temberMarch 2008 ENT OF TRAN TM SP R OR PA T E A D T . IO .S N U TRANSIT FINAL F E SCOPING D N E IO R T AL RA TR IST ANSIT ADMIN DOCUMENT NORTHERN BRANCH CORRIDOR DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT Sponsored by: U.S. Department of Transportation n Federal Transit Administration n NJ TRANSIT Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................1 1.1 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................................................1 1.2 PURPOSE OF THE SCOPING DOCUMENT............................................................................................3 2. STUDY OVERVIEW..............................................................................................................................4 2.1 HISTORY OF PROJECT PLANNING .....................................................................................................4 2.1.1 West Shore Region Study...................................................................................................4 2.1.2 Post West Shore Region Study Developments ..................................................................5 2.2 SIGNIFICANCE OF POST-WEST SHORE REGION STUDY DEVELOPMENTS.............................................7 2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) .....................................................................................7 2.4 SCOPING PROCESS .........................................................................................................................8 2.5 RELATED PROJECTS......................................................................................................................10 2.6 RELATED STUDIES AND ACTIVITIES.................................................................................................11 2.7 SCHEDULE AND CONTACTS ............................................................................................................11 3. PURPOSE AND NEED FOR ACTION ...............................................................................................12 3.1 PURPOSE AND NEED......................................................................................................................12 3.2 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES................................................................................................................13 4. ALTERNATIVES.................................................................................................................................16 4.1 NORTHERN BRANCH CORRIDOR EIS ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................16 4.2 FUTURE CONNECTION TO MANHATTAN ...........................................................................................17 4.2.1 Tri-County Rail Concept Plan..............................................................................................17 4.2.2 Northern Branch Commuter Rail Conversion .....................................................................18 5. SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ..............................................................19 5.1 LAND USE, ZONING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................19 5.2 LAND ACQUISITION AND DISPLACEMENTS .......................................................................................20 5.3 CONSISTENCY WITH LOCAL PLANS .................................................................................................21 5.4 PARKLANDS ..................................................................................................................................21 5.5 AESTHETICS..................................................................................................................................22 5.6 COMMUNITY DISRUPTION ...............................................................................................................22 5.7 TRAFFIC, PARKING, TRANSIT, PEDESTRIANS AND FREIGHT RAIL ......................................................23 5.8 AIR QUALITY .................................................................................................................................23 5.9 NOISE AND VIBRATION ...................................................................................................................24 5.10 WATER QUALITY............................................................................................................................25 5.11 WETLANDS....................................................................................................................................25 5.12 FLOODING .....................................................................................................................................26 5.13 NAVIGABLE WATERWAYS AND COASTAL ZONES ..............................................................................26 5.14 ENDANGERED SPECIES..................................................................................................................27 5.15 HAZARDOUS WASTE ......................................................................................................................27 5.16 ENERGY AND POTENTIAL FOR CONSERVATION ................................................................................28 5.17 ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS...................................................................................................28 5.18 SAFETY AND SECURITY..................................................................................................................28 5.19 CONSTRUCTION.............................................................................................................................28 5.20 HISTORIC PROPERTIES AND RESOURCES........................................................................................29 5.21 ARCHAEOLOGY..............................................................................................................................30 5.22 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE..............................................................................................................30 NJ TRANSIT 03/11/08 Page i Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document 5.23 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS ...................................................................................................................31 6. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT PROGRAM................................................................................................32 6.1 NEWSLETTERS ..............................................................................................................................32 6.2 STUDY WEBSITE............................................................................................................................32 6.3 CITIZENS LIAISON COMMITTEE (CLC).............................................................................................32 6.4 BREAK-OUT SESSIONS ..................................................................................................................33 6.5 AGENCY COORDINATION ................................................................................................................33 6.6 SMALL TOWN MEETINGS................................................................................................................33 6.7 SCOPING MEETINGS/PUBLIC HEARING(S) .......................................................................................33 APPENDIX A – NOTICE OF INTENT ........................................................................................................34 APPENDIX B – DRAFT SCOPING DOCUMENT COMMENTS ................................................................35 NJ TRANSIT 03/11/08 Page ii Northern Branch Corridor DEIS Final Scoping Document 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Project Description The Northern Branch Corridor project is proposed to address the transportation needs of southeastern Bergen County through the re-introduction of passenger rail service on an existing freight line that services customers between North Bergen and Northvale. The Northern Branch Corridor is a densely settled suburban environment in northeastern Hudson County and southeastern Bergen County, New Jersey. The project area can generally be described as following the existing Northern Branch railroad right-of-way from south to north, roughly parallel to the Hudson River. Specifically, the study area begins in the vicinity of the existing North Bergen Bus Park-and-Ride in the Township of North Bergen, Hudson County, and continues north through North Bergen into the Bergen County municipalities of Fairview, Ridgefield, Palisades Park, Leonia, Englewood, and Tenafly, ending near the Tenafly/Cresskill border. To ensure full evaluation of all alternatives, the communities of Cresskill, Demarest, Closter, Norwood and Northvale are also included. An overview of the study area is provided in Figure 1. Historically, transportation links have fueled the development of this area. Most significant was the arrival of the Erie Railroad (later Erie-Lackawanna) Northern Branch Line in the nineteenth century, which spurred the rapid growth of moderately dense dormitory communities throughout the study area. Residents utilized the railroad to reach jobs in Jersey City, Newark, and New York City (via Hudson River ferries and the Hudson Tube trains, now known as PATH). The railroad also encouraged the growth of a significant