Socioeconomic Technical Report
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Socioeconomic Technical Report September 2008 Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction to Purple Line Study.................................................................................... 1-1 1.1. Background and Project Location ................................................................................. 1-1 1.1.1. Corridor Setting..................................................................................................... 1-2 1.2. Alternatives Retained for Detailed Study...................................................................... 1-2 1.2.1. Alternative 1: No Build Alternative...................................................................... 1-4 1.2.2. Alternative 2: TSM Alternative ............................................................................ 1-4 1.2.3. Build Alternatives................................................................................................. 1-4 1.2.4. Design Options.................................................................................................... 1-10 1.2.5. Stations and Station Facilities ............................................................................. 1-11 1.2.6. Maintenance and Storage Facilities .................................................................... 1-13 1.2.7. Traction Power Substations ................................................................................ 1-14 2. Socioeconomic Study .......................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1. Socioeconomic Study Area ........................................................................................... 2-2 3. Social Characteristics and Potential Effects..................................................................... 3-1 3.1. Social Characteristics.................................................................................................... 3-1 3.1.1. Regional Characteristics........................................................................................3-1 3.1.2. Study Area Characteristics.................................................................................... 3-3 3.1.3. Station Locations................................................................................................... 3-5 3.1.4. Maintenance and Storage Facilities ...................................................................... 3-9 3.2. Social Effects................................................................................................................. 3-9 3.2.1. Residential Property Displacements and Acquisitions ......................................... 3-9 3.2.2. Access ................................................................................................................. 3-11 3.2.3. Mobility............................................................................................................... 3-12 3.2.4. Parking ................................................................................................................ 3-12 3.2.5. Neighborhood Cohesion..................................................................................... 3-14 3.2.6. Visual Effects...................................................................................................... 3-15 3.2.7. Community Facilities.......................................................................................... 3-17 3.2.8. Noise and Vibration ............................................................................................ 3-17 4. Land Use and Master Plans and Potential Effects .......................................................... 4-1 4.1.1. Potential Land Use .............................................................................................. 4-18 5. Economic Setting and Potential Effects............................................................................ 5-1 5.1. Regional Employment Characteristics .......................................................................... 5-1 5.1.1. Tax Base................................................................................................................ 5-2 Socioeconomic Technical Report ● Page i 5.2. Purple Line Corridor Employment Characteristics ....................................................... 5-3 5.3. Economic Effects...........................................................................................................5-4 5.3.1. Regional Economic Effects................................................................................... 5-4 5.3.2. Tax Base Effects ................................................................................................... 5-5 5.3.3. Study Area Business and Employment Effects..................................................... 5-6 6. Environmental Justice........................................................................................................ 6-1 6.1. Overview ....................................................................................................................... 6-1 6.2. Methodology.................................................................................................................. 6-2 6.3. Location and Characteristics ......................................................................................... 6-3 6.3.1. Supplemental Data................................................................................................ 6-3 6.4. Effects on Minority and Low Income Populations...................................................... 6-16 6.4.1. Environmental Justice Disproportional Effects Analysis ................................... 6-16 6.4.2. Denial of Benefits ............................................................................................... 6-20 6.4.3. Public Outreach in the Environmental Justice Process....................................... 6-21 7. References............................................................................................................................ 7-1 Appendix A: Neighborhood Characteristics Appendix B: Land Use Maps Page ii ● Socioeconomic Technical Report List of Tables Table 1-1: Stations by Alternative........................................................................................1-12 Table 3-1: Regional Population and Growth..........................................................................3-1 Table 3-2: Regional Population and Racial and Ethnic Demographics .................................3-2 Table 3-3: Regional Poverty and Median Household Income................................................3-2 Table 3-4: Regional Housing Demographics .........................................................................3-3 Table 3-5: Study Area Demographics ....................................................................................3-4 Table 3-6: Property Displacements ......................................................................................3-10 Table 3-7: Sites with Projected Noise Impacts Generated From Line Operations...............3-19 Table 4-1: Planned and Approved Developments within the Study Area............................4-20 Table 5-1: Workforce Availability .........................................................................................5-1 Table 5-2: Employment Rates ................................................................................................5-1 Table 5-3: Employment by Occupation in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties.......5-2 Table 5-4: Expected Growth within the Study Area ..............................................................5-4 Table 5-5: Expected Growth by Employment Sector within the Study Area ........................5-4 Table 5-6: Business Property Displacements .........................................................................5-8 Table 5-7: Business Properties with Permanent Parking Impacts, by Alternative.................5-9 Table 6-1: Environmental Justice Populations - Minority......................................................6-4 Table 6-2: Environmental Justice Populations – Low Income.............................................6-11 Table 6-3: Subsidized and Section 8 Housing in the Study Area.........................................6-15 List of Figures Figure 1-1: Project Area...........................................................................................................1-2 Figure 1-2: Alternative Alignments .........................................................................................1-3 Figure 2-1: Communities in Study Area..................................................................................2-3 Figure 4-1: Existing Land Use.................................................................................................4-7 Figure 4-2: Future Land Use..................................................................................................4-12 Figure 6-1: Environmental Justice Areas...............................................................................6-14 Socioeconomic Technical Report ● Page iii 1. Introduction to Purple Line Study The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is preparing an Alternatives Analysis and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (AA/DEIS) to study a range of alternatives for addressing mobility and accessibility issues in the corridor between Bethesda and New Carrollton, Maryland. The corridor is located in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, just north of the Washington, D.C. boundary. The Purple Line would provide a rapid transit connection