Lynn Gear Works Redevelopment
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Lynn Gear Works Redevelopment Final Environmental Impact Report EEA #15441 PROPONENT PREPARED BY Lynnway Associates, LLC 130 Atlantic Avenue Swampscott, MA 01907 99 High Street Boston, MA 02110 SUBMITTED TO IN ASSOCIATION WITH The Executive Office of Energy D’Angelo Engineering and Development and Environmental Affairs Commercial Construction Consulting, Inc. MEPA Office Elkus | Manfredi Architects 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Carol R. Johnson Associates Boston, MA 02114 TEC, Inc. Tech Environmental, Inc. GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Hancock Associates March 10, 2017 Final Environmental Impact Report – EEA# 15441 Lynn Gear Works Redevelopment Lynn, Massachusetts SUBMITTED TO Secretary Matthew A. Beaton Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs Attn: MEPA Office 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02114 PROPONENT Lynnway Associates, LLC 130 Atlantic Avenue Swampscott, MA 01907 PREPARED BY VHB 99 High Street, 10th Floor Boston, MA 02110 In association with: D’Angelo Engineering and Development Commercial Construction Consulting, Inc. Elkus | Manfredi Architects Carol R. Johnson Associates TEC, Inc. Tech Environmental, Inc. GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. Hancock Associates March 10, 2017 March 10, 2017 Ref: 12341.00 Matthew Beaton, Secretary Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 022114 Re: Final Environmental Impact Report, Lynn Gear Works, EEA No. 15441 Dear Secretary Beaton: On behalf of Lynnway Associates, LLC (the “Proponent”), VHB is pleased to submit the enclosed Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Lynn Gear Works Redevelopment Project (the “Project”). This FEIR has been prepared in accordance with the Secretary’s Certificate on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for EEA No. 15441, issued November 30, 2016. The Project is located at the former General Electric Gear Works site in Lynn, MA, on an approximately 65.5-acre site. The proposed Project, which has changed only minimally since the filing of the DEIR, is an approximately 1.5 million square-foot transit- oriented development (TOD) located adjacent to the River Works MBTA commuter rail station, comprised of approximately 1,260 residential units, 2,080 parking spaces, a sports club, retail space, a leasing/ management office, a clubhouse, a pool house, and a community waterfront building/pavilion. Residents will have access to regular commuter rail service at the River Works station, which will be renovated and made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as part of the Project. The Project is expected to be built in five phases, with the final phase slated for completion in 2022. The Proponent is pleased to advance this important project in Lynn, as it will revitalize a significant waterfront parcel, which in turn is expected to spur additional investment and growth in Lynn. In addition, the Project is consistent with a number of the Baker administration’s policies and goals, such as investing in Gateway Communities, utilizing and improving upon existing infrastructure, promoting a variety of transportation opportunities, reusing and improving brownfields sites, minimizing impacts on air quality and ensuring that development is resilient, taking into consideration anticipated sea level rise. Please publish notice of availability of the FEIR for public review in the March 22nd edition of The Environmental Monitor. We request public comments by April 21, 2017 and a Certificate by April 28, 2017. We look forward to your review of this project. Please contact me at 617-607-2972 if you have any questions. Sincerely, Stephanie Kruel Senior Environmental Planner [email protected] \\vhb\proj\Wat-LD\13483.00\reports\MEPA\FEIR\Draft\00c_FEIR Cover Letter.docx Final Environmental Impact Report – Lynn Gear Works Table of Contents Chapter 1: Project Summary 1.1 Project Description...…………………………………………………………………………………………….….……… 1-1 1.2 Changes Since the DEIR.……….………………………………………………………………………………..…..….. 1-3 1.3 Anticipated Permits, Approvals and Reviews……..……………………………………………..……………. 1-4 1.4 Land Alteration……………………………..……………….…..…………………………………………………..………. 1-5 1.5 Site Contamination and Hazardous Materials……….…………………………………….……….…..….…. 1-6 1.6 Waste Reduction………………….....…………………………………….…………………………….………………….. 1-6 Chapter 2: Traffic and Transportation 2.1 Impacts on the Lynnway......…………………………………………………………………………….………………. 2-1 2.2 Parking………………..…..…..……..……………….……………………………………….………………….………….….. 2-8 2.3 Transit Analysis………..………………………..….………………………………………………………………………… 2-10 2.4 Mitigation Summary……….………………….…...……………………………………………………………………… 2-17 Chapter 3: Energy and Greenhouse Gas 3.1 Revised Greenhouse Gas Analysis..