[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48890-48892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-23334]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Transit Administration
Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Atlantic/Central
Bus Base Expansion Project in Seattle, Washington
AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the King County
Metro Transit Division intend to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA). King County will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the
requirements of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
The FTA will be the NEPA lead agency. King County will be the SEPA lead
agency.
King County Metro Transit, a division of the King County Department
of Transportation, may expand the operating capacity of the existing
Atlantic/Central bus base complex located in Seattle's North Duwamish
Industrial District. The existing complex consists of the existing
Atlantic Base, which supports electric trolley service within the City
of Seattle, and the Central Base, which supports a fleet of diesel
buses that provide service within the City of Seattle and between the
City and neighboring jurisdictions. In addition, all night owl service
is dispatched from Central Base.
Metro Transit uses the existing 22-acre complex for maintenance and
storage of approximately 340 buses. The agency's Operating Facilities
Strategic Plan identified a need for central Seattle maintenance
capacity for up to 185 additional buses within the next 10 years and an
additional 200 buses within the next 25 years (for a total of 385
additional buses). Increased capacity will allow maintenance service
for planned increases in transit service within the City of Seattle as
well as some increases in service for routes between Seattle and other
jurisdictions. Among other things, King County's system is slated to
accommodate up to 85 of Sound Transit's Express Service buses.
The EIS will evaluate a no action alternative as well as feasible
and prudent alternatives to expand the maintenance base. Study to date
suggests that reasonable alternatives are limited to an upward
structured expansion of employee parking combined with an expansion of
the footprint of the base either westward or to the south. Expansion to
the west might impact a group of buildings that could have historical
significance. Expansion to the south might have an effect on a
privately owned industrial business that handles approximately 10% of
the Port of Seattle's export business. Expansion to non-contiguous
property would not be prudent or meet project objectives because of the
significantly higher operating costs, which would occur. This would
reduce funds available for revenue (passenger carrying) service.
Expansion to non-contiguous properties would also require acquisition
of a larger amount of industrial property, which would be contrary to
City policy directed toward maximum preservation of industrial
property.
The existing base complex occupies land that is industrially zoned.
Applicable zoning regulations allow expansion of the base facilities
within the industrial zone subject to a showing that impacts on
industrial property and activities have been minimized.
King County Transit and FTA will determine the scope of
environmental review after receiving input from interested parties and
organizations and from federal, state, regional, and local agencies. A
similar scoping process was recently completed in accordance with
[[Page 48891]]
the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). A SEPA scoping meeting took
place on August 12, 1999 in the Atlantic/Central base neighborhood, and
comments were solicited from project stakeholders, interested parties,
government agencies and property owners and tenants within the project
area and vicinity.
DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives
and impacts to be considered should be sent to King County Metro
Transit by Thursday, October 7, 1999. See ADDRESSES below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to:
Paul Leland, Senior Transit Environmental Planner, King County Metro
Transit, Design and Construction Section, MS KSC-TR-0431, 201 S.
Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-3856; phone (206) 684-1168; fax (206)
684-1900.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Gehrke, Federal Transit
Administration, Region X, 915 Second Avenue, Room 3142, Seattle, WA
98174; phone (206) 220-7954.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Scoping
The FTA and King County Transit invite interested individuals and
organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local agencies to
participate in defining the alternatives for expanding the capacity of
the Atlantic/Central Base complex, and in identifying any significant
social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives.
Scoping comments may be made be submitted in writing by letter or fax:
See the ADDRESSES section above for the appropriate address and fax
number. Scoping comments may also be submitted by E-mail using the
electronic scoping form, which is available at http://www6.metrokc.gov/
kcdot/transit/sepacomm.cfm. Scoping comments should focus on
identifying specific social, economic, or environmental impacts to be
evaluated and suggesting alternatives that are more cost-effective or
have fewer environmental impacts while achieving similar transit
objectives.
