Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Appendices
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Elusive Documents Depository) 7-1997 Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Appendices Wasatch Front Regional Council Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/elusive_docs Recommended Citation Wasatch Front Regional Council, "Draft Environmental Impact Statement: Appendices" (1997). Elusive Documents. Paper 118. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/elusive_docs/118 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository) at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Elusive Documents by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT APPENDICES July 1997 Prepared by: Wasatch Front Regional Council Parsons Transportation Group LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Public Involvement Repon Appendix B Environmental Consequences Appendix C Cultural and Historic Resources Appendix D Summary of Environmental Justice Impacts Appendix E Mainline Utilities Appendix F Noise Data Sheets Appendix G Operation & Maintenance Cost Tables Appendix H Prospective Sources of the Local Share: Alternative C: LRTffDM/TSM Appendix I Conceptual Engi neering Alignmen t Drawings II APPENDIX A PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT REPORT PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT REPORT MAJOR INVESTMENT STUDY/DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT ......... UNIVERSITY+--> OOWNTOWN+-->AIRPORT TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR prepared by: BEAR W£sr 145 SotJTH 400 EAST SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111 FOR DE LEUW, CATHER FEBRUARY 18, 1997 I Introduction Public involvement was a critical element in the development of a transportation corririddor from the University of Utah to the Airport and International Center in Salt Lake City. The deessignation of a corridor from the University of Utah through the downtown area to the Airportt initiated interesting discussion among participants in the public involvement process. Involvemnaem from businesses, community councils, and interested persons was instrumental in de&iggul.ing the alternatives that are included in the MIS/DEIS. This public involvement report i& deess igoed to demonstrate how the Wasatch Front Regional Council and the consultants interactedj w ith the public throughout the MIS/DEIS process and document the comments raised by the puuhblic. The goal of the public involvement program in the MIS/DEIS was to have resiaddent.s and businesses in each area along the proposed corridor guide Wasatch Front Regional! 1 Council, cooperating agencies and entities, and the consultants in area transportation decisiorms for the corridor, and to inform the public and document information about the proposed t.ranSSfpOrtation corridor from the University of Utah to the Airport. Public Involvement Process Public involvement in the MIS/DEIS consisted of scoping meetings, the formation of · uocal area committees, interviews with key downtown leaders, a general public meeting to discuss> !Proposed alternatives, written, telephonic and electronic public comments. In addition to these maone formal means of gathering public input, there have been a variety of informal contacts with tthte public, including telephone calls, interviews with individual residents, and the distribution c:off relevant information to interested parties. All of these contacts , both formal and informal, are dwrcumented and on file . Scoping Meeting The public involvement process began on May 9, 1996 with a public scoping meeetting . The meeting was advertised to offer two sessions: one beginning at 4 p.m . and one at 6 p>.m. Both sessions were held in the cafeteria at Bryant Intermediate School in Salt Lake City. Ccmsultants notified the public and agencies of the meeting by placing notices in the Federal Reegister and posting over 400 fliers throughout the communities at such locations as libraries, grocce1ry stores, retail outlets, post offices and bus schedule racks. The purpose of the initial meetimgs was to introduce the srudy and the primary players to the public, and to solicit from the public: comments and concerns regarding the corridor. The consultants opened the scoping meeting with an introduction to the srudy, givin1g the basic purpose and geographic scope of the MIS/DEIS . The introductory comments addresse!d how this project integrated with other efforts to improve the Salt Lake Va lley's transponatiom system including the Salt Lake Area Long Range Transportation Plan and the Long Range T'r:.ansi t Plan being developed-and discussed the agencies and entities that would be involved witht rrhe srudy. March 10, 1997 Major /nveslment Study/Draft Environmental Jlrnpact Statement Public Jnvolvememt Report, page 2 Finally, the introduction provided the public with an overview of the public involvement process. and invited their continued participation. II In the next segment of the scoping meeting, attendees asked questions and discussed their concerns. Comments were recorded on flip charts and were reviewed and refined as the meeting progressed. At the conclusion of the discussion, attendees were asked to identify the five comments they fe lt were most important, and to indicate their decision by placing adhesive dots next to the comments . Report of Scoping Meeting Results • The Public Involvement Team organized the comments into subject-matter categories, and listed them according to the number of "dots" each comment received. A complete list of the issues can be found in the project file. Comments regarding convenience, ease of use, and accessibility received substantially more "votes" than any other category. The following seven issues surfaced during the scoping meeting as the most important to the meeting attendees. • Behavioral - getting people out of cars , and into alternate modes of transportation • Convenience and accessibility - making non-auto modes more attractive and convenient; speed and number of stops • Expense - other modes need to cost less than driving • Congestion and traffic concerns • Importance of marketing, research, and education • Technical , such as a preference for certain types of technology or certain alignments • Environmental, land use, and safety concerns The complete list of issues was reviewed by the East and West committees to determine if there were additional issues that needed addressing. Committee Meetings To facilitate the process of gathering and addressing public comments, the public involvement team formed three committees: one for each area along the corridor (East, Central (downtown), and West). There were series of three meetings each with the East and West committees and one joint meeting with all the committee members and interested public invited. While the Central Committee did not met formally as a group , beginning in March, 1996, 20 key stakeholders were interviewed by the consultant and the WFRC. Beginning in June 1996, the West and East committees began meeting. In the first meeting, held June 5, 1996, the consultants and agency personnel assigned to each area introduced the study, reviewed the results of the scoping meeting, and gave an overview of transportation modes. ln the March 10. 1997 Major Investment Study/Draft Environmental Impact StaTement Public Involvement ReporJ, page 3 second meeting, held at the end of June, the consultants reviewed the issues raised te> 1ddaate, gave an overview of the basic purpose and need for the study, and began discussion •off · I potential alternatives. The comminees met for the third time in mid-July to discuss the altematiwe!!S > and had an opportunity to draw potential alignments on a corridor map. The srudy team held a meeting on February l3, 1997 to brief all members of thae! regional committees on the results of a detailed analysis of the alternatives. Approximately llt6GO people received invitations in the mail two weeks prior to the meeting. Twenty-two committ:eee : rmembers anending the meeting, which provide a forum for the consultants and agencies to discUJsss ; the data generated by the analysis of the alternatives. The meeting entailed a two-hour discrussssi•ion, with slides, during which meeting participants were presented with information, and encow r <agg~ed to ask questions and make comments. Public comments made in Committee Meetings As a result of the meetings with the Eastern and Western Comminees and the individwaal l contacts with downtown members, the foll owing issues, concerns, and questions have swrtfaacced from participants. West Committee General Comments • There are few services in the western corridor; residents need the abi~iny 1 to travel efficiently outside the corridor for their daily needs, or would like to have mcorre! services located nearby. • It is difficult to cross the west corridor on foot or by car, due to the physical b>am riers such as the highway , railroad , river. and industrial park. Accessibility between nei1glhlborhoods on the west side needs to be addressed for pedestrians and vehicles. • Need to know as much as possible about other local planning projects ttD rm;ake good planning decisions. • Concern regarding adequate emergency service ingress and egress to the are:a .. • Cheaper to change habits such as 40-hour work week than to change streets. • Opposed to widening of existing street. • Need more information on airport master plans. Rail Transit and Potential Alignments • There needs to be a balance between frequent LRT stops for a neighborhoo1d I.IVith rapid moving needs to the