[Federal Register: October 27, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 206)]
[Notices]
[Page 55279-55281]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27oc09-117]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for Proposed Transit Improvements in the Corridor Between the
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) and The
Anaheim ResortTM in the City of Anaheim, Orange County, CA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
Subject: Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS).
Project Title: Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study.
SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with
the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the City of
Anaheim, is planning to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) to provide transit service over
a 3.5-mile corridor between the future ARTIC on the east and The
Anaheim Resort on the west. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, 2005). The
purpose of this Notice of Intent is to alert interested parties
regarding the plan to prepare the DEIS, to provide information on the
proposed transit project, to invite participation in the EIS process,
including comments on the scope of the DEIS proposed in this notice,
and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.
DATES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS including the
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the
impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the
evaluations should be sent to Ms. Jamie Lai, Transit Manager, by
December 1, 2009. A Scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, November
12, 2009 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the location indicated under
ADDRESSES below. Agency representatives with an interest in the
[[Page 55280]]
proposed project are encouraged to attend a 4:30 p.m. presentation at
the location listed below. Representatives of Native American Tribes
and all Federal, State, regional and local agencies that may have an
interest in any aspect of the project will be invited to be
participating or cooperating agencies, as appropriate.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS should be sent to
Ms. Jamie Lai, Transit Manager, at City of Anaheim, Public Works
Department, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite 276, Anaheim, CA 92805.
Comments may be submitted in writing or may be made orally at the
public scoping meetings. The address for the public scoping meeting is
as follows: Anaheim Downtown Community Center--Assembly Hall A, 250 E.
Center Street, Anaheim, CA 92805.
The Scoping Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2009
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The project's purpose and need and the
description of alternatives under consideration for the proposed
project will be presented at this meeting. The meeting location will be
accessible to persons with disabilities. If special translation or
signing services or other special accommodations are needed, please
contact Ms. Jennifer Labrado (949) 252-1755 or jlabrado@consensusp.com
at least 48 hours before the scoping meeting. Paper copies of scoping
materials may be obtained from Ms. Labrado. Also, scoping materials
will be available at the meeting and on the City of Anaheim Website
(http://www.anaheim.net).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Hymie Luden, City and Regional
Planner, of the Federal Transit Administration's San Francisco Regional
Office at (415) 744-2732 or write to FTA Region IX Office, 201 Mission
Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105-1926.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scoping: The FTA, OCTA, and the City of Anaheim invite all
interested individuals and organizations, public agencies, and Native
American Tribes to provide comments on the scope of the DEIS, including
the project's purpose and need, the alternatives under consideration,
the impacts to be evaluated, and the evaluation methods to be used.
Comments should focus on: alternatives that may be less costly or have
fewer environmental or community impacts while achieving similar
transportation objectives and the identification of any significant
social, economic or environmental issues related to alternatives.
The Proposed Project: The Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor
Study proposes to provide a new east-west transit connection between
the ARTIC regional transportation hub in the Platinum Triangle area of
the City of Anaheim and the general area of The Anaheim Resort. The
project is envisioned to operate as a high-capacity system, providing
convenient and efficient transfers to Metrolink, Amtrak, local fixed-
route bus, and future bus rapid transit and high-speed train services
connecting at ARTIC. This connection will link Orange County's
``backbone'' Metrolink commuter rail system to Anaheim's major
employment and activity centers in the Platinum Triangle and The
Anaheim Resort.
Funding for the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor study was
awarded to the City of Anaheim through OCTA's Go Local Program, which
provides competition-based transit grants to Orange County cities for
projects intended to improve transit access to Metrolink (commuter
train) service. OCTA is providing program management oversight of the
Anaheim Fixed Guideway Transit Corridor study.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project: The primary purpose of
the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study is to provide a safe,
convenient, frequent, and easy-to-navigate transportation connection,
in the heavily-traveled east-west corridor between the ARTIC and The
Anaheim Resort, for residents, employees, and visitors to local and
regional destinations. The project is needed to accommodate existing
and projected future demand for local and regional travel in a unique
visitor/recreational market in the heart of central Orange County's
entertainment district. Connecting Anaheim activity centers with a new
and highly visible transit option to the proposed ARTIC addresses
deficiencies in Anaheim's transportation system. Such a project would
also be expandable to serve local and region-wide travel needs. In
November 2006, voters in Orange County approved the renewal of Measure
M (a half-cent local sales tax) to fund future transportation
investments. The Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plan is a
30-year, multi-billion dollar program, with 25 percent of the net
revenue to be dedicated solely to countywide transit programs. The OCTA
created the Go Local Program that provides funding through transit
grants, so that Orange County cities can improve transit access to
Metrolink (commuter train) service. This connection will address
transportation issues and deficiencies related to highway congestion,
transit, population and employment, parking demand and air quality in
the corridor. A Fixed-Guideway project in this corridor is part of the
City of Anaheim's 2007 Transit Master Plan. In addition, the proposed
project is part of the Southern California Association of Governments'
adopted 2008 Regional Transportation Plan (Strategic Plan List of
Projects).