A project scoping document providing more detail on project
alternatives, alternatives considered but deemed inappropriate for
further refinement or consideration, potential project impacts, and
required permits and approvals is being forwarded to all potentially
interested parties and agencies and is also available on the internet
at: http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/basepgm/sepa/enviro.htm. Copies of the
project scoping document can be requested by calling King County Metro
Transit at (206) 684-6776. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list
to receive further information as the project proceeds, please contact
Barbara de Michele at Metro Transit; (206) 263-3792.
II. Description of Study Area and Project Need
The existing Atlantic Central base complex and the adjacent areas
within which expansion might occur are within the North Duwamish
industrial neighborhood situated a short way south of the Seattle
central business district, south of the International District and east
of the area occupied by Seattle's new Safeco baseball field and King
County Transit's Ryerson transit base. King County's other existing
transit bases include North Base north of Seattle in the City of
Shoreline, Bellevue and East Bases east of Lake Washington in the City
of Bellevue, and South Base south of Seattle in Tukwila. Bases are
located throughout the metropolitan area to achieve operating
efficiencies related to the maintenance, dispatch and storage of
transit buses.
The Atlantic/Central Base Expansion project is expected to include
the following improvements: increased bus parking space; additional
repair and inspection bay capacity; expanded body repair, paint,
upholstery and tire shop capacity; and other additional specialty bay
capacity; expanded electronics shop; expanded driver and support area
including (including transit police); additional employee parking to
support expanded base (including consideration of structured parking to
reduce use of industrial land); and possible provision of additional
layover capacity adjacent to the base and within the base during peak
hours to accommodate existing layover space that will be lost due to
Sound Transit's conversion of the downtown bus tunnel and associated
stations to light rail use, and other local transportation
infrastructure projects; possible additional bus fueling and washing
capacity; and possible joint use industrial space if it is determined
to be economically feasible. If an on-site alternative is selected,
functions that can operate efficiently from other locations (such as
the information distribution warehouse, and work center for transit
facilities maintenance) may be moved to another location to minimize
the amount of additional land needed.
Expansion of base capacity using non-contiguous property will not
meet King County Transit's project objectives and needs. Expanding on a
non-contiguous site would increase operating expenses by requiring
significant duplication of overhead costs (staffing & equipment)
totaling over one million dollars per year. Expansion on a non-
contiguous industrial site would preclude potential operating and
spatial efficiencies which could be achieved with a consolidated
complex and would therefore utilize more industrial property than a
consolidated facility. Expanding to a non-contiguous site outside of
the Duwamish area would not meet King County Transit's objectives due
to the increased non-revenue deadhead time which would be required for
buses traveling between the maintenance base and transit service
routes. The Transit Operating Facilities Strategic Plan provides more
detail concerning project needs and is available through King County
Transit at (206) 684-1846.
Contiguous expansion of the Atlantic/Central Bus Base complex to
accommodate up to 385 additional buses is expected to require
acquisition of approximately 13.3 to 13.6 acres of abutting industrial
property. The location of the existing Atlantic/Central Bus Base
complex limits potential contiguous expansion options to either
westward or southward expansion. The complex is bounded on the north by
Interstate 90/SR 519 ramps, and to the east by Airport Way South and
Interstate 5.
Immediately contiguous to the west is an assemblage of buildings to
either side of Sixth Avenue South, all of which were built in the late
1920's to early 1930's and have a similar appearance and functional
relationship to now removed railroad spurs and 6th Avenue South. A
previously completed historic resource assessment of Sixth Avenue South
concluded that the buildings constitute a district that is eligible for
listing on the National Register of Historic Places under the National
Historic Preservation Act. However, the integrity of the district has
been seriously compromised as a result of its having been bisected by a
recent major elevated freeway ramp project, and the cumulative impact
of extensive building upgrading and modernization projects undertaken
by tenants over the years. Also, there are unresolved questions about
the uniqueness of the district within the metropolitan Seattle area.
