The Parkway Apartments
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 Charles D. Baker GOVERNOR Tel: (617) 626-1000 Karyn E. Polito LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Fax: (617) 626-1081 http://www.mass.gov/eea Matthew A. Beaton SECRETARY October 5, 2018 CERTIFICATE OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL NOTIFICATION FORM PROJECT NAME : The Parkway Apartments PROJECT MUNICIPALITY : Boston (West Roxbury) PROJECT WATERSHED : Charles River EEA NUMBER : 15907 PROJECT PROPONENT : Lincoln Parkway, LLC DATE NOTICED IN MONITOR : September 5, 2018 Pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA; M.G. L. c. 30, ss. 61-62I) and Section 11.06 of the MEPA regulations (301 CMR 11.00), I hereby determine that this project does not require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Project Description As described in the Environmental Notification Form (ENF), the project involves the construction of an approximately 351,000-square foot (sf) residential development on the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Parkway in West Roxbury. The 258-unit residential development will consist of two detached four-story buildings and a main access drive which will provide a connection between the adjacent trailer park and VFW Parkway. The project includes a 5-story parking garage with 387 parking spaces. The residential units will be wrapped around the parking garage to reduce its visibility. The project includes improvements along the project site frontage including reconstruction of existing sidewalks, installation of handicap accessible ramps, street lighting and landscaping. Project Site The 4.6-acre project site is bounded by the VFW Parkway to the east, Dedham Street to the north, Boston Trailer Park and the Charles River to the west and Prime Honda Boston to the south. The project site consists of a dilapidated surface parking lot, a private drive (A Street) and undeveloped land. The EEA# 15907 ENF Certificate October 5, 2018 project includes a 20-ft wide sewer easement currently owned by the Massachusetts Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM). The sewer is no longer operational and the easement is proposed to be released to the Proponent. The southwest corner of the project site is located within the Zone AE according to the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) (Map No. 250250068G, effective September 25, 2009). Base Flood Elevation (BFE) is 90 feet (ft) North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). The project does not include mapped Estimated or Priority Habitat of Rare Species according to the 14th edition of the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Atlas. Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Environmental impacts associated with the project include the alteration of 3.47 acres of land and creation of 1.86 acres of new impervious area. The project will impact 28,540 sf of Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF). Trip generation is estimated at 1,404 new average daily trips (adt) and will create 387 new parking spaces at a single location. The project is expected to increase water demand by 43,700 gallons per day and increase waste water generation by 39,710 gpd. Measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate environmental impacts include the use of erosion and sedimentation controls to reduce impacts to resource areas and installation of a stormwater management system. Permitting and Jurisdiction This project is subject to MEPA review and preparation of an ENF pursuant to 301 CMR 11.03(6)(b)(14) because it requires a State Agency Action and will result in the generation of 1,000 or more new adt and construction of 150 or more new parking spaces at a single location. The project requires a Vehicular Access Permit from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and a Direct Connection Permit from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). The project will require an Order of Conditions from the Boston Conservation Commission (or in the case of an appeal, a Superseding Order of Conditions from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)). It will require a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Construction General Permit (CGP) from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The project is not receiving Financial Assistance from the Commonwealth. Therefore, MEPA jurisdiction is limited to those aspects of the project that are within the subject matter of any required or potentially required State Agency Actions that may cause Damage to the Environment as defined in the MEPA regulations. In this case, jurisdiction extends to land alteration, wetlands, stormwater, traffic, water supply and wastewater generation. Review of the ENF The ENF provided a description of existing and proposed conditions, detailed project plans, and identified measures to avoid, minimize and mitigate project impacts. Alternatives Analysis 2 EEA# 15907 ENF Certificate October 5, 2018 The Alternatives Analysis included four alternatives including a No-Build Alternative, a Retail Alternative, an Office Alternative and the Preferred Alternative. The No-Build Alternative would not increase environmental impacts compared to existing conditions and was dismissed because it would not meet the economic goals of the project and would prevent the development of a long-vacant site located on a major transportation artery. The Retail Alternative is an as-of-right alternative and would consist of approximately 74,000 sf of retail space with 148 parking spaces. This alternative would generate 2,794 unadjusted adt (1,390 adt more than the Preferred Alternative) and would create 3.32 acres of new impervious area (0.48 acres more than the Preferred Alternative). The Office Alternative is also an as- of-right alternative and would consist of 244,800 sf of office space with 490 parking spaces. The Office Alternative is estimated to generate 2,384 new adt (980 adt more than the Preferred Alternative) and would create 3.06 acres of new impervious area (0.22 acres more than the Preferred Alternative). The Preferred Alternative will result in an increased amount of water demand and wastewater generation and will have decrease traffic impacts compared to the Office and Retail Alternatives. Under existing zoning, the City of Boston requires conditional approval of residential use at the project site. However, due to the close proximity of the project site to the Boston Trailer Park and adjacent apartment building, the Proponent believes a residential development is appropriate. Wetlands and Stormwater The project will result in temporary and permanent impacts to BLSF associated with the construction of the residential building and associated site grading. The Boston Conservation Commission will review the project to determine its consistency with the Wetlands Protection Act (WPA), the Wetlands Regulations (310 CMR 10.00), and associated performance standards including the stormwater management standards (SMS). The ENF did not include compensatory flood storage calculations; however, the Proponent has indicated that the project will comply with applicable performance standards for BLSF. Comments from MassDEP indicate that the location and elevation of compensatory flood storage, along with a cut and fill table, should be included in the Notice of Intent. The project includes the installation of stormwater management system to treat, detain and infiltrate stormwater runoff to maintain existing hydrology on the site. Runoff from impervious surfaces will be captured by deep sump catch basins, routed through a proprietary separator or other pretreatment device and then to a subsurface infiltration system prior to connecting to an existing storm drain in Dedham Street. The Proponent indicates that the stormwater management system will provide a phosphorous load reduction of 65% consistent with the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) identified for the Middle Charles River.1 Comments from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR)’s Flood Hazard Mitigation Program (FHMP) indicate that the building is located within the 100-year floodplain and, therefore, requires compliance with the Massachusetts State Building Code, 9th Edition Section 1612 and ASCE 24-14 for new structures within the floodplain. The Proponent has indicated that the lowest floor elevation (in the garage) will be 95 ft NAVD 88 and the residential floor elevation is 98.5 ft (8.5 ft higher than BFE). 1 The Proponent confirmed this via e-mail to the MEPA office on October 3, 2018 in response to comments from the Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA). 3 EEA# 15907 ENF Certificate October 5, 2018 Water Supply and Wastewater As noted earlier, water demand for the project is expected to be 43,700 gpd and wastewater generation is expected to be 39,710 gpd. Water supply will be provided via the Boston Water and Sewer Commission (BWSC) system. The project is seeking a Direct Connection Permit to an MWRA sewer interceptor. MWRA prohibits the discharge of groundwater and stormwater to the sanitary sewer system. The project site has access to storm drains and is not located in a combined sewer area. Therefore, the discharge of groundwater and stormwater to the sanitary sewer system is prohibited. The ENF indicates that the Proponent will work with the BWSC and MWRA to remove inflow/infiltration (I/I) from the regional water system. It is anticipated that this will be accomplished through a contribution to the BWSC I/I reduction program to fund ongoing