Alternatives: Project alternatives currently under consideration
include a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation System Management
Alternative, a Bus Rapid Transit Alternative, and an Elevated Fixed-
Guideway Alternative, as follows:
No-Build Alternative--the No-Build Alternative includes
all programmed transportation improvements in the greater project area
through the year 2035, excepting all elements of the Anaheim Fixed-
Guideway Transit Corridor Study.
Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--The
TSM Alternative focuses on low-cost improvements to the project area
transportation system that would address the project's purpose and need
without requiring a major capital investment. The TSM Alternative
includes strategies such as changeable message signs along freeways and
improved traffic signal timing; transit service improvements (for
example, bus route restructuring, expanded use of low-floor, multi-door
buses, timed transfers, signal prioritization for buses, and simplified
fare collection); a new bus route to serve the study corridor; and
additional marketing to encourage carpool/vanpool usage.
Semi-Exclusive At-Grade Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
Alternative--this alternative consists of a new BRT route approximating
the proposed Fixed-Guideway alignment and including five new bus
stations. The new BRT service would operate at grade on local city
streets in exclusive lanes where sufficient right-of-way exists and in
mixed-flow traffic where existing right-of-way does not allow for a
dedicated lane.
Elevated Fixed-Guideway-Central Alignment Alternative--the
Elevated Fixed-Guideway Alternative would begin at the planned ARTIC
transportation hub and travel westward along Gene Autry Way, northward
along Haster Street and Anaheim Boulevard, westward along Disney Way,
and southward along Harbor Boulevard to terminate at Harbor Boulevard
and Convention Way. A tail track for operational purposes will be
included south of Convention Way along Harbor
[[Page 55281]]
Boulevard and would terminate north of Orangewood Avenue. The Fixed-
Guideway facility would be completely elevated. Four station locations
and one transit center/station, as well as four alternative maintenance
facility sites, will be evaluated for this alternative. The technology
to be used would be some form of automated guideway technology. A
specific technology would be selected only if the Elevated Fixed-
Guideway Alternative is approved after completion of the environmental
evaluation. The Elevated Fixed-Guideway Alternative has two alignment
variations to the north of Disney Way in the segment between Anaheim
Boulevard and Harbor Boulevard. Four pedestrian connectors linking
stations to activity centers are also proposed as part of the project:
from the station at Gene Autry Way and State College Boulevard eastward
to the Angel Stadium of Anaheim, from the station on Disney Way or
north of Disney Way southward to The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, from
this same station westward to the Disney theme park entrance on Harbor
Boulevard, and from the station at Harbor Boulevard and Convention Way
westward along Convention Way to the Anaheim Convention Center
entrance.
Station/stop locations for both build alternatives are proposed to
serve major activity centers in the study area, including the ARTIC
transportation hub, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Platinum Triangle,
the residential area west of the Interstate 5 Freeway, and attractions
in The Anaheim Resort district including The Shops at Anaheim
GardenWalk, Disney theme parks, and the Anaheim Convention Center.
The EIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the
Public: The purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public
setting the potentially significant effects of implementing the
proposed action and alternatives on the physical, human, and natural
environment. Areas of investigation include, but are not limited to,
land use, environmental justice, cultural resources (including
historical, archaeological, and paleontological resources), visual and
aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise and vibration, energy use,
traffic, safety and security, wetlands, threatened and endangered
species, and hazardous materials. Regulations implementing NEPA, as
well as provisions of SAFETEA-LU, call for public involvement in the
EIS process. Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA, OCTA, and
the City of Anaheim do the following: (1) Extend an invitation to other
Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American 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 a
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
environmental review process. An invitation to become a participating
agency, with the scoping information packet appended, will be extended
to other Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American Tribes
that may have an interest in the proposed project. It is possible that
we may not be able to identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and
Native American Tribes that may have such an interest. Any Federal or
non-Federal agency or Native American Tribe interested in the proposed
project that does not receive an invitation to become a participating
agency should notify the City of Anaheim Transit Manager identified
above under ADDRESSES, at the earliest opportunity, but no later than
30 days following this notice.
A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed. A
technical advisory committee called the Project Development Team,
consisting of representatives of state, regional and local agencies, is
in place. The program also includes a two-part public scoping process
consisting of a combined California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/
early NEPA scoping process with a meeting held July 29, 2009 and a NEPA
scoping process, noticed herein; a public review/comment period and
public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement; development
and distribution of project newsletters; and posting of information on
the project website. 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.
Comments on potential significant environmental impacts that may be
associated with the proposed project are also welcomed. All comments
and suggestions will be given serious consideration. 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 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), Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40
CFR Part 230), Executive Orders 11988, 11990 and 12898 regarding
floodplains, wetlands, and environmental justice, respectively, Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800),
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR Part 402), and Section
4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135).
Edward Carranza, Jr.,
Regional Administrator, FTA, Region 9.
[FR Doc. E9-25820 Filed 10-26-09; 8:45 am]
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