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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: West Eugene EmX Extension Update ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: West Eugene EmX Extension Update Meeting Date: September 8, 2008 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Public Works Staff Contact: Mark Schoening www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5243 ISSUE STATEMENT At this council work session, LTD staff will provide an update on the project including elements of the National Environmental Policy Act process, decision-making for the West Eugene EmX Extension project, progress to-date, and process from this point forward. BACKGROUND th The council voted on October 9, 2006, to identify West 11 Avenue as the City’s priority for the next EmX corridor study. At its October 18, 2006, meeting, the LTD Board of Directors endorsed the Eugene City Council action. Based on this direction, staff began work on planning for the West Eugene EmX Extension. The attached memo from LTD staff provides a detailed overview of the process for the West Eugene EmX Extension. RELATED CITY POLICIES From Eugene-Springfield Transportation System Plan (TransPlan): TSI Transit Policy #2: Bus Rapid Transit Establish a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system composed of frequent, fast transit service along major corridors and neighborhood feeder service that connects with the corridor service and with activity centers, if the system is shown to increase transit mode split along BRT corridors, if local governments demonstrate support, and if financing for the system is feasible. From Adopted Growth Management Policies: Growth Management Policy 11 Increase the use of alternative modes of transportation by improving the capacity, design, safety, and convenience of the transit, bicycle, and pedestrian transportation systems. COUNCIL OPTIONS This is an informational meeting; therefore, there are no options for the council to consider. Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080908\S080908B.doc CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION None. SUGGESTED MOTION None. ATTACHMENTS A. Memo from LTD staff B. Project Timeline C. Committee Membership D. Revised Purpose, Need, Goal and Objectives Statement E.Final Range of Alternatives Map F.Proposed Range of Environmental Disciplines G.Map of Metro Waterways Study – Reach 5 FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Mark Schoening Telephone: 682-5243 Staff E-Mail: Mark.A.Schoening@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080908\S080908B.doc ATTACHMENT A September 2, 2008 To: Eugene City Council From: Tom Schwetz, LTD Director of Planning and Development Subject: WEST EUGENE EMX EXTENSION (WEEE) PROJECT UPDATE Background Since the Council last met with the LTD Board in November 2007, considerable progress has been made on the West Eugene EmX Extension (WEEE) project. This memorandum provides background on the status of the project in preparation for the Council’s briefing on September 8. Initiation of the WEEE Project th On October 9, 2006, the Eugene City Council voted to recommend the West 11 corridor as the next EmX line to study in Eugene. At its October 18, 2006, meeting, the LTD Board of Directors endorsed the Eugene City Council action. Based on this direction, staff began work on planning for the West Eugene EmX Extension. On September 18, 2007, LTD formally initiated the process for the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Eugene EmX Extension project. This process is required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for projects using federal funds. Elements of NEPA Process The elements of the NEPA process involve a series of activities leading to the selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) and a finalization of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). These activities include the following: 1. Project Initiation – Development of project purpose and need and project goals and objectives development of a proposed range of alternatives 2. Project Scoping – Public and participating agency review and comment on the proposed range of alternatives, project purpose and need/goals and objectives, range of environmental concerns 3. Analysis of Alternatives and Development of Draft EIS – The range of reasonable alternatives is evaluated to determine benefits, costs, and impacts on a broad range of environmental concerns. This evaluation is documented in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which is distributed for 60 days for public and participating agency review and comment. 4. Selection of a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) – The Eugene City Council, the LTD Board of Directors, and the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) consider public and participating agency comment, advice from the WEEE Corridor Committee, and recommendations from the EmX Steering Committee in reaching a mutually agreed upon LPA. 5. Finalization of EIS – The Final EIS is prepared and published. The Final EIS includes responses to public and agency comments on the Draft EIS. It also specifies commitment to mitigate certain impacts. 