The size and configurations of the parcels and buildings in the
historic district, as well as their structural condition relative to
earthquake hazards and building seismic standards, tends to render them
functionally obsolete for many modern industrial uses, including
possible transit maintenance base operations. Therefore, westward
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expansion of the base would have to eliminate a significant portion of
the buildings within the southern half of the historic district.
Expansion of the base complex southward across Massachusetts Avenue
would require the use of industrial property with existing rail spur
access, and would displace one or more existing industrial businesses
that supply a significant portion of the Port of Seattle's export
business. The City of Seattle's land use code allows transit base
facilities and expansion within industrially zoned property, subject to
a demonstration that all reasonable measures have been taken to
minimize impacts related to significant displacement of other viable
industrial businesses, and that the use of land with access to
industrial shorelines or major rail facilities has been minimized.
III. Alternatives
Project alternatives include a No-Build Alternative and two build
alternatives. Under Alternative A, the No-Build Alternative, expansion
of the existing base complex would not occur. Without expanded base
capacity within the City, King County Metro Transit could not operate
new or expanded services. Implementation of the new Six-Year Transit
Plan would be in jeopardy. And Metro could not implement the contract
with Sound Transit for provision of regional express bus services.
Under Alternative B, the Atlantic Central Base complex would be
expanded in 3 phases over the next 15 to 25 years to accommodate 385
additional buses, including the above mentioned project elements. The
expansion of the complex would be westward, encompassing currently
privately owned business properties on both sides of 6th Avenue South
between Royal Brougham Way and South Massachusetts Street, and
properties on the west side of 6th Avenue South between South
Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street. It is possible that this
would affect historic properties.
Alternative C is premised on Sound Transit electing to proceed with
a light-rail maintenance base south of the Atlantic/Central base
between South Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street.
Alternative C would include all of the improvements proposed under
Alternative B except that the proposed layover capacity on Sixth Avenue
South would be entirely on site. Sound Transit's light rail maintenance
facility would require vacation of Sixth Avenue South between South
Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street. Since Metro could not
expand south of South Massachusetts, accommodating Metro's base
expansion needs would require vacating Sixth Avenue South from South
Massachusetts Street north to South Royal Brougham Way. The Sound
Transit light rail facility is a separate project being planned and
analyzed in a separate NEPA/SEPA document by Sound Transit and the
Federal Transit Administration. Alternative C could include some shared
facilities on the Sound Transit site, such as employee parking, control
center and fueling for general service vehicles.
The EIS will also document a range of project alternatives
considered that might lessen or avoid taking out portions of the
adjacent historic district. It is anticipated based on preliminary
analysis of these alternatives that none of them are prudent or
feasible.
IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis
King County plans to use a single EIS document to satisfy both SEPA
and NEPA for the proposed project. Presently, the issue of principal
concern related to NEPA is potential impacts on historic resources,
which may be National Register eligible. Other NEPA concerns include
environmental justice. King County may be preparing a Section 4(f) and
Section 106 analysis of historic resources as a part of the NEPA EIS
documentation. Issues principally of concern under SEPA include impacts
on industrial land uses and business within the project area, including
potential impacts on industrial traffic. Other impacts, which will be
evaluated, include water quality; archaeological resources; hazardous
materials; air quality (including air quality conformity); noise;
consistency with local land-use and transportation plans and policies;
business displacements and relocations; and economics. These impacts
will be evaluated both for the construction phase and in relation to
ongoing operations as appropriate. Reasonable measures to mitigate
adverse impacts will be identified.
V. FTA Procedures
The NEPA EIS process will address the social, economic, and
environmental impacts of the Atlantic Central Base expansion
alternatives. A draft EIS will be published and made available for
public and agency review and comment, and a public comment meeting will
be held to receive review comments pertaining to the draft EIS. On the
basis of the draft EIS and the comments received, King County Metro
Transit will complete the final EIS.
Issued on: September 1, 1999.
Linda Gehrke,
Acting Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-23334 Filed 9-7-99; 8:45 am]
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