Draft Environmental Assessment Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Summary of Comments on 2018-08-00_D33S_RPT_ANC-Draft-EA-for- 1 Executive Summary Public-Hearing-9-20-2018.pdf 2 ES-1 Type of Report 3 This Environmental Assessment (EA) evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with Page: 12 4 Arlington National Cemetery’s (ANC) Proposed Action to establish a single contiguous parcel of land south Author: sfinotti Subject: Cross-Out Date: 09/18/2018 6:31:29 AM 5 of the cemetery by closing and relocating local roadways and developing the parcel to increase interment 6 capacity and increase multimodal transportation capacity on Columbia Pike. This document simultaneously 7 addresses the establishment and development components of this action with the FHWA, VDOT, and Author: sfinotti Subject: Sticky Note Date: 09/21/2018 9:28:45 AM 8 Arlington County as cooperating agencies. The realignment of Columbia Pike is integral to a successful It should say Arlington County. If it must reference the board, then it should say "Arlington County Board", 9 ANC expansion; this EA assesses the potential impacts of the realignment to ensure that the cumulative not "Board of Arlington County" 10 effects of the collective federal actions – roadways and cemetery expansion – are considered. 11 This EA follows regulatory guidance of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969; the 12 Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal 13 Regulations [CFR] 1500-1508); and Environmental Analysis of Army Actions (32 CFR 651). Arlington 14 National Cemetery, a Direct Report Unit of the Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) is the lead 15 agency for the Proposed Action. Cooperating agencies are Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. 16 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), Virginia 17 Department of Transportation (VDOT), and the Board of Arlington County, Virginia. 18 This EA is tiered1 from the 2014 ANC Real Property Master Plan Programmatic Environmental Assessment 19 (RPMP PEA) and contains references to and summaries of that document. The earlier document contained 20 development alternatives of the Southern Expansion site including Alternative 4 – Southern Expansion Site 21 with Realigned Roadways. This EA contains a robust analysis of Alternative 4. 22 ES-2 Purpose of and Need for Action 23 The Proposed Action is needed to meet the forecasted interment/inurnment demands of eligible veterans, 24 to preserve ANC as an active military cemetery, and to improve multimodal transportation options for the 25 Columbia Pike corridor. The related actions involving land acquisition and jurisdictional transfers and the 26 realignment of roadways will allow several noncontiguous parcels to merge into a single contiguous parcel 27 to maximize burial space for ANC. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to increase the burial capacity 28 to extend the operational life of the cemetery. The objectives of the Proposed Action are to increase burial 29 capacity; increase capacity for regional multimodal transportation for the Columbia Pike corridor; and, 30 maintain adequate multimodal access, levels of service, and safety for the affected roadway, trail, and 31 sidewalk network and interchange ramps, and transit. 32 ES-3 Description of the Proposed Action 33 The Proposed Action is to establish a single contiguous parcel of land south of the cemetery by closing and 34 relocating local roadways and developing the parcel to increase interment capacity and increase multimodal 35 transportation capacity on Columbia Pike. Land acquisition and jurisdictional transfers and roadway 1 Agencies are encouraged to tier their environmental impact statements to eliminate repetitive discussions of the same issues and to focus on the actual issues ripe for decision at each level of environmental review. (40 CFR §1502.20 Tiering.) 1 August 2018 Draft Environmental Assessment Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Page: 15 Table ES-1: Author: sfinotti Subject: Sticky Note Date: 09/21/2018 4:26:47 PM Summary of Environmental Consequences If compared with current conditions a different conclusion would be reached. Maintain Maintain Relocate Operations Operations Operations Impact No Action Complex Alternative Complex with Complex without Category Alternative (Preferred) Underpass Underpass Alternative Alternative impervious surface and space and would not increase the amount of open support Arlington space when compared to the County’s plans for 2006 conditions which improving the included the Navy Annex multimodal capacity facilities. of the Columbia Pike corridor. Air Quality Short Term Temporary impacts would Short-term Short-term There would be no result