6. FTA Record of Decision – FTA issues a Record of Decision upon its approval of the Final EIS. This acceptance becomes the basis for funding the design and construction of the project. The overall timeline for the project is provided as Attachment 1. Decision-Making for the WEEE Project Given the Council’s central role in the WEEE project decision-making, it is worth outlining the underlying purpose of the NEPA process being conducted. Overall, the process is focused on supporting the decision-making process for large capital projects like the WEEE. The underlying purpose of this process includes the following: Consideration of a broad range of alternatives ? Assessing the impacts of those alternatives on a broad scope of environmental concerns ? Providing for a process of extensive public engagement ? The primary decision made as part of this process is selection of the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). The comprehensive set of impacts being evaluated means that there will likely be a complex and interrelated set of tradeoffs to consider when selecting the LPA. The environmental process is oriented to support that decision through a series of deliberate steps (the elements described above). The LPA decision is regional in nature and involves the Eugene City Council, the LTD Board of Directors, and the MPC (acting as the Metropolitan Planning Organization) working toward selection of a common alternative. LTD has established a committee structure to support the LPA decision-making. The EmX Steering Committee is a standing committee established by the LTD Board of Directors to advise the Board on EmX implementation. The committee is composed of Board members, elected officials from other agencies (including Councilor Polling), and members of the public. The West Eugene EmX Extension Corridor Committee was established to bring decision-makers (LTD Board of Directors and Eugene City Council members) together with members of the public who have a stake in the corridor. The Corridor Committee provides advice to both the LTD Board of Directors and the EmX Steering Committee. The Project Management Group, a committee of executive-level staff from LTD, Eugene, and LCOG, has also been formed to help coordinate the project and direct more detailed aspects of the project. The membership lists for these committees are attached. In addition to the local decision-making process, there is a public agency coordination process involving federal, state, and local agencies who have a regulatory or infrastructure stake in the project planning. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) plays a unique role among the public agencies involved in that it is the Federal Lead Agency for the project and will ultimately be approving the Environmental Impact Statement and issuing a Record of Decision. As described above, one of the foundational elements of the decision-making process is the extensive public engagement. This process is described in more detail in the remaining sections of this memo. Progress to Date To date, the project has moved through the Initiation and Scoping phases and is entering into the analysis of alternatives and preparation of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The primary products of the Project Initiation phase were a draft Purpose and Need and Goal and Objectives statement, and a proposed set of alternatives to take into the Scoping phase. Also produced was a Coordination Plan outlining the agency coordination for the project and a Public Involvement Plan (PIP). 2 Public involvement efforts include outreach, community design workshops (CDWs), open houses, speakers’ bureau events, Board meetings, committees, and agency involvement. Strategies used to keep the public and agencies informed include the LTD website, four newsletters, and booths at special events, many of which are intended to provide innovative ways of involving members of the public who do not usually participate in projects like this. Material and resources are available in Spanish and can be made to meet ADA requirements. LTD worked closely with staff from the City of Eugene, Lane Council of Governments, WEEE Corridor Committee members, West Eugene Collaborative (WEC), and the public to finalize the Purpose, Need, Goal and Objectives (PNGO) Statement and the Final Range of Alternatives. LTD held two public open house meetings, one public agency resource meeting, and several outreach meetings with individuals and groups (such as city neighborhood associations). Comments received during the Scoping phase were used by the Board of Directors, in consultation with the FTA, in making their decision on the project’s Purpose and Need/Goals and Objectives and Range of Alternatives in March 2008 (Attachments 3 and 4). This included the decision to eliminate the option of an EmX route along West 11th between Jefferson and Chambers. Due to the unlikelihood