Coastal Resources Technical Report
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South Station Expansion Project Appendix 6 – Coastal Resources Technical Report October 2014 Coastal Resources Technical Report This Page Intentionally Left Blank October 2014 South Station Expansion Massachusetts Department of Transportation Coastal Resources Technical Report Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................ iv 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Summary of Findings ............................................................................................................................. 1 3. Regulatory Context ............................................................................................................................... 3 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3 3.2. Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Federal Consistency Review .................................... 4 3.3. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 91 ....................................................................................... 5 3.4. Municipal Harbor Planning ........................................................................................................... 5 3.5. Public Benefit Determination........................................................................................................ 6 4. Methodology ......................................................................................................................................... 6 5. Existing Conditions ................................................................................................................................ 7 5.1. South Station Site .......................................................................................................................... 8 5.2. Layover Facility Sites ................................................................................................................... 12 6. Potential Impacts to Filled Tidelands .................................................................................................. 14 6.1. No Build Alternative .................................................................................................................... 15 6.2. Alternative 1 - Transportation Improvements Only ................................................................... 16 6.3. Alternative 2 – Joint/Private Development Minimum Build ....................................................... 17 6.4. Alternative 3 – Joint/ Private Development Maximum Build ..................................................... 17 7. Consistency with Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Requirements .................................... 18 7.1. Water Quality Policies ................................................................................................................. 19 7.2. Habitat Policies ........................................................................................................................... 21 7.3. Protected Area Policies ............................................................................................................... 21 7.4. Coastal Hazards Policies .............................................................................................................. 22 7.5. Ports Policies ............................................................................................................................... 23 7.6. Public Access Policies .................................................................................................................. 24 7.7. Energy Policies ............................................................................................................................ 25 7.8. Ocean Resources Policies ............................................................................................................ 25 7.9. Growth Management Policies..................................................................................................... 26 8. Consistency with Chapter 91 Regulatory Requirements .................................................................... 26 South Station Expansion October 2014 Massachusetts Department of Transportation Page i Coastal Resources Technical Report 8.1. Basic Licensing Requirements ..................................................................................................... 27 8.2. Proper Public Purpose Requirements ......................................................................................... 33 8.3. Wind ............................................................................................................................................ 40 8.4. Shadow Impacts Assessment ...................................................................................................... 42 9. Summary of Findings ........................................................................................................................... 47 9.1. No Build Alternative .................................................................................................................... 47 9.2. Alternative 1 – Transportation Improvements Only ................................................................... 48 9.3. Alternative 2 – Joint/Private Development Minimum Build ....................................................... 49 9.4. Alternative 3 – Joint/Private Development Maximum Build ...................................................... 50 10. Figures ................................................................................................................................................. 51 October 2014 South Station Expansion Page ii Massachusetts Department of Transportation Coastal Resources Technical Report List of Figures Figure 1—South Station Expansion Site Boundaries .................................................................................. 53 Figure 2—South Station and Widett Circle Layover Facility Site Boundaries ............................................. 54 Figure 3—Beacon Park Yard Layover Facility Site Boundary ...................................................................... 55 Figure 4—Readville - Yard 2 Layover Facility Site Boundary....................................................................... 56 Figure 5—South Station and Widett Circle Historic Shoreline and Massachusetts Coastal Zone .............. 57 Figure 6—Beacon Park Yard Historic Shoreline .......................................................................................... 58 Figure 7—John Hills Map of Boston, 1770 .................................................................................................. 59 Figure 8—United States Coast Survey, 1846 .............................................................................................. 60 Figure 9—E.S. Chesborough Map of Boston, 1852 ..................................................................................... 61 Figure 10—United States Coast Survey, 1860 ............................................................................................ 62 Figure 11—Fort Point Channel Historic Waterways Licenses ..................................................................... 63 Figure 12—Beacon Park Yard – Metropolitan Parks Commission Map, 1894 ............................................ 64 Figure 13—No Build Alternative ................................................................................................................. 65 Figure 14—Alternative 1 – Transportation Improvements Only ................................................................ 66 Figure 15—Alternative 2 – Joint/Private Development Minimum Build .................................................... 67 Figure 16—Alternative 3 – Joint/Private Development Maximum Build ................................................... 68 Figure 17—Shadow Study – October 23 at 9 a.m. ...................................................................................... 69 Figure 18—Shadow Study – October 23 at 10 a.m. .................................................................................... 70 Figure 19—Shadow Study – October 23 at 11 a.m. .................................................................................... 71 Figure 20—Shadow Study – October 23 at 12 p.m. .................................................................................... 72 Figure 21—Shadow Study – October 23 at 1 p.m. ...................................................................................... 73 Figure 22—Shadow Study – October 23 at 2 p.m. ...................................................................................... 74 Figure 23—Shadow Study – October 23 at 3 p.m. ...................................................................................... 75 Figure 24—Shadow Study – October 23 at 4 p.m. ...................................................................................... 76 Figure 25—Shadow Study – October 23 at 5 p.m. ...................................................................................... 77 Figure 26—Shadow Study – October 23 at 6 p.m. .....................................................................................