Public Involvement
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PIN X735.82 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS CHAPTER 5 Public Involvement PIN X735.82 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS Public Involvement This chapter describes the public involvement process that has been developed and implemented for the Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project (Project). Public involvement is an integral part of the National Environmental Policy Act process, and the Federal Highway Administration and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) have provided and will continue to provide opportunities for meaningful public and agency participation and engagement in the Project. As described in Section 4.2.3 (Environmental Justice), the Study Area for the Project includes minority and/or low-income communities. Executive Order (EO) 12898 Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations requires federal agencies to provide meaningful opportunities for affected minority and/or low-income communities to provide input on a project. As described below, the public involvement activities and methods for involving the public in the Project were developed in consideration of the needs and characteristics of these communities (e.g., holding meetings within the local communities near public transportation routes and advertising meetings in locations that are frequented by the local communities). According to the NYSDOT Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Plan, “Generally, if a NYSDOT activity will have an impact on an area where an eligible LEP language group constitutes 5 percent or 1,000 people, whichever is less, reasonable efforts should be put forth to provide meaningful access.” Table 5-1 presents a list of languages spoken by 1 percent or more of the Study Area population. Table 5-1: Languages Spoken by 1 Percent or More of Study Area Population Language Spoken Count Percentage English 101,028 57% Spanish 33,824 19% Other Indic 10,193 6% Chinese 4,822 3% Russian 4,813 3% Hindi 2,670 2% Urdu 2,362 1% Hebrew 2,041 1% French 1,681 1% French Creole 1,647 1% Tagalog 1,488 1% Arabic 1,213 1% African 970 1% Polish 936 1% Other Indo-European Language 885 1% Source: United States Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2015 In the 59 census tracts covering the Study Area, exclusively English speakers comprise 57 percent of the population. Spanish is the primary non-English language spoken in the Study Area, comprising 19 5-1 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS PIN X735.82 CHAPTER 5. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT percent of the Study Area population. Other Indic languages are spoken by 6 percent of the Study Area.1 Chinese and Russian languages each account for approximately 3 percent of the total population in the Study Area. In compliance with the federal EO 13166, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, and the State of New York’s EO 26, Statewide Language Access Policy, the public involvement activities for the Project were developed to consider those populations with limited English proficiency (as described below). Reasonable efforts were made to provide meaningful access for the LEP populations within the Study Area. Figure 5-1 depicts the locations of the public meetings that have been held thus far for the Project; the locations where flyers advertising the public scoping meeting were distributed; and the areas of minority and/or low-income communities. 5.1 PUBLIC MEETINGS 5.1.1 Scoping Meeting A public scoping meeting for the Project was held on Wednesday, September 27, 2017, from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation’s Harvest Room, at 90-40 160th Street, Jamaica, New York. The Harvest Room is near public transportation routes, including the LIRR Jamaica Station, J, Z, and E subway lines, and several bus lines, and is located within a community with identified minority populations. The meeting was held in an open house format, with project boards grouped into the following topics: project/study area; environmental review process; project overview; project purpose, needs, and objectives; concept screening/alternative analysis; and environmental considerations. The NYSDOT staff were available to answer questions, provide project information, and receive input. One area of the room was dedicated to providing written comments, with tables, chairs, comment cards, and a comment box. A stenographer was also available to record verbal comments. A Spanish-language interpreter was available, along with the NYSDOT’s language hotline service and language identification tool. The language hotline service and language identification tool assist people who do not speak and/or read English; meeting attendees identify the language that they speak and an interpreter is called to provide free language assistance. A public information brochure was developed and made available at the scoping meeting. The brochure provided a general project overview and described the ways in which the public could provide comments. The brochure is available on the project website (see Section 5.3 [Project Website]). 1 The four Indic languages tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau are Bengali, Tamil, Punjabi, and Telugu. 5-2 PIN X735.82 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS CHAPTER 5. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT Figure 5-1. Meetings and Flyer Distribution for the Project 5-3 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS PIN X735.82 CHAPTER 5. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT The scoping meeting was advertised in Newsday, Queens Chronicle, The Queens Tribune, and El Diario. In addition, meeting flyers were sent to and/or distributed at the following locations: • Offices of Community Boards2 8, 9, 10, and 12 • Offices of elected officials, including the NY Assembly Districts 24, 27, and 31, State Senate Districts 10 and 14, Congress Districts 5 and 6, City Council Districts 24 and 29, and Queens Borough President • Sutphin Boulevard Festival • Briarwood, Central, Ozone Park, and Baisley Park Libraries • Post offices in Jamaica, Kew Gardens, and South Richmond Hill • Parsons Boulevard (F train), Jamaica Center – Parsons Boulevard/Archer Avenue (E, J, Z trains), and Lefferts Boulevard/AirTrain Station • Parking lots at JFK Airport (cellphone lot and airport central taxi hold) Flyers were also distributed to commercial establishments along major cross streets within the corridor that were identified to have commercial activity. Table 5-2 presents a listing of these locations. Table 5-2: Commercial Flyer Distribution Jamaica Avenue Liberty Avenue 109th Avenue Linden Boulevard Rockaway Boulevard . Starbucks . Guys and Dolls . Allen Deli Mini . BP Gas Station . JFK Deli . Planet Fitness Unisex Beauty Market . Flat Fixed . Unisex Beauty Salon . Metro Drugs Salon . Deli & Grill . Arch Auto Parts . Golden Lion Deli . Family Dollar . Metro PCS . Metro PCS . Convenience . Laundromat . Geo's Pizzeria Store . Autozone . Pretty Beauty Salon . House Exterior . Gulf Gas Station . FastRug Office . Deli & Grill . Luxuria Flowers & Party B&S Lighting . Sunshine Deli & Favors . Gulf Gas Station Grocery . Walgreens . C-Town . Mattress Store . Subway Supermarket . Allstate Insurance . iLoveKickboxing . G’s Restaurant & . MediSys Richmond Hill Bakery Family Practice Center The location of the scoping meeting provided access in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The public notices announcing the meeting provided instructions for requesting special accommodations. A total of 66 people attended the scoping meeting, including community members, elected and government officials, representatives of nonprofit/community organizations, and property owners within or adjacent to the Study Area. Approximately 18 percent of these attendees submitted written 2 Community boards are appointed advisory groups that address land use, zoning and transportation issues, assess the needs of local neighborhoods, and address community concerns. 5-4 PIN X735.82 Van Wyck Expressway Capacity and Access Improvements to JFK Airport Project DDR/DEIS CHAPTER 5. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT or verbal comments. The comments received were considered and incorporated into the written record of the meeting and addressed in the Scoping Report. 5.1.2 Public Hearings Public hearings will be held after this Draft Design Report/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DDR/DEIS) is released to the public and during the 45-day DDR/DEIS public comment period. Meeting notices will be electronically distributed to local elected officials, business organizations, and community-based groups. Legal notices will be placed in various publications, including Newsday, Queens Chronicle, The Queens Tribune, and El Diario. Press releases will be sent to the previously listed outlets. The public hearings will provide opportunities for the public to submit comments on this DDR/DEIS verbally and/or in writing. A stenographer will be available to record formal comments from attendees. A Spanish-language interpreter will be available during the hearings, along with the NYSDOT’s language hotline service and language identification tool. A sign language interpreter will be available, if requested in advance of the hearings. Comments received at the public hearings and during the DDR/DEIS comment period will be considered and responded to, as appropriate, in the Final Design