of future dedicated EmX lanes on West 11th in this segment, this part of the alternative was taken out of the final Range of Alternatives. In addition, the Scoping Process included public review and comment on the proposed range of environmental disciplines to be studied in an EIS. The Board of Directors adopted a Proposed Range of Environmental Disciplines as part of its Scoping actions in March 2008. Table 2 provides a listing of the Proposed Range Environmental Disciplines for the project. A description of the impacts assessed within each discipline is provided as Attachment 5. Process From Here In order to conduct an analysis of the alternative and length alignments, a conceptual engineering- level design must be prepared. This provides enough specification of how the alignment would operate to allow the impact analysis to take place. This process has begun with the creation of one or more sketch-level alternative design concepts for each alignment, except for the Amazon Alignment, which is discussed below. To engage the public in a discussion of these sketch-level designs, LTD held five Community Design Workshops in July and August. A Resource Agency workshop will be held on September 9, 2008. Each workshop had more than 20 non-LTD staff members in attendance. Over 100 comments were collected for each alternative at each workshop. Table 1 below provides an overview of the workshop details. The public input on the alternative design options will be used by staff to refine the sketch-level designs as a basis for creating the conceptual designs employed as part of the analysis of alternatives. This refinement process will include consideration of each design option to: ? Avoid and minimize impacts, ? Address traffic conditions, and ? Optimize operations and design A “Report Back” on the process, presentation material, and public feedback at the workshops will be presented at an open house to be held on October 20, 2008. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is expected to be completed by mid-2009. Following a 60-day public review period, the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) will be selected in late 2009. By mid-2010, the Final EIS is expected to be prepared and published, including 3 responses to comments from the public and public agencies on the DEIS and a thorough evaluation of impacts and identification of required mitigation. With the completion of the Final EIS, the selected alternative will move into design and construction. Service could be expected to begin in 2014. Amazon Alignment The Amazon Alignment is unique in that, unlike the other alignments, it has no right of way to work with. The general concept of the alignment is to have EmX run adjacent to the channel between th. Garfield Street and where the channel crosses under West 11Avenue. Station locations would most likely be at the point where streets currently cross the channel. Because the City and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently engaged in the preparation of an Environmental Assessment (a federally required process similar to the one being used for the WEEE), there are also coordination opportunities with the Amazon alignment. The Amazon Enhancement project is part of the Metro Waterways Study currently underway. This stretch along the Amazon Channel is known as “Reach 5” and has been identified by City staff as a high priority area for restoration. A map of the Reach 5 enhancement strategies is provided as Attachment 6 to this memorandum. One coordination opportunity is shared funding. For example, one of the primary strategies being looked at in the Amazon Enhancement project is to widen the channel through that reach of the Amazon. This would require a lengthening of the spans of the various streets that cross the channel. Because the EmX stations for this alignment would be at the cross streets, there may be opportunities for jointly funding the bridge-widening elements of the Amazon Enhancement project. LTD staff are currently working with Eugene Parks and Open Space staff to determine the extent of these opportunities. The intent is to explore options that would minimize impact to the environment and enhance or support the goals presented in the City’s Metro Waterways Study. There seem to be opportunities, but details that would allow the drawing of design options (such as the exact placement of an EmX alignment in the context of a widening of the channel) remain to be resolved. LTD is approaching the design of this alignment with the following design objectives: • Preserve the multi-use path • Where possible, separate the multi-use path from EmX (opposite sides of the creek) • Incorporate Metro Waterways goals and objectives for the Amazon Channel • Contribute to the enhancement of the channel Wrap-Up To recap, the federally required environmental process being conducted for the WEEE project is intended to provide the Eugene City Council, LTD Board of Directors, and the MPC with a deliberate and robust decision-making process. The cornerstones of that process are extensive public engagement and a thorough analysis of a range of alternatives. The deliberative nature of the process means that it will be at least 9-10 months before the analysis of alternatives is complete and a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is available for public review. Following public review of the DEIS, the Eugene City Council, the LTD Board of Directors, and the MPC will begin the process of selecting a Locally Preferred Alternative. In the interim, the Council will receive regular updates on the status of the project. 