…………………………..…………………………………….……..…..…. 3-1 3.2 Energy Efficiency Measures….……………………………….………………………………………..………...….. 3-2 3.3 Alternative Energy Sources…....…………………………………..………………………………………………... 3-4 Chapter 4: Wetlands, Waterways, and Climate Resiliency 4.1 Wetlands…..…………..……………………………………………………..…………………………………………….….. 4-1 4.2 Waterways……………………………..………………………………………………………………………….……….….. 4-6 4.3 Climate Resiliency…………………………………………………………………………….……………….……….….. 4-15 i Table of Contents Final Environmental Impact Report – Lynn Gear Works Chapter 5: Water Resources 5.1 Stormwater………………….…………………………………………..……………………………….………..…………. 5-1 5.2 Wastewater…………..……………………………………………………………………………………….………..….…. 5-9 Chapter 6: Draft Section 61 Findings and Proposed Mitigation 6.1 Draft Section 61 Findings………………………………………..………………………………….……..…….….. 6-1 6.2 Proposed Mitigation…………………………………………………………………………………….………….….. 6-20 Chapter 7: Response to Comments 7.1 Certificate on the DEIR for EEA No. 15441…..……………….……………………………………….….….. 7-3 7.2 DEIR Comment Letters……….………………………………………………………………………………….……... 7-5 7.3 Responses to Comments on the DEIR…………………………………………………………………….……. 7-7 Chapter 8: Circulation List 8.1 State Agencies…………………………………………………………….……………………………………….….….. 8-1 8.2 Local Agencies………………………………………………………….………………………………………….….….. 8-2 8.3 Other Organizations…………………………………………………….……………………………………...….….. 8-3 Tables 1.1 Proposed Project Program…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1-2 1.2 Building Details………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1-3 1.3 Anticipated Permits, Approvals and Reviews…………………………………………………………………. 1-4 2.1 MBTA Bus – Projected Trip Distribution…………………………………………….…………………………… 2-11 2.2 MBTA Bus – Projected Trip Distribution by Destination………………………………………………… 2-11 2.3 MBTA Bus – Individual Bus Ridership Projections (Weekday Morning)…………………………. 2-12 2.4 MBTA Bus – Individual Bus Ridership Projections (Weekday Evening)..…………………………. 2-13 2.5 MBTA Bus – Individual Bus Ridership Projections (Saturday Midday)....…………………………. 2-14 2.6 MBTA Commuter Rail – Newburyport/Rockport Ridership Projections (Weekday AM)… 2-16 2.7 MBTA Commuter Rail – Newburyport/Rockport Ridership Projections (Weekday PM)… 2-17 3.1 Greenhouse Gas (CO2) Emissions Summary (tons/year)……………………………………………….. 3-2 4.1 Impacts to Wetland Resources……………………………………………………………………………….……… 4-2 4.2 Filled and Flowed Tidelands…………………………………………………………………………………………… 4-7 4.3 Anticipated Permits and Approvals………………………………………………………………………………… 4-13 5.1 Outfall Estimated Velocities..…………………………………………………………………………….……………. 5-8 6.1 Anticipated State Permits, Approvals and Reviews………………………………………………………... 6-2 6.2 Summary of Mitigation Measures…………………………………………………………………………….……. 6-21 7.1 List of DEIR Commenters………………………………………………………………………………………………... 7-5 7.2 Response to DEIR Comments………………………………………………………………………………………… 7-7 ii Table of Contents Final Environmental Impact Report – Lynn Gear Works Figures 1.1 Project Location Map 1.2 Proposed Project 1.3 Waterfront Area Plan 2.1 Off-Site Mitigation: Jughandle 2.2 Off-Site Mitigation: Lynnway/Hanson 2.3 Off-Site Mitigation: Lynnway/Harding 2.4 Off-Site Mitigation: Commercial Street Corridor 4.1 Outfall Plan and Profile (28, 29, 30) 4.2 Outfall Plan and Profile (31) 4.3 Outfall #30 Repair Plan 4.4 Chapter 91 Jurisdictional Areas 4.5 Filled Tidelands Land Utilization 4.6 Existing Grading 4.7 Existing and Proposed Grading 4.8 Scaled Dry Floodproofing Schemes 4.9 Examples of Moveable Flood Barriers 4.10 Examples of Demountable Flood Barriers 4.11 Examples of Permanent Flood Barriers Appendices (Included on Enclosed CD) Appendix A: GHG Analysis Documentation Appendix B: Stormwater Documentation iii Table of Contents Final Environmental Impact Report – Lynn Gear Works This Page Intentionally Left Blank iv Table of Contents 1 Project Summary Lynnway Associates, LLC (the “Proponent”) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Lynn Gear Works Redevelopment Project (“the Project”) in accordance with the Certificate of the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) (EEA No. 15441), issued November 30, 2016, and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) regulations, 301 CMR 11.00 (revised, May 10, 2013). This chapter includes a project description; a summary of changes to the project since the submission of the DEIR; an updated list of anticipated permits and approvals; and information requested by MEPA and commenting agencies related to land alteration, site contamination and hazardous materials, and waste reduction. 1.1 Project Description The Project will transform a 65.5-acre portion of a former General Electric (GE) industrial site (the “Project Site”) into a walkable, livable transit-oriented residential development that provides diverse