Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District April 30, 2018 Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project Prepared for San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 300 Lakeside Drive, 21st floor Oakland, CA 94612 Prepared by 300 Lakeside Drive, Suite 400 Oakland, CA 94612 April 30, 2018 DRAFT INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION Date of Publication of Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration: April 30, 2018 Project Title: BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project Sponsor and Lead Agency: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District Contact Person and Phone Number: Janie Layton, (510) 874-7423 Project Location: Downtown San Francisco BART Stations (Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, and Civic Center/UN Plaza). Project Description: The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), in cooperation with the City and County of San Francisco, is working to improve escalator durability and security at station entrances/exits along Market Street leading to the underground Embarcadero, Montgomery Street, Powell Street, and Civic Center/UN Plaza station concourses. The existing entrances/exits consist of variations of side-by-side stairs and escalators leading down to the underground concourse level, and are currently uncovered and exposed to inclement weather and discarded trash leading to frequent breakdowns of the existing escalators. The proposed improvements would include the installation of canopy covers over the entrances/exits, as well as replacement and refurbishment of existing street-level escalators. Each protective canopy would also be equipped with a motorized security grille that would lock at the sidewalk level of the station entrance/exit when the stations are closed. These improvements would be constructed in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A17.1-2007 Section 6.1.8, which requires that outdoor escalators be covered to protect them from weather related damage and for the safety of passengers. This Project Would Not Have A Significant Effect on the Environment: This finding is based on the criteria of the Guidelines of the State Secretary for Natural Resources, Sections 15064 (Determining Significant Effect), 15065 (Mandatory Findings of Significance), and 15070 (Decision to Prepare a Negative Declaration), and the reasons documented in the Environmental Evaluation (Initial Study) for the project, which is attached. Mitigation measures are incorporated into this project to reduce potentially significant effects to a less-than-significant level. These mitigation measures are identified in the attached Initial Study and are summarized below. Copies of the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration: Copies of the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration can be reviewed on the BART website at: https://www.bart.gov/about/planning/sfentrances. BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project Page 1 Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration April 30, 2018 In addition, copies of the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration are available for review at the following locations: BART offices at 300 Lakeside Drive, 21st Floor, Oakland, CA 94612 San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, 94102 Questions regarding where to review the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration should be directed to the project information telephone line at the following number: (510) 287-4745. Public Meeting: BART will hold a public meeting to receive public comments on the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration. The meeting will be held on Wednesday May 16, 2018 from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the following location: San Francisco Main Library, Latino/Hispanic Community Room, 100 Larkin Street, San Francisco, 94102 Persons who plan to attend the public meeting and have special accommodation needs are encouraged to call (510) 464-6752 to request assistance. If you need language assistance services, please call (510) 464-6752 at least 72 hours prior to the public meeting. Comments on the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration: A 30-day public and agency review period pursuant to Section 15073 of the State CEQA Guidelines is scheduled from April 30, 2018 through May 30, 2018. Comments will be received at the public meeting, in writing, and by e-mail. Email comments will be accepted at [email protected]. Written comments can be mailed to the following address: San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District Attention: Janie Layton, Environmental Administrator P.O. Box 12688 (Mail Stop LKS - 22) Oakland, CA 94604-2688 All questions regarding the BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project, the Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration, or how to comment on this document can be directed to the project information telephone line at (510) 287-4745. Oral comments will not be accepted by telephone. After close of the review period, the BART Board of Directors will consider public and agency comments prior to adoption of the final Mitigated Negative Declaration. If you need language assistance services, please call (510) 464-6752. Si necesita servicios de asistencia de idiomas, llame al (510) 464-6752. 如需語言協助服務，請致電 (510) 464-6752. BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project Page 2 Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration April 30, 2018 Mitigation Measures Incorporated into the Project. The following mitigation measures are being incorporated into the BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project. These measures would reduce potentially significant impacts identified in the Initial Study to less than significant. The following measures can also be found in the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan: AQ-1 Basic Air Quality Construction Control Measures. The following measures will be implemented by the BART construction contractor during all phases of construction on the project site: All exposed surfaces (e.g., parking areas, staging areas, soil piles, graded areas, and unpaved access roads) shall be watered two times per day. All haul trucks transporting soil, sand, or other loose material shall be covered. All visible mud or dirt track-out onto adjacent public roads shall be removed using wet power vacuum street sweepers at least once per day. The use of dry power sweeping is prohibited. All roadways, driveways, and sidewalks to be paved shall be completed as soon as possible. Idling times shall be minimized either by shutting equipment off when not in use or by reducing the maximum idling time to 5 minutes (as required by California airborne toxics control measure Title 13, Section 2485 of the California Code of Regulations). Clear signage shall be provided for construction workers at all access points. All construction equipment shall be maintained and properly tuned in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications. All equipment shall be checked by a certified mechanic and determined to be running in proper condition prior to operation. A publicly visible sign shall be posted at the project site with the telephone number and person to contact regarding dust complaints. This person shall respond and initiate a corrective action. The BAAQMD’s phone number shall also be visibly posted, for compliance with applicable regulations. BIO-1 Tree Removal or Pruning. Tree or shrub removal or pruning will be avoided from February 1 through August 31, the bird nesting period, to the extent feasible. If no tree or shrub removal or pruning is proposed during the nesting period, no surveys or further mitigation measures are required. This time period coincides with the western tiger swallowtail butterfly’s use of the London plane trees as host plants. Therefore, avoiding tree removal during this time frame will also reduce likelihood of impacts to developing butterflies. BART Market Street Canopies and Escalators Modernization Project Page 3 Draft Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration April 30, 2018 BIO-2 Nesting Bird Survey. If any project construction activities occur during the active nesting period (February 1 through August 31), a pre-construction survey for nesting birds within the immediate project footprint will be conducted by a qualified biologist. Nesting bird surveys will be conducted within 1 week before initiation of construction activities. If no active nests are found, no further surveys and no further mitigation will be required. However, if two weeks lapse during construction within the active nesting period (i.e., if no work takes place on site for two continuous weeks between February 1 and August 31), then the survey should be repeated to ensure that any nests have not been occupied or created during the work stoppage. The survey would be required each year prior to any project construction activities occurring during the active nesting period. The survey would not be required if construction occurred outside of the active nesting period. If active nests are found in any impact areas, a qualified biologist will assess the potential impacts of project construction noise levels to ensure an appropriate buffer is established to protect the active nests. The extent of these buffers will be determined by the biologist based on the level of noise or construction disturbance, line of sight