Visual Impact Assessment Galloo Island Wind Energy Facility Town of Hounsfield Jefferson County, New York Case No. 15-F-0327 Prepared for: Apex Clean Energy Management, LLC Court Square Building 310 4th Street NE, Suite 200 Charlottesville, VA 22902 Prepared by: Environmental Design & Research, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, & Environmental Services, D.P.C 217 Montgomery Street, Suite 1000 Syracuse, New York 13202 P. 315.471.0688 F. 315.471.1061 E. [email protected] July 2017 Visual Impact Assessment Galloo Island Wind Energy Facility TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Project Description ................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Project Site ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 2.2 Proposed Project .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1 Wind Turbines .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.2.2 Electrical Collection Lines ................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2.3 On-Island Collection Substation ....................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.4 Access Roads .................................................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.5 Met. Towers ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.6 Temporary Staging/Laydown Yards ................................................................................................................. 7 2.2.7 O&M Building ................................................................................................................................................... 7 2.2.8 Barge Landing Area ......................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.9 Helicopter Landing Site .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.10 Borrow Area ..................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.11 Temporary Batch Plant .................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2.12 Off-site Ancillary Facilities ................................................................................................................................ 9 3.0 Existing Visual Character ....................................................................................................................................... 12 3.1 Visual Study Area ............................................................................................................................................... 12 3.2 Physiographic/Visual Setting .............................................................................................................................. 14 3.2.1 Landform and Vegetation ............................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................................ 14 3.2.3 Water Features .............................................................................................................................................. 15 3.3 Landscape Similarity Zones ............................................................................................................................... 15 3.3.4 Successional/Wetland .................................................................................................................................... 20 3.3.7 Maintained Waterfront .................................................................................................................................... 22 3.3.8 Village ............................................................................................................................................................ 23 3.4 Distance Zones .................................................................................................................................................. 24 3.5 Viewer/User Groups ........................................................................................................................................... 25 3.5.1 Local Residents .............................................................................................................................................. 25 3.5.2 Through-Travelers/Commuters ...................................................................................................................... 25 3.5.3 Tourists/Recreational Users ........................................................................................................................... 25 3.6 Visually Sensitive Resources ............................................................................................................................. 26 3.6.1 Aesthetic Resources of Statewide Significance ............................................................................................. 31 3.6.2 Aesthetic Resources of Local Significance .................................................................................................... 44 4.0 Visual Impact Assessment Methodology ................................................................................................................ 49 4.1 Project Visibility .................................................................................................................................................. 49 4.1.1 Viewshed Analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 49 4.1.2 Field Verification ............................................................................................................................................. 51 4.1.3 Line of Sight Cross Section Analysis .............................................................................................................. 52 4.2 Project Visual Impact .......................................................................................................................................... 52 4.2.1 Viewpoint Selection ........................................................................................................................................ 53 4.2.2 Visual Simulations .......................................................................................................................................... 57 4.2.3 Visual Contrast Rating ................................................................................................................................... 60 5.0 Visual Impact Assessment Results ........................................................................................................................ 63 5.1 Project Visibility .................................................................................................................................................. 63 5.1.1 Viewshed Analysis Results ............................................................................................................................ 63 5.1.2 Line-of-Sight Cross Sections .......................................................................................................................... 69 ii Visual Impact Assessment Galloo Island Wind Energy Facility 5.1.3 Field Evaluation .............................................................................................................................................. 73 5.2 Analysis of Existing and Proposed Views ........................................................................................................... 82 5.3 Visual Impact Assessment Rating ...................................................................................................................... 96 5.4 Nighttime Impacts ............................................................................................................................................. 103 5.5 Visual Impact of Associated Support Facilities ................................................................................................. 103 5.6 Visual Impacts During Construction ................................................................................................................. 105 5.7 Cumulative Visual Impacts ............................................................................................................................... 110 6.0 Conclusions .........................................................................................................................................................