[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4988-4991]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1761]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Potomac
Yard Metrorail Station in Alexandria, VA
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) as the Federal lead
agency, in cooperation with the City of Alexandria, the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), and the National Park
Service (NPS), is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to advise the
public that it proposes to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the
proposed construction and operation of the Potomac Yard Metrorail
Station. The proposed project, described more completely within, would
consist of the construction of a Metrorail infill station along the
existing combined Blue and Yellow Lines between the Ronald Reagan
Washington National Airport Station and the Braddock Road Station. The
purpose of this notice is to alert interested parties regarding the
intent to prepare the EIS, to provide information on the nature of the
proposed project and possible alternatives, and to invite public
participation in the EIS process.
DATES: Comments on the scope of the EIS, 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 before March 15, 2011. See ADDRESSES below for the address to
which written comments may be sent. Scoping meetings to accept comments
on the scope of the EIS will be held on the following date:
Agency Scoping Meeting: Thursday, February 10, 2011, Cora
Kelly Recreation Center, 25 West Reed Avenue, Alexandria, VA at 3 p.m.
Representatives from Federal, State, regional, Tribal, and local
agencies that may have an interest in any aspect of the project will be
invited to serve as either participating or cooperating agencies.
Public Scoping Meetings: Thursday, February 10, 2011, Cora
Kelly Recreation Center, 25 West Reed Avenue, Alexandria, VA at 4:30
p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
The buildings used for the scoping meetings are accessible to
persons with disabilities. Spanish language materials and interpreters
will be provided at the scoping meetings. Anyone who requires special
assistance at a scoping meeting should contact Jim Ashe at WMATA at
(202) 962-1745 or [email protected] at least 3 days prior to the meeting.
A scoping packet is available on the project Web site at http://www.potomacyardmetro.com or by contacting Jim Ashe at the telephone
number or e-mail address above. Copies
[[Page 4989]]
will also be available at the scoping meetings.
If the City of Alexandria public schools are closed due to
inclement weather on February 10, 2011, the public and agency scoping
meetings will be held at the same times on the snow date of February
15, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Comments will be accepted at the public scoping meetings or
they may be sent on or before March 15, 2011 by e-mail to
[email protected] or by regular mail to Potomac Yard
Metrorail Station EIS, P.O. Box 25132, Alexandria, VA 22313.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Barlow, Community Planner,
Federal Transit Administration, DC Metro Office, 1990 K Street, NW.,
Suite 510, Washington, DC 20006, [email protected] or (202) 219-
3565; or Jim Ashe, Manager, Environmental Planning and Compliance
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 5th Street, NW.,
Washington, DC 20001, [email protected] or (202) 962-1745.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scoping
FTA invites all interested individuals, organizations, public
agencies, and Native American Tribes to comment on the scope of the
EIS, including the project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be
studied, the impacts to be evaluated, and the evaluation methods to be
used. Comments should address (1) feasible alternatives that may better
achieve the project's purpose and need with fewer adverse impacts, and
(2) any significant environmental impacts relating to the alternatives.
NEPA ``scoping'' (Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Sec. 1501.7) has specific and fairly limited objectives, one of which
is to identify the significant issues associated with alternatives that
will be examined in detail in the document, while simultaneously
limiting consideration and development of issues that are not truly
significant. It is in the NEPA scoping process that potentially
significant environmental impacts--those that give rise to the need to
prepare an environmental impact statement--should be identified;
impacts that are deemed not to be significant need not be developed
extensively in the context of the impact statement, thereby keeping the
statement focused on impacts of consequence consistent with the
ultimate objectives of the NEPA implementing regulations--``to make the
environmental impact statement process more useful to decision makers
and the public; and to reduce paperwork and the accumulation of
extraneous background data, in order to emphasize the need to focus on
real environmental issues and alternatives[hellip] [by requiring]
impact statements to be concise, clear, and to the point, and supported
by evidence that agencies have made the necessary environmental
analyses.'' Executive Order 11991, of May 24, 1977. Transit projects
may also generate environmental benefits; these should be highlighted
as well--the impact statement process should draw attention to positive
impacts, not just negative impacts.
Once the scope of the environmental study, including significant
environmental issues to be addressed, is settled, an annotated outline
of the document will be prepared and shared with interested agencies
and the public. The outline serves at least three worthy purposes,
including (1) documenting the results of the scoping process; (2)
contributing to the transparency of the process; and (3) providing a
clear roadmap for concise development of the environmental document.
