Declaration As Surplus and Subsequent Sale of 250 Acres of County Owned Land in Yaphank for Mixed Use Development Purposes
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Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement Prepared for Suffolk County for the: Declaration as Surplus and Subsequent Sale of 250 Acres of County Owned Land in Yaphank for Mixed Use Development Purposes Yaphank, Town of Brookhaven Suffolk County, New York July, 2011 FINAL GENERIC ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT for the Declaration As Surplus and Subsequent Sale of 250 Acres of County Owned Land in Yaphank for Mixed Use Development Purposes 250 acres on both sides of Yaphank Avenue between the Long Island Expressway to the north and Horseblock Road to the South Yaphank, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York LEAD AGENCY: COUNTY OF SUFFOLK CONTACT: Michael Mulé, Environmental Projects Coordinator Suffolk County Planning Department 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, 4th Floor Hauppauge, NY 11788 Tel (631) 853-5203 APPLICANT: COUNTY OF SUFFOLK CONTACT: Michael Mulé, Environmental Projects Coordinator Suffolk County Planning Department 100 Veterans Memorial Highway, 4th Floor Hauppauge, NY 11788 Tel (631) 853-5203 PREPARED BY: CAMERON ENGINEERING & ASSOCIATES, LLP CONTACTS: Janice Jijina, P.E., AICP/Alan J. King, Jr., P.E. 100 Sunnyside Boulevard, Suite 100 Woodbury, New York 11797 516-827-4900 Project Coordination/Engineering/Environmental/Traffic LALLY ACOUSTICAL CONSULTING Emily Lally 272 Water Street #5R New York, NY 10038 212-614-3280 Noise AMY S. GREENE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. Tom Brodde 4 Walter E. Foran Boulevard, Suite 209 Flemington, NJ 08822 908-788-9676 ext. 10 Ecology HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES Cece Saunders P. O. Box 3037 Westport, CT 06880 203-226-7654 Archaeological Resources ERM Jim Perazzo 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200 Melville, NY 11747 (631) 756-8900 Environmental Site Assessment PEARL M. KAMER, Ph.D. Consulting Economist Syosset, New York 516-433-3629 Economics CDM Mary Anne Taylor 100 Crossways Park Woodbury, NY 11797 516-496-8400 Groundwater Modeling Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Declaration as Surplus and Sale of 255 Acres of County Owned Land in Yaphank for Mixed Use Development Purposes July 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1-1 2. COMMENTS AND RESPONSES 2-1 2.1. GENERAL COMMENTS .................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1.1. Casino ............................................................................................................................. 2-1 2.2. ENERGY/LEED ............................................................................................................................ 2-12 2.3. SURFACE AND SUBSURFACE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS ....................................................... 2-13 2.4. GROUNDWATER ........................................................................................................................... 2-14 2.4.1. Water Supply ................................................................................................................. 2-14 2.4.2. Wastewater Management .............................................................................................. 2-14 2.4.3. Stormwater Recharge ................................................................................................... 2-16 2.5. ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................ 2-17 2.5.1. Wetlands, Streams and Carmans River ........................................................................ 2-20 2.5.2. Land Cover and Vegetation .......................................................................................... 2-24 2.6. LAND USE .................................................................................................................................... 2-26 2.7. ZONING ........................................................................................................................................ 2-33 2.8. PUBLIC POLICY ............................................................................................................................ 2-35 2.8.1. General ......................................................................................................................... 2-35 2.8.2. Carmans River .............................................................................................................. 2-43 2.8.3. Smart Growth ............................................................................................................... 2-47 2.9. TRANSPORTATION – TRAFFIC AND PARKING ............................................................................... 2-50 2.10. VISUAL QUALITY ......................................................................................................................... 2-55 2.11. AIR QUALITY ............................................................................................................................... 2-55 2.12. CULTURAL RESOURCES ............................................................................................................... 2-62 2.13. COMMUNITY SERVICES ................................................................................................................ 2-63 2.13.1. Emergency Services ...................................................................................................... 2-63 2.13.2. School Districts ............................................................................................................. 2-64 2.14. DEMOGRAPHICS AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS .................................................................................. 2-67 2.15. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ................................................................................................................ 2-69 2.16. ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................................................................ 2-70 LIST OF TABLES Table 1-1: Project Components ................................................................................................................................. 1-4 Table 1-2: Thresholds for Further SEQRA Analysis ................................................................................................. 1-4 Table 2-1: Conformance with Smart Growth Principles (Table 8-2 of the DGEIS) ................................................ 2-49 Table 2-2: Year 2025-2045 Emission Factors and Volumes ................................................................................... 2-59 Table 2-3: Year 2045 Emission Factor Analysis ..................................................................................................... 2-59 Table 2-4: Maximum Potential Truck Trips (Trips per Hour/tph) ........................................................................... 2-61 Table 2-5: Project Data by Area .............................................................................................................................. 2-72 Table 2-6: Comparison of Proposed Project and Alternatives (Revised DGEIS Table 25-14) ............................... 2-73 APPENDICES Appendix A – SEQRA Documents Appendix B – Hearing Transcript Appendix C – Comment Letters K:\C1800-1849\CE1808E\Yaphank FGEIS June 17 2011.docx Cameron Engineering & Associates, LLP Page i Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement for Declaration as Surplus and Sale of 255 Acres of County Owned Land in Yaphank for Mixed Use Development Purposes July 2011 1. Introduction The County of Suffolk (the “County”), issued a Request for Proposals (“RFP”) for the sale or lease for mixed–use development of approximately 250 acres at its Yaphank County Center. Respondents were encouraged to configure a development team that would bring the highest possible level of design and planning experience to this opportunity. The County sought responses that would establish a new standard of excellence in design, a sense of place and an exciting vibrant live, work, and play environment that would enhance the local Yaphank community and the greater Suffolk County region. The County selected the development proposal that best met the conditions and requirements of the RFP considering the capacity, both financially and based on prior experience, for the respondent to transform their development concepts into a sustainable built environment (the “Selected Developer”). The County Legislature determined that a declaration of surplus and sale of this size property, while associated with a development plan was a Type I Action under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (“SEQRA”) and that a Generic Environmental Impact Statement would be required to comply with SEQRA requirements. A Draft Scope was prepared, a Public Hearing was held, and public comments were received. A Final Scope was then prepared based on the comments received and was adopted by the County Legislature in the fall of 2010. Suffolk County accepted the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) on March 17, 2011, held a public hearing on the DGEIS on April 12, 2011, and accepted public comment on the DGEIS through April 29, 2011. The Notice of Completion of the Draft GEIS and the Notice of Hearing for the April 12, 2011 Public Hearing are provided in Appendix A – SEQRA Documents. This Final Generic Environmental Impact Statement (FGEIS) addresses concerns raised during the SEQRA Hearing and written comments received during the public comment period on the Draft GEIS. The Draft GEIS is incorporated into this document by reference. The State Environmental Quality Review Act 617.9(b)(8) states that: