta
Rapid Transit Authority, 2424 Piedmont Road, NE., Atlanta, GA 30324-
3330, Telephone: (404) 848-4422, Facsimile (404) 848-5132; or Nate
Conable, Senior Project Manager, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., 86 Pryor
Street, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, Telephone: (404) 880-4100,
Facsimile: (404) 880-0616.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description of Study Area and Proposed Project: The BeltLine
Corridor contains many of Atlanta's residential neighborhoods, a
majority of the parks in the central city area, as well as a
significant number of major attractions and points of interest. Transit
improvements in the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor would create a new 22-
mile transit loop, including potential new stations on an existing rail
right-of-way. The BeltLine Corridor would connect to the MARTA heavy
rail system at or near four locations: Lindbergh Center, Inman Park/
Reynoldstown, West End, and Ashby Stations. Improvements in the
BeltLine Corridor would support the MARTA bus network, other regional
bus services, future High Capacity Transit projects along I-75, I-285,
Memorial Drive and Buford Highway, the pending commuter rail service
between Lovejoy and downtown Atlanta, and the proposed Peachtree
Streetcar. The Atlanta BeltLine Corridor also includes approximately 33
miles of new multi-use trails in a linear park located primarily along
the corridor, with extensions connecting to parks and other trails.
Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Project: The purpose of the
BeltLine Corridor transit and trails improvements are to improve local
and regional mobility, address accessibility and connectivity, and
support the City of Atlanta's redevelopment plans. The need for the
proposed project stems from population and employment growth that is
related to the occurring and planned redevelopment within the City and
the City's desire to provide better linkages to parks throughout the
area and to increase overall availability of accessible greenspace.
Alternatives: Through a process of technical evaluation and public
input during the previous MARTA BeltLine study, the Inner Core
Alternatives Analysis (January 2007), a large number of alternatives
was examined, leading to the agency selection of a Locally Preferred
Alternative (PA). This decision was based on the PA being the best
performing alternative and preferred by the public and major
stakeholders. The preliminary list of alternatives to be considered in
the Tier 1 Draft EIS will include the No Build Alternative and the PA
(henceforth referred to as the Build Alternative):
No Build Alternative: The No Build Alternative assumes
that no transportation infrastructure improvements would be made in the
project area apart from improvements that have already been committed
to by the Georgia Department of Transportation, the City of Atlanta,
and MARTA and are included in the regional Transportation Improvement
Program. The No Build Alternative would also assume that no trail
improvements would be made other than what is currently committed to by
the City of Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
Build Alternatives: The Build Alternatives are to be based
on the PA established in the Alternatives Analysis and would evaluate
variations in the alignment based on feasibility and potential for
impacts. In addition to any alternatives uncovered during public
scoping, the Build Alternatives would include a new 23-mile transit
service, primarily on existing rail corridor and identify locations for
new stations on the alignment, with connections to MARTA's heavy rail
system at its Lindbergh Center, Inman Park/Reynoldstown, West End, and
Ashby Stations. The Build Alternatives would also incorporate a system
of connecting trails that would run adjacent to the transit line and
provide vital connections to existing and proposed recreational
facilities around the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor.
[[Page 43280]]
This preliminary range of alternatives may be supplemented during
the public scoping process and development of the Tier 1 Draft EIS.
The Tiered EIS Process and the Role of the Participating Agencies
and the Public: The purpose of the Tier 1 EIS process is to serve as
the basis for the decision regarding the project design concept and
scope and will support the acquisition of the right-of-way for corridor
preservation. The Tier 1 DEIS will preliminarily screen and evaluate a
range of social, environmental, and economic impacts resulting from the
mode choice, general alignment, and approximate location of stations.
Impacts to the affected environment will be screened and evaluated
based upon information uncovered during public scoping and interagency
coordination efforts. MARTA will prepare an Annotated Outline for the
DEIS following this scoping. This gives assurances that the Tier 1
document will focus on the issues ripe for consideration and that
scoping has accomplished its intended purpose.
The Tier 1 EIS will build upon the extensive screening,
environmental and technical studies and public comments and outreach
conducted to date. Tiering will allow the FTA and MARTA to conduct
planning and NEPA activities for this large project and focus on those
decisions that are ready to be made at this level of analysis. The Tier
1 analysis will serve as a basis for establishing the general alignment
of the proposed transit and trail corridor along the entire 23-mile
loop. Conceptual locations of stations, trail connections, and other
facilities will be determined, as will the choice of transit
technology. The scope of analysis in the Tier 1 EIS will be appropriate
to the level of detail necessary to make informed decisions and will
receive input from the public and the reviewing agencies.
A goal of the Tier 1 EIS and these decisions is to support future
ROW preservation along the entire 22-mile loop. FTA allows the advance
acquisition of a limited amount of real property for hardship or
protective purposes as defined in the NEPA regulation at 23 CFR
771.117(d)(12). Also, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5324(c), the
acquisition of pre-existing railroad ROW may be evaluated for NEPA
purposes separately from the future transit and trails project that
will ultimately be built on that ROW under certain conditions and with
certain understandings. With these exceptions, all corridor parcels
cleared for ROW preservation and purchase in the Tier 1 document will
be individually identified and documented.
This Tier 1 EIS will also meet the requirements of the Georgia
Environmental Policy Act (GEPA). GEPA requires the assessment of any
state-level action to determine whether or not the action may
significantly adversely affect the quality of the environment. A
project that is subject to NEPA review has met the requirements of GEPA
and does not require separate documentation.
The Build Alternative would be finalized after the circulation of
the Tier 1 DEIS to the public and then included in the Tier 1 Final
EIS. After completion the FEIS, the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Preferred
Alternative which will include selection of transit mode and general
alignment. The Tier 1 EIS will serve as the point of departure for
future project refinement and subsequent, in depth environmental
analysis required for Tier 2 analysis when the project advances further
through the project development process. NEPA regulations and SAFETEA-
LU provisions call for public involvement in the EIS process. Section
6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA and MARTA do the following: (1)
Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal agencies and
Indian tribes that may have an interest in the proposed project to
become ``participating agencies,'' (2) provide an opportunity for
involvement by participating agencies and the public in helping to
define the purpose and need for the proposed project, as well as the
range of alternatives for consideration in the impact statement, and
(3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation
in and comment on the scoping information packet. It is possible that
we may not be able to identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and
Indian tribes that may have such an interest. Any Federal or non-
Federal agency or Indian tribe interested in the proposed project that
does not receive an invitation to become a participating agency should
notify at the earliest opportunity the Project Manager identified above
under ADDRESSES.
A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed and a
public and agency involvement Coordination Plan will be created. The
program includes a project Web site: http://www.itsmarta.com/newsroom/
beltline.html; outreach to local and county officials and community and
civic groups; a public scoping process to define the issues of concern
among all parties interested in the project; establishment of a
technical advisory committee and stakeholder advisory committee; a
public hearing on the release of the Tier I DEIS; and development and
distribution of project newsletters. The Coordination Plan will be
posted to this Web site.
The purpose and need for the proposed project have been
preliminarily identified in this notice. We invite the public and
participating agencies to consider the preliminary statement of purpose
and need for the proposed project, as well as the alternatives proposed
for consideration. Suggestions for modifications to the statement of
purpose and need for the proposed project and any other alternatives
that meet the purpose and need for the proposed project are welcome and
will be given serious consideration. Comments on potentially
significant environmental impacts that may be associated with the
proposed project and alternatives are also welcome. There will be
additional opportunities to participate in the scoping process at the
public meetings announced in this notice.
In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105 (a) and 771.133, FTA will comply
with all Federal environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders
applicable to the proposed project during the environmental review
process to the maximum extent practicable. These requirements include,
but are not limited to, the regulations of the Council on Environmental
Quality and FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR
Part 771), the project-level air quality conformity regulation of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 93), and
Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation
implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36
CFR Part 800), the regulation implementing section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on
environmental justice, 11988 on floodplain management, and 11990 on
wetlands.
Issued on: July 17, 2008.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region 4.
[FR Doc. E8-16990 Filed 7-23-08; 8:45 am]
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