Purpose and Need for the Project
The purpose of the project is to improve accessibility of the
Potomac Yard area and provide more transportation choices for current
and future residents, employees, and businesses by establishing a new
access point to the regional Metrorail system. This additional access
point is needed to address existing and future travel demand in the
area resulting from the City of Alexandria's planned development of a
major transit-oriented mixed-use activity center in the vicinity of the
proposed station.
The project area in Alexandria is located in the Northern Virginia
portion of the Washington metropolitan region, which is expected to see
approximately 30% population growth in the next 30 years. The project
area is located adjacent to existing residential neighborhoods to the
west and southeast and an approximately 600,000 square-foot retail
center. The existing retail center is approved for redevelopment of
2.25 million square feet of mixed-use development including office,
retail, residential and hotel uses. Other properties in the Potomac
Yard redevelopment area are approved for a total of approximately 4
million square feet of development. This additional development will
impact the existing roadway network with increased travel demand adding
additional vehicle and transit trips. The transportation network in the
project area is limited by the heavy rail to the east and limited east-
west connectivity west of Route 1.
Currently the project area is not served by Metrorail or any other
rapid transit services which provide regional connectivity. The project
area is located between two Metrorail stations located 3.1-miles apart.
This gap between the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Station
and the Braddock Road Station is the longest for the portions of the
Metrorail system that serve urban residential and commercial corridors.
This area is currently served by local bus services that operate in
mixed traffic along the congested US Route 1 corridor, yet they have
numerous local stops resulting in slow transit travel speeds. This
results in relatively long transit travel times to access the area. The
Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway, which will provide bus priority
lanes on nearby Route 1, will improve reliability of local transit
services along the Route 1 corridor however, access to the Metrorail
system is still needed to accommodate longer regional transit trips.
The anticipated Potomac Yard Metrorail Station was included in
WMATA's 1999 Transit Service Expansion Plan, the 2010 Financially
Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan for the National Capital
Region, and earlier WMATA and regional transportation plans, in
addition to the City of Alexandria's 1992 and 2008 Transportation
Master Plans and North Potomac Yard Small Area Plan. Establishing a new
access point to the regional Metrorail system would provide more
transit-friendly development patterns supported by improved access to
transit as well as a safe and reliable alternative to automobile travel
to and from the Potomac Yard area. Improved access to the regional
system is also needed to accommodate a greater share of travel to and
from the area on transit, potentially reducing reliance on single-
occupant vehicle use, decreasing automobile emissions, and improving
regional air quality. The Washington Metropolitan area has been
identified as a non-attainment area for ozone and particulate matter
since the concentrations of these pollutants exceed acceptable levels
as designated by the EPA.
Possible Alternatives
The alternatives expected to be addressed in the EIS include:
No Action Alternative: The No Action Alternative represents future
conditions in the EIS analysis year of 2035 without the Potomac Yard
Metrorail Station
[[Page 4990]]
Project. The No Action Alternative includes the existing transit and
transportation system in the Washington, DC region plus planned
improvements for which the need, commitment, financing, and public and
political support have been identified, and which may reasonably be
expected to be implemented. This alternative is included in the Draft
EIS as a means of comparing and evaluating the impacts and benefits of
the Potomac Yard Metrorail Station alternatives.
Build Alternatives: Proposed build alternatives are being evaluated
for the project. Potomac Yard is located in the City of Alexandria and
the southern edge of Arlington, VA. The area is roughly bound by U.S.
Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway) to the west, the George Washington
Memorial Parkway on the east, Four Mile Run to the north, and E. Howell
Avenue on the south.
The study corridor where the project would be located is
approximately 1.5 miles in length. Build alternatives will be analyzed
that are either along or just to the west of the existing WMATA right-
of-way for the Blue and Yellow lines in this area. Build alternatives
include:
Metrorail Station Alternative A: Station Alternative A
would be located along the existing mainline tracks between the George
Washington Memorial Parkway and the CSX Railroad tracks and adjacent to
the Potomac Greens Neighborhood.
Metrorail Station Alternative B1: Station Alternative B1
would be located along the existing mainline tracks between the George
Washington Memorial Parkway and the CSX Railroad, just to the north of
Alternative A.
Metrorail Station Alternative B2: Station Alternative B2
would be located along a short segment of realigned track between the
George Washington Memorial Parkway and the CSX Railroad, to the north
of Alternative A and to the south of Alternative B1.
Metrorail Station Alternative B3: Station Alternative B3
would be located along a short segment of realigned track between the
George Washington Memorial Parkway and the CSX Railroad, just to the
east of Alternative B2.
Metrorail Station Alternative C1: Station Alternative C1
would be located along realigned Metrorail track between the CSX
Railroad and Route 1.
Metrorail Station Alternative C2: Station Alternative C2
would be located along realigned Metrorail track between the CSX
Railroad and Route 1, just east of Alternative C1.
Metrorail Station Alternative D1: Station Alternative D1
would be located along realigned Metrorail tracks between the CSX
Railroad and Route 1, just east of Alternative C2.
Metrorail Station Alternative D2: Station Alternative D2
would be located along realigned Metrorail tracks between the CSX
Railroad and Route 1, just east of Alternative D1.
Possible Effects
FTA will evaluate project-specific as well as indirect and
cumulative effects to the existing physical, social, economic, and
environmental setting in which the proposed station would be located.
The permanent, long-term effects to the region could include, but are
not limited to effects to traffic and transportation; land use and
socioeconomics; visual character and aesthetics; noise and vibration;
historical and archaeological resources; community impacts; natural
resources; air quality and climate change; and visual impacts upon the
setting of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a unit of the
national park system. Investigation may reveal that the proposed
project will not affect or not substantially affect many of these
areas. Measures to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any significant adverse
impacts will be identified.
FTA Procedures
The regulations implementing NEPA, as well as provisions of the
Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), call for public involvement in the EIS
process for transportation projects. In accordance with Section 6002 of
SAFETEA-LU, FTA will: (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 (any
interested party that does not receive an invitation to become a
participating agency can notify any of the contact persons listed
earlier in this NOI); (2) provide an opportunity for involvement by
participating agencies and the public to help define the purpose and
need for the proposed project, as well as the range of alternatives for
consideration in the EIS; and (3) establish a plan for coordinating
public and agency participation in, and comment on, the environmental
review process. A Public Involvement Plan and an Agency Coordination
Plan will be developed outlining public and agency involvement for the
project. These will be available on the project Web site, http://www.potomacyardmetro.com, or through written request. Opportunities for
comment will be provided throughout the EIS process, including public
and agency meetings, the project Web site, a mailing address, and a
phone information line. Comments received from any of these sources
will be considered in the development of the final scope and content of
the environmental documents.
An invitation to become a participating or cooperating agency, with
scoping materials 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 FTA will 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 at the earliest opportunity the Project Manager identified above
under ADDRESSES.
Summary/Next Steps
With the publication of this NOI, the scoping process for the
project begins. After the publication of the Draft Scoping Document, a
public comment period will begin, allowing the public to offer input on
the scope of the EIS until March 15, 2011. Public comments will be
received through those methods explained earlier in this NOI and will
be incorporated into the Annotated Outline. This document will detail
the scope of the EIS and the potential environmental effects that will
be considered during the study period. After the completion of the
Draft EIS, a public hearing and another public commenting period will
allow for input on the EIS, and these comments will be incorporated
into the Final EIS report before publication.
Paperwork Reduction
The Paperwork Reduction Act seeks, in part, to minimize the cost to
the taxpayer of the creation, collection, maintenance, use,
dissemination, and disposition of information. Consistent with this
goal and with principles of economy and efficiency in government, it is
FTA policy to limit insofar as possible distribution of complete
printed sets of environmental documents. Accordingly, unless a specific
request for a complete printed set of environmental documents is
received (preferably at the conclusion of scoping), FTA and its
grantees will distribute only the executive summary of the
environmental document together
[[Page 4991]]
with a Compact Disc of the complete environmental document. A complete
printed set of the environmental document will be available for review
at the grantee's offices and elsewhere; an electronic copy of the
complete environmental document will also be available on the project
Web site, http://www.potomacyardmetro.com.
Other
The City of Alexandria is pursuing USDOT Discretionary Capital
Grant funding for the project. The EIS will be prepared in accordance
with NEPA and its implementing regulations issued by the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and with the FTA/Federal
Highway Administration regulations ``Environmental Impact and Related
Procedures'' (23 CFR part 771). Related environmental procedures to be
addressed during the NEPA process include, but are not limited to,
Executive Order 12898 on Environmental Justice; Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act; and Section 4(f) of the DOT Act (49
U.S.C. 303).
Issued on: January 20, 2011.
Letitia A. Thompson,
Regional Administrator, Federal Transit Administration Region III,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[FR Doc. 2011-1761 Filed 1-26-11; 8:45 am]
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