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Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment MAY 2014

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Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment MAY 2014 THORNDYKE RESOURCE DRAFT Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment MAY 2014 Prepared for Hood Canal Sand and Gravel LLC, dba Thorndyke Resource POULSBO WASHINGTON Prepared by point environmental consulting, inc. SEATTLE WASHINGTON Cover Photos: Taken from Jefferson County WHR Hicks Park in Shine WA, on the shores of Squamish Harbor Top photo 2006 telephoto, looking southwest toward the former Shine Pit Bottom photo: 2014 telephoto, looking southwest toward the former Shine Pit Note: regrowth of reclaimed mining areas Ver. 1.3 b THORNDYKE RESOURCE PROJECT DRAFT Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment MAY 2014 Prepared for Hood Canal Sand and Gravel LLC. dba Thorndyke Resource POULSBO WASHINGTON Prepared by point environmental consulting, inc. SEATTLE WASHINGTON This page is intentionally left blank Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment May 2014 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 Purpose ................................................................................................................................ 1 Methods and Approach ....................................................................................................... 1 1.0 VISUAL SETTING ................................................................................................ 3 1.1 Location ....................................................................................................................... 4 1.2 Landforms .................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Human Elements .......................................................................................................... 4 Structures ..................................................................................................................... 4 Light and Glare ............................................................................................................ 8 Haze ............................................................................................................................. 8 1.4 Viewers ........................................................................................................................ 9 Residents ...................................................................................................................... 9 Highway Travelers ....................................................................................................... 9 Tribal, Government and Commercial Vessel Operators ............................................ 10 Outdoor Recreationists .............................................................................................. 10 2.0 EXISTING VISUAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS .................................. 12 2.1 Jefferson County Comprehensive Plan ...................................................................... 12 2.2 Jefferson County Unified Development Code (UDC)............................................... 12 2.3 Jefferson County Ordinance No. 08-0706-04 ............................................................ 13 2.4 Additional Environmental Protection Proposed in the Application .......................... 13 3.0 EXISTING VIEWS .............................................................................................. 14 3.1 Views toward the mining (Meridian Extraction Area) .............................................. 14 3.2 Views toward the sand and gravel processing area (Operations Hub) ...................... 17 Visual assessment area A through F .......................................................................... 18 Visual assessment area A: South Point Road ............................................................ 18 Visual assessment area B: Squamish Harbor............................................................ 22 Visual assessment area C: Shine Road mid-slope ..................................................... 25 Visual assessment area D: Shine Road upper-slope .................................................. 27 Visual assessment area E: Hood Canal Bridge .......................................................... 28 Visual assessment area F: Kitsap County Salisbury Point Community Park ............ 30 3.3 Views toward the sand and gravel conveyor (Central Conveyor) ............................. 33 Visual assessment area A through F .......................................................................... 34 Visual assessment area I: Thorndyke Road bridge crossing ..................................... 35 3.4 Views toward the marine load-out facility on Manhattan Beach (Pier) .................... 38 Visual assessment area D: Shine Road, upper-slope ................................................. 38 Visual assessment area E: Hood Canal Bridge .......................................................... 41 Visual assessment area G: Kitsap County shoreline .................................................. 45 Visual assessment area H: Thorndyke Bay ............................................................... 50 Visual assessment area J: Manhattan Beach .............................................................. 52 i Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment May 2014 4.0 VISUAL IMPACTS ............................................................................................. 57 4.1 Mining........................................................................................................................ 57 4.2 Operations Hub .......................................................................................................... 58 Visual Attributes ........................................................................................................ 58 Visual Changes .......................................................................................................... 58 Overall Visual Impact of the Operations Hub ........................................................... 60 4.3 Central Conveyor ....................................................................................................... 61 Visual Attributes ........................................................................................................ 61 Visual Changes .......................................................................................................... 61 4.4 Pier ............................................................................................................................. 63 Visual Attributes ........................................................................................................ 63 Visual Changes .......................................................................................................... 64 Overall Visual Impact of the Pier .............................................................................. 68 4.5 Tugs, barges and ships on Hood Canal (Marine Transportation) .............................. 69 Visual Attributes ........................................................................................................ 69 Visual Changes .......................................................................................................... 72 Overall Visual Impact of Marine Transportation ...................................................... 73 5.0 MITIGATION ...................................................................................................... 74 APPENDIX A - REFERENCES ..................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX B - TERMINOLOGY................................................................................... 76 ii Light, Glare and Aesthetics Assessment May 2014 INTRODUCTION Purpose This report describes the existing visual environment and potential visual impacts of the proposed Thorndyke Resource project (See Jefferson County DCD File No. MLA 03-00155 for project details). The report is intended to inform the applicant and others interested in the visual aspects of the proposed project, as well as to assist Jefferson County in developing the environmental impact statement (EIS) being prepared for the proposed project under the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). Information presented in this report is preliminary and is subject to review and revision based on the analysis and information generated through Jefferson County’s SEPA review. Methods and Approach The assessment consisted of the following steps: 1. Establish the project’s “viewshed.” The project viewshed is the surface areas from which proposed project features could be seen (FHWA 1989). The viewshed was determined based on examination of topographic maps, Google Earth digital terrain modeling, and direct, on-the-ground observation and photography. 2. Establish “visual assessment areas.” The project’s viewshed was then divided into areas that would have similar views of project elements, called Visual Assessment Areas (similar to the “Landscape Units” concept used in the Federal Highway Administration’s visual assessment methodology [FHWA 1989]). The areas were defined by identifying 1) areas where one or more project features would be visible and 2) sharing the same overall viewshed. 3. Select Representative Viewpoints. Representative viewpoints were defined for selected visual assessment areas where additional visual assessment was required (e.g., parks, residential areas). 4. Determine who would see the project (“viewer groups”). Viewer types were identified primarily
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