4 Table 1 Summary of the WEEE Community Design Workshop Process Workshop Date Location Alternative Attendance Comments thth Monday, July 7, 2008 Eugene 6 / 7 26 135 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Library Tuesday, July 8, 2008 Faith Center W. 13th 27 140 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. thth Monday, July 28, 2008 Eugene Elks W. 11, 7 Place, 31 160 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Lodge Stewart Road Monday, August 18, 2008 Eugene Elks Amazon Channel 37 236 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Lodge Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Eugene Elks All Alternatives 22 22 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Lodge Open House Tuesday, September 9, 2008 Downtown Resource Agency NA NA 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Athletic Club Workshop Monday, October 20, 2008 Faith Center Open House NA NA Table 2 Range of Environmental Disciplines to be Addressed in West Eugene EmX Extension ?? Land Use Acquisition and Displacements ?? Socioeconomic Noise ?? Air Quality Visual and Aesthetic Resources ?? Utilities Historic, Archaeological and Cultural Resources ?? Public Parks and Recreation Areas and Hazardous Materials Wildlife and Waterfowl Refuges ?? Geology and Earthquake Standards Biological Resources and Endangered Species ?? Wetlands and Waters of the State and Water Quality, Hydrology and U.S. Floodplains ?? Energy and Sustainability Construction Activities ?? Cumulative and Secondary Impacts Transportation ATTACHMENTS: B. Project Timeline C. Committee Membership D. Revised Purpose, Need, Goal and Objectives Statement E. Final Range of Alternatives Map F. Proposed Range of Environmental Disciplines G. Map of Metro Waterways Study – Reach 5 5 Attachment C LTD Board of Directors Debbie Davis, Subdistrict 1, East Springfield to the McKenzie Bridge area Mike Eyster, Subdistrict 2, West Springfield area Michael Dubick, Subdistrict 3, Southeast Eugene, Creswell, Cottage Grove, and Lowell areas Ed Necker, Subdistrict 4, North Eugene (east of River Road) and the Coburg areas Gerry Gaydos, Subdistrict 5, Central and West Eugene, including the University area and downtown, and the Whiteaker, Jefferson, and West Side neighborhoods Greg Evans, Subdistrict 6, West Eugene/ Highway 99, River Road, and Junction City areas Dean Kortge, Subdistrict 7, Southwest Eugene, Veneta, and Fern Ridge areas EmX Steering Committee Steve Gordon, Citizen Councilor George Poling, Eugene City Council Gerry Gaydos, LTD Board of Directors Greg Evans, LTD Board of Directors Commissioner Bobbie Green Sr., Lane County Board of Commissioners Sonny Chickering, Oregon Department of Transportation Dan Egan, Springfield Chamber of Commerce Dave Jewett, Thorp, Purdy, Jewett, Urness and Wilkenson PC Debbie Davis, LTD Board of Directors Hillary Wylie, Springfield City Council Tammy Fitch, Wilson-Heirgood Associates West Eugene EmX Corridor Committee Ann Angvick LTD Accessible Transportation Committee Peter Bungum Far West Neighborhood Association Greg Evans EmX Steering Committee/LTD Board of Directors Gerry Gaydos EmX Steering Committee/LTD Board of Directors Commissioner Bobbie Green Lane County Board of Commissioners Ric Ingham City of Veneta Ilona Koleszar 3RT/Study Area Resident Dean Kortge, PhD LTD Board of Directors Garrick Mishaga Jefferson/Westside Neighborhood Association Councilor Chris Pryor Eugene City Council Micah Sardell Whiteaker Neighborhood Resident Will Shaver Churchill Neighborhood Association Councilor Jennifer Solomon Eugene City Council Jim Thomas Local Business/Property Owner Kari Turner Architectural Design Specialist/Study Area Resident Rob Zako Environmental Anand Keathley Whiteaker Community Council West Eugene EmX Project Management Group Kurt Corey – City of Eugene George Kloeppel – LCOG Rob Inerfeld – City of Eugene Sonny Chickering – ODOT Mark Pangborn – LTD Stefano Viggiano – LTD Tom Schwetz – LTD: Project Manager and Lead Staff Attachment F Proposed Environmental Disciplines to be Studied in the West Eugene EmX Extension Project AA/DEIS Transportation • Current and anticipated use of transportation facilities – Includes pedestrian and bicycle facilities • Potential impacts of alternatives on transportation facilities • Proposed measures, if any, to avoid or reduce adverse impacts to facilities and its users • For proposed new facilities include basis for providing facilities Land Use • Identify – Current development trends – State and local government plans