from construction impacts would be impacts would be modifications to vehicle air emissions and similar to those similar to those Columbia Pike and fugitive dust. The short- under the under the the Southern term impact would not have Preferred Preferred Expansion site local or regional Alternative. Alternative. would remain significance. Emissions undeveloped. Air associated with emissions for construction were compared criteria pollutants to the Clean Air Act (CAA) would remain de minimis values with consistent with respect to General estimates for the Conformity. The estimated National Capital emissions were below these Region. values and therefore the Proposed Action is presumed to conform to the State Implementation Plan. The use of Best Management Practices (BMPs) during construction would minimize impacts from fugitive dust. Long Term The Preferred Alternative Long-term Long-term There would be no would not change impacts would be impacts would be long-term benefit to employment or traffic similar to those similar to those air quality because estimates included in the under the under the there would be no 2015 CLRP Air Quality Preferred Preferred increased capacity Conformity Analysis. Alternative. Alternative. from a multimodal Future emissions, therefore, transportation would not exceed the corridor. NAAQS and the Preferred 4 August 2018 Draft Environmental Assessment Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Page: 23 Table ES-1: Author: sfinotti Subject: Sticky Note Date: 09/21/2018 2:47:19 PM Summary of Environmental Consequences Utilities - Long Term - County disagrees. There will be long term adverse impacts. Future utility capacity Maintain Maintain will be restricted by the 75 foot Columbia Pike right of way and construction of a tunnel under Columbia Relocate Operations Operations Operations Pike. Alternatives that would address this should be described in detail. Impact No Action Complex Alternative Complex with Complex without Category Alternative (Preferred) Underpass Underpass Alternative Alternative Long Term The current or future land The benefits and Long-term use would not create a new impacts would be impacts would be burden on consumption of similar to those similar to those local or regional utility under the under the services. There would be Preferred Maintain no long-term disruptions to Alternative. Operations local utility customers after Although there Complex with construction. There would would be less Underpass. be no cumulative impacts utility design with future private required – since development in Arlington there would be no County. Operations A positive long-term effect Complex would be realized by the relocation – there upgrading of aging utility would still be infrastructure. utility construction to realign utility corridors. Solid Waste Short Term Construction activities Short-term Short-term There would be no would generate solid waste. impacts would be impacts would be changes to the The contractors would be similar to those similar to those diversion rate of responsible for following under the under the ANC’s acceptable protocol for Preferred Preferred nonhazardous solid avoiding or minimizing Alternative. Alternative. waste. impacts from generating solid waste at the site. Long Term There would be no Long-term Long-term noticeable increase in the impacts would be impacts would be amount of solid waste similar to those similar to those produced from daily under the under the operations and no changes Preferred Preferred to ANC’s diversion rate or Alternative. Alternative. its adherence to the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP). 12 August 2018 Draft Environmental Assessment Arlington National Cemetery Southern Expansion Page: 33 1 • Increase the capacity for regional multimodal transportation for roadways within the Action 2 Area; and, Author: sfinotti Subject: Sticky Note Date: 09/21/2018 10:37:54 AM 3 • Maintain adequate safety and capacity levels of service for roadways within the Action Area. The County maintains that the regional multimodal transportation and safety improvements are mitigation measures, not objectives. Future capacity for regional multimodal transportation and safety 4 1.3.1 Increase Burial Capacity improvements is restricted, not increased, by the limited 75 foot right-of-way and further constricted by the proposed tunnel under Columbia Pike. 5 Extending the operational life of the cemetery by providing sufficient capacity would enable ANC to serve 6 projected demand of eligible veterans and active-duty service members and their families. The cemetery 7 is currently experiencing a heavy demand for burials. The Army, as custodian of this hallowed site, is 8 committed to the cemetery’s iconic nature and its long-term