Land Use Discipline Report

Land Use Discipline Report Duportail Street Bridge Project Benton County, Washington Prepared by: Federal Highway Administration 711 South Capitol Way, Suite 501 Olympia, WA 98501 Washington State Department of Transportation P.O. Box 12560 Yakima, WA 98909 March, 2011 This page left blank intentionally for printing purposes. Acronyms B-C Business Commerce BFCG Benton-Franklin Council of Governments CID Columbia Irrigation District C-B Limited Business DPS Distinct Population Segment FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FHWA Federal Highway Administration NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NOS Natural Open Space PPF Parks and Public Facilities R-1-12 Single-family Residential R-3 Multiple family residential RCTP Richland Citywide Transportation Plan ROW Right of Way SAO Sensitive Areas Ordinance SAG Suburban Agriculture SEPA State Environmental Policy Act SR State Route TMP Traffic Management Plan WDFW Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife WSDOT Washington State Department of Transportation USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers i This page left blank intentionally for printing purposes. ii Executive Summary This report includes an analysis of how the Proposed Action compared to the No Build Alternative would affect current and planned land uses and an evaluation of consistency with existing city and regional land use plans and development regulations. The Duportail Street Bridge Project is consistent with, and would assist in implementing, goals and objectives found in the applicable land use plans and regulations. Construction and operation of this project would be compatible with planned development in the study area. The Proposed Action is designed to improve mobility within the City of Richland, as well as improve emergency vehicle response times and mobility for non-motorized uses. The existing Duportail Street is bisected by the Yakima River, resulting in two roads named Duportail Street that dead end on each side of the river. The intersection of Duportail Street and Queensgate Drive (project origin) is surrounded by new commercial and retail development. Moving north along Duportail Street, a mobile home park is located along the east side of the street, and the west side of the street is vacant land and areas for recreational use. Duportail Street picks up again on the north side of the Yakima River, and is lined on both sides by apartment complexes to its intersection with State Route 240. North of State Route 240, single family residences lie on either side of Duportail Street to the project terminus, approximately at the intersection of Duportail Street and Birch Avenue. The existing southern portion of Duportail Street is a 4-lane road, with a center turn lane, as well as curb, gutter and sidewalks (along the western roadside as well as along the eastern roadside adjacent to the mobile home park). The existing northern portion of Duportail is a 2-lane roadway with left-hand turn lanes (at its intersection with State Route 240), curbs, gutter and sidewalks. City View Drive is an unimproved, 2-lane gravel roadway. Riverstone Drive is a 2- lane roadway with incomplete sidewalks, curb and gutter to the south and shoulders to the north. State Route 240 is a 6-lane roadway with left-hand turn lanes and shoulders. The intersection of State Route 240 and Duportail Street is signalized and a single-track railroad line crosses Duportail Street approximately 75 feet south of the State Route-240 intersection. The project involves the construction of a four-lane bridge between the existing Duportail Street on the south-west side of the Yakima River, to Duportail Street on the north-east side of the river. In addition, intersection improvements at State Route 240 and Duportail Street will be included, as well as a new roadway (Tanglewood Drive) on the north side of the proposed bridge will be constructed to connect the existing land uses to Duportail Street. A stormwater detention pond, and a new water main, will be constructed. The current Columbia Irrigation Canal drainage will be piped under the proposed bridge. The proposed project is located within the legal geographic area of: Township 09 North, Range 28 East, Sections 15 and 16, Benton County, Washington. Existing land use along the project corridor consists of primarily natural open space, multi-family residential, and a few businesses. See the Vicinity Map; Figure 1 on page 5. The Duportail Street Bridge Project study area is located between two residential neighborhoods, and would span the Yakima River. The study area includes a mix of residential, recreational and business uses. Over the past few years, there has been significant growth in on the southwest iii side of the Yakima River (Queensgate area), currently, only three ways to access the southwest side of Richland exist, two of which require driving considerable distance away from the area to the crossing, and then back to the area after crossing. A major purpose of the Proposed Action is to increase mobility for the residents and businesses in the area, thereby increasing viability for those land uses. The city of Richland is bounded by the Columbia River to the east, State Route 240 to the west, Hanford Site to the north, and Interstate-182 to the south. These features limit the access to and from the central part of Richland where there are only four connection points to and from the area. The south end of the city contains two choke points in which 75,000 vehicles per day pass through. The first choke point is at Aaron Drive, a feeder street to Interstate-182, and the second choke point is at George Washington Way, a feeder street to Aaron Drive. See Figure 1, Vicinity Map on page 5. The cars getting caught in the choke points are making their way from the city center to the Queensgate neighborhood on the southwest side of the Yakima River. Only two roads intersect State Route 240 between the existing crossings at State Route 224 and Interstate- 182 to allow for an additional crossing of the Yakima River, Swift Boulevard, and Duportail Street. Duportail Street is directly across from the Queensgate neighborhood. The guidance in Chapter 450 of the Washington State Department of Transportation Environmental Procedures Manual was used to evaluate the potential land use effects in the study area. The project team compared the existing land uses with the Proposed Action to determine if there would be any changes to land use. The Proposed Action was also compared with the plans and regulations to determine if the Proposed Action would be compatible. The project team collected and reviewed regional and local plans, regulations, and maps from the City of Richland to identify the existing and potential future land uses within the study area, and to evaluate the Proposed Action’s relationship to existing plans and regulations and any impacts on existing and future land uses. Plans and regulations reviewed include: . City of Richland Comprehensive Land Use Plan, City of Richland, December 7, 2008 . Benton-Franklin Council of Governments Regional Transportation Plan (2006-2025) . Richland Citywide Transportation Plan, December 7, 2004 Two alternatives were analyzed, the No Build and the Build condition. The No Build was essentially used as a baseline to compare the project effects to, as under the No Build no activities would be taking place, and the status quo is assumed to be maintained. This study shows that temporary disruptions may occur during construction; such as traffic delays and increased noise levels. Construction and operation of the Proposed Action would not result in any adverse effects on land use. The Proposed Action is consistent with, and would assist in implementing, goals and objectives found in the applicable land use plans and regulations. The Proposed Action is designed to improve mobility within the City of Richland by creating an additional crossing of the Yakima River. The long term benefits to the project include improved emergency vehicle response times, and more efficient travel from the city center to outlying residential areas. Approximately 5.24 acres are being converted from Natural Open Space to a transportation land use. This area is on the north side of the bridge, where the iv bridge connects to the existing segment of Duportail Street, and where the proposed Tanglewood Drive will be built. As the majority of the project will be a new bridge connecting two existing dead-end streets, there will be no change to the overall land use in the area. The project will have a beneficial effect by creating more opportunities for non-motorized traffic, providing quicker routes for emergency vehicles, and relieving traffic choke points in the City of Richland. Recommended mitigation measures to avoid or minimize adverse effects during construction could include: Preparing and implementing a Transportation Management Plan, requiring the contractor to post signs showing detour routes during any required road and/or lane closures. Where possible, disturbed areas will be re-vegetated and or planted according to an approved planting plan. A noise wall will be constructed for residences on the south side of the proposed bridge that were shown to have future impacts based on the Traffic Noise Report. As no indirect effects are anticipated to occur due to the Proposed Action no mitigation/minimization measures will be necessary to reduce potential indirect effects. v This page left blank intentionally for printing purposes. vi Table of Contents Land Use Discipline Report

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