and policies on land use and growth • Assess – Consistency of alternatives Adopted comprehensive development plans • Any other plans used in development of transportation plan • – Induced development – Where possible, distinguish between planned and unplanned growth Land Use/Farmlands • Farmland includes 1) prime – 2) unique – 3) other than prime or unique that is of statewide importance – 4) other than prime or unique that is of local importance – • Summarize early consultation with Soil Conservation Service (SCS) and, as appropriate, State and local agriculture agencies • Assess direct and indirect impacts to farmlands Acquisition and Displacements • Identify partial and full property acquisitions • Summarize relocation information including anticipated problems and proposed solutions • Reference project relocation documents – Acquisition and relocation will be conducted in accordance with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended – Relocation resources are available to all residential and business relocates without discrimination • If displacements are anticipated Residential – Estimated number of households • 1 Comparable available housing in area • Affected neighborhoods, public facilities, non-profit organizations • Measures to be taken where existing housing inventory is insufficient • Business – Estimated number of businesses and farm • Descriptions, types of occupancy, and # employees – Relocation sites available in area • Likelihood of such relocation • Potential impacts on individual businesses and farms • Coordination with local governments, organizations, groups, and individuals • Socioeconomic Socioeconomic - Community • Changes in neighborhoods or community cohesion Splitting neighborhoods – Isolating portions of neighborhoods or ethnic groups – Generating new development – Changing property values – Separating residents from community facilities – • Changes in travel patterns and accessibility • Impacts on school districts, recreation areas, churches, businesses, police and fire protection, etc. Direct impacts to entities – Indirect impacts resulting from displacement of households and businesses – • Impacts on overall public safety • Beneficial or adverse impacts to general social groups Elderly, handicapped, non-drivers, transit-dependent, minority and ethnic groups, – etc. • Beneficial or adverse impacts on minority or ethnic populations Population – Number of displaced residents – Type and number of displaced businesses – Estimated number of displaced employees per business sector – Changes in ethnic or minority employment opportunities – Relationship of proposed project to other Federal actions which may serve or – adversely affect ethnic or minority populations Whether any social group is disproportionately impacted – Socioeconomic - Economic • Economic impacts on regional and/or local economy – Effects on development, tax revenues and public expenditures, employment opportunities, accessibility, and retail sales • Impacts on economic vitality of existing area businesses and resultant impact on local economy • Impacts on established business districts 2 Noise • Identify noise sensitive areas Residences, businesses, schools, parks, nursing homes, etc. – Number and types of activities – • Extent of impact (in decibels) at each sensitive area Comparison of predicted noise levels with existing noise levels – • Noise abatement measures Reasonable and feasible – Estimated costs, decibel reductions and height and length of barriers, etc. – • Noise impacts for which no prudent solution is reasonably available and reasons why Air Quality • Discussion of transportation-related air quality concerns • Summary of project-related carbon monoxide (CO) analysis, if performed – 1-hour and 8-hour analysis, as appropriate Comparison between alternatives and with applicable State and national – standards • Other analysis, as appropriate Regional air quality concerns – Regional air quality conformity – Air quality emissions inventories in State Implementation Plan (SIP) – Transportation control measures – Visual and Aesthetic Resources • Impacts to existing visual resources, view sheds • Relationship of impacts to potential viewers of project • Relationship of impacts to potential viewers from project • Discussion of consideration given to design quality, art, and architecture in project planning Utilities • Identify existing and planned utilities – Owner, type, size, location, etc • Impacts to each type of utility – Modifications, relocations, timing, costs, etc • Impacts to users of each type of utility – Time and duration of service disruptions, costs to businesses, etc • Coordination with utility purveyors Historic, Archaeological and Cultural Resources Requires coordination with FTA and SHPO • Historic resources • Determine significance and eligibility for National Register of Historic Places – Archeological resources • 3 Determine if warrants preservation in place or value is in data recovery – Address Section 4(f) of the DOT Act of 1966 • Use of historic resources on or eligible for