West Lake Corridor DEIS Appendix H-2: Land Use, Neighborhoods
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Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report November 2016 Prepared for: Federal Transit Administration and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District Prepared by: AECOM and Fitzgerald & Halliday, Inc. Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of Report ................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Project Overview ................................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 No Build Alternative ................................................................................... 1 1.2.2 Commuter Rail Alternative ......................................................................... 4 1.2.3 Indiana Harbor Belt (IHB) Alternative ........................................................ 6 1.2.4 Hammond Alternative ................................................................................ 6 1.2.5 Maynard Junction Rail Profile Option ........................................................ 9 2. LAND USE AND ZONING ........................................................................................................ 10 2.1 Regulatory Setting ............................................................................................... 10 2.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 10 2.3 Affected Environment .......................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Land Use and Zoning .............................................................................. 12 2.3.2 Future Land Use, Master Plans, and Planned and Programmed Developments .......................................................................................... 17 2.4 Environmental Consequences............................................................................. 20 2.4.1 No Build Alternative ................................................................................. 20 2.4.2 Commuter Rail Alternative ....................................................................... 21 2.4.3 IHB Alternative ......................................................................................... 23 2.4.4 Hammond Alternative .............................................................................. 23 2.4.5 Maynard Junction Rail Profile Option ...................................................... 24 2.5 Construction-Related Impacts ............................................................................. 24 2.6 Mitigation ............................................................................................................. 25 2.6.1 Long-Term Operating Effects .................................................................. 25 2.6.2 Short-Term Construction Effects ............................................................. 25 3. NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES ........................................................ 27 3.1 Regulatory Setting ............................................................................................... 27 3.2 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 27 3.3 Affected Environment .......................................................................................... 27 3.3.1 Neighborhoods ........................................................................................ 28 3.3.2 Community Resources ............................................................................ 33 3.4 Environmental Consequences............................................................................. 40 3.4.1 No Build Alternative ................................................................................. 40 3.4.2 Commuter Rail Alternative ....................................................................... 40 3.4.3 IHB Alternative ......................................................................................... 42 Page i November 2016 Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report 3.4.4 Hammond Alternative .............................................................................. 43 3.4.5 Maynard Junction Rail Profile Option ...................................................... 44 3.5 Construction-Related Impacts ............................................................................. 44 3.6 Mitigation ............................................................................................................. 44 3.6.1 Long-Term and Operating Effects ........................................................... 44 3.6.2 Short-Term Construction Effects ............................................................. 45 4. REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................... 46 Figures Figure 1-1 Regional Setting for the West Lake Corridor Project ............................................. 2 Figure 1-2 West Lake Corridor Project Study Area ................................................................. 3 Figure 1-3 Commuter Rail Alternative and Options ................................................................ 5 Figure 1-4 Indiana Harbor Belt Alternative ............................................................................. 6 Figure 1-5 Hammond Alternative Options............................................................................... 7 Figure 1-6 South Shore Line Proposed Realignment ............................................................. 8 Figure 2-1 Study Area Jurisdictions ...................................................................................... 11 Figure 2-2 Existing Land Uses in the Study Area ................................................................. 13 Figure 2-3 Existing Land Uses along the Existing MED/SSL................................................ 14 Figure 2-4 Generalized Zoning in the Study Area ................................................................ 16 Figure 2-5 Generalized Zoning along the Existing MED/SSL ............................................... 17 Figure 3-1 General Neighborhood Locations in the Study Area ........................................... 29 Figure 3-2 General Neighborhood Locations along the Existing MED/SSL .......................... 30 Figure 3-3 Community Facilities in the Study Area ............................................................... 37 Figure 3-4 Community Facilities along the Existing MED/SSL ............................................. 38 Figure 3-5 Parks and Recreational Facilities in the Study Area............................................ 39 Figure 3-6 Parks and Recreational Facilities along the Existing MED/SSL .......................... 40 Tables Table 2-1 Existing Land Use Patterns and Zoning in the Study Area .................................. 15 Table 3-1 Summary of Aggregate Community Resources in the Study Area ...................... 33 Table 3-2 Community Resources within 500 Feet of the Proposed Rail Line* .................... 34 Table 3-3 Public Parks, Recreation Areas, and Trails within 500 Feet of the Rail Line* ..... 35 Table 3-4 Summary of Aggregate Community Resources within 50 Feet of the Existing MED/SSL ............................................................................................................. 36 Page ii November 2016 Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report Appendices Appendix A Community Resources and Parks and Recreation Area Listings Appendix B Detailed Location Maps – Parks and Recreation Areas within 500 Feet of the Rail Line Page iii November 2016 Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report Acronyms BMP Best Management Practice CEDS Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy CEQ Council on Environmental Quality CFR Code of Federal Regulations CMAP Chicago Metropolitan Area Planning Con Plan Consolidated Plan CRP Comprehensive Regional Plan DEIS Draft Environmental Impact Statement DNR Department of Natural Resources EPA United States Environmental Protection Agency FHWA Federal Highway Administration FTA Federal Transit Administration GIS Geographic Information System IHB Indiana Harbor Belt LWCF Land and Water Conservation Fund MED Metra Electric District NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NICTD Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District NIRPC Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission NPS National Park Service PUD Planned Unit Development RDA Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority ROW Right-of-way SF Single-family SSL South Shore Line TOD Transit-Oriented Development US United States USC United States Code USDOT United States Department of Transportation Page iv November 2016 Land Use, Neighborhoods, and Community Resources Technical Report 1. INTRODUCTION The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (NICTD) are conducting the environmental review process for the West Lake Corridor Project (Project) in Lake County, Indiana, and Cook County, Illinois, in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other regulatory requirements. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is being prepared as part of this process, with the FTA as the Federal Lead Agency and