the National Register – Archeological resources on or eligible for the National Register and which warrant – preservation in place Document coordination with SHPO • As appropriate, coordinate with Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) • Demonstrate all requirements of 36 CFR 800 have been met • For final EIS include Findings of Effect and any required and executed memorandum • of agreement (MOA) Public Parks and Recreation Areas and Wildlife and Waterfowl Refuges Identify publicly owned • Public parks, – Recreation areas, – Wildlife and waterfowl refuges of national, state, or local significance, – Lands of an historic site of national, state, or local significance (as determined by – the federal, state, or local officials having jurisdiction over the park, area, refuge, or site) Determine eligibility under Section 4(f) of DOT Act of 1966 and address as • appropriate Prepare Section 4(f) evaluation – If use of Section 4(f) land requires concurrency of other Federal agencies, prepare – additional require determinations Coordinate with public officials having jurisdiction over Section 4(f) land – Document agency position on Section 6(f) land transfer • Hazardous Materials • Identify location of permitted and non-regulated hazardous waste sites • Summarize methods consistent with local, state and federal regulations • Document coordination with appropriate Regional Office of EPA and appropriate State agency • If known or potential hazardous waste site is affected by alternative Information about site – Potential involvement, impacts and public health concerns – Proposed mitigation measures to eliminate or minimize impacts or public health – concerns Geology and Earthquake Standards • Describe geologic, soil and seismic conditions in vicinity of project area • Identify impacts of project alternatives on these conditions • Identify impacts of geotechnical conditions on transportation facility Biological Resources and Endangered Species Fish, wildlife, plants, endangered species, critical habitat • Obtain species and critical habitat information from appropriate resource agencies • 4 Conduct field investigations • Determine presence or absence • Listed and proposed threatened or endangered species – Designated and proposed critical habitat – Identify location and extent of any water body modifications • If proposed species or critical habitat may be present, prepare evaluation or biological • assessment Conduct and document consultation with resource agencies • Document efforts to avoid, minimize, or reduce project impacts including reasonable • and prudent alternatives to avoid impacts Wetlands and Waters of State and US • Identify existing wetlands and waters of the State and US • Identify and evaluate any impacts to wetlands • Determination there are no practicable alternatives • Determine mitigation efforts necessary to minimize harm to wetlands, including preservation and improvement of existing wetlands and creation of new wetlands Water Quality, Hydrology and Floodplains • Identify water resources and floodplains • Describe ambient conditions and water quality trend data • Identify potential impacts – Nonpoint source pollution on sensitive water resources – Principal or sole-source aquifer areas – Wellhead protection areas – 100-year floodplains and floodways • Document coordination with local, state and federal agencies Energy and Sustainability • Identify regulations, plans and policies related to sustainability and energy consumption • Conduct evaluations appropriate to identified regulations and policies, such as – Energy analysis including construction and operational energy requirements and conservation potential of various alternatives under consideration – Carbon footprint analysis • Determine major direct and indirect impacts • Identify opportunities for conservation Construction Activities • Identify short-term impacts associated with construction activities – Air, noise, water, traffic congestion, detours, safety, visual, etc. – Address impacts of obtaining borrow material or disposal of waste material • Identify appropriate mitigation measures 5 Cumulative and Secondary Impacts Secondary effects • Impacts "caused by an action and are later in time or farther removed in distance – but are still reasonably foreseeable" (40 CFR 1508.8) Generally, induced by the initial action – Include changes in land use, water quality, social conditions, economic vitality and – population density Cumulative effects • Impacts which result from incremental consequences of an action when added to – other past and reasonably foreseeable future-actions (40 CFR 1508.7) Less defined than secondary effects – Cumulative effects of an action may be undetectable when viewed in the individual – context of direct and even secondary impacts, but nonetheless can add to other disturbances and eventually lead to a measurable environmental change • Review other analyses conducted • Consult with appropriate agencies and organizations • Consider public and agency input • Determine secondary and cumulative impacts 6