MASTER PLAN AND FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT FOR AMHERST STATE PARK Town of Amherst Erie County, New York Co-Lead Agencies: NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Empire State Plaza Albany, New York 12238 Contact: Thomas B. Lyons, Environmental Management Bureau Phone: (518) 474-0409 Email: [email protected] And Town of Amherst, New York Amherst Municipal Building 5583 Main Street Williamsville, New York 14221 Contact: Eric W. Gillert, Planning Director Phone: (716) 631-7051 Prepared By: Environmental Design & Research, P.C. 238 West Division Street Syracuse, New York 13204 Contact: Paul Fritz, Project Manager Phone: (315) 471-0688 Email: [email protected] Date Accepted by Lead Agency: March 17, 2003 Deadline for Receipt of Comments: April 7, 2003 SEQR NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF A FINAL EIS Date of Notice: February , 2003 Lead Agencies: New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation (OPRHP) Town of Amherst , Erie County SEQR Status: Type I This Notice is issued pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 617 and Local Law #3-82 of the implementing regulations pertaining to Article 8 (State Environmental Quality Review) of the Environmental Conservation Law. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed action described below has been prepared and has been accepted by OPRHP and the Town of Amherst as lead agencies. Title of Action: Adoption and Implementation of a Master Plan for Amherst State Park Location and Description of Action: Amherst State Park is located at 400 Mill Street, in the Town of Amherst, Erie County. The property is situated along Ellicott Creek, immediately north of Glen Avenue in the Village of Williamsville, south of Sheridan Drive, west of Mill Street and east of Reist Street and the Park Country Club. Amherst State Park is owned by NYS OPRHP and will be developed, operated and maintained by the Town of Amherst under a management agreement with the State. The Master Plan for the park includes construction of multiple use trails throughout the park, small parking areas, restrooms and other park related facilities. The attached Executive Summary of the Master Plan/FEIS contains a brief description of the environmental setting, the project, alternatives, and potential environmental impacts/mitigation. Availability of FEIS: Copies of the Master Plan/FEIS and Supplementary Materials are available for review at: the OPRHP Niagara Regional Office, Niagara Reservation State Park, Niagara Falls; at the office of the OPRHP Agency Contact in Albany; Town of Amherst Municipal Building, 5583, Main Street, Williamsville; and at the following libraries: Buffalo and Erie County Central Library, 1 Lafayette Square, Buffalo; Amherst Main Library at Audubon, 350 John James Audubon Parkway, Amherst; Clearfield Branch, 770 Hopkins Road, Amherst; Eggertsville-Snyder Branch, 4622 Main Street, Snyder; and Williamsville Branch, 5571 Main Street, Williamsville. The Final Master Plan/FEIS is also available for review at the following web site: www.edrpc.com/amherststatepark Agency representatives and the public can provide comments during the consideration period for the FEIS. The consideration period ends 3 weeks following the date of this Notice of Completion. Comments should be forwarded to the contact person(s): Agency Contacts: NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Agency Building 1, Empire State Plaza Albany, NY 12238 Contact: Mr. Thomas B. Lyons Phone: (518) 474-0409 And Town of Amherst, NY Amherst Municipal Building 5583 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221 Contact: Eric W. Gillert, Planning Director Phone: (716) 631-7051 Copies of this notice have been filed with involved and interested agencies and persons. These include: NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP), Albany NYSOPRHP - Niagara Region NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), Albany NYSDEC - Regional Office NYS Department of Transportation, Regional Office Erie County Department of Public Works Erie County Department of Environment and Planning Town of Amherst Planning Board Amherst State Park Advisory committee Town of Amherst Recreation Commission Amherst conservation Advisory Council Village of Williamsville I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY A. Introduction The proposed Master Plan for Amherst State Park was developed in response to the acquisition of 85± acres of the former St. Mary of the Angels Convent by the Town of Amherst and the State of New York in January 2000. In 1998, after learning of the proposed sale of the property by the Sisters of St. Francis, the State and the Town each allocated $2.5 million for the acquisition of the Sisters property for the purpose of preserving open space. The property, including the Mother House and ancillary structures, the Reist Mill and undeveloped portions of the grounds, was acquired after the Sisters vacated the Mother House building in the fall of 1999. St. Mary of the Angels Convent had been home to the Sisters of St. Francis since 1923. At the time of the acquisition, the property was split into two parcels. The State of New York acquired title to 77± acres of this property for Amherst State Park while the Town of Amherst acquired title to 8± acres, including the former Mother House building. Under a management agreement, the Town of Amherst will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the State Park property. The agreement between the Town and the State stipulates that the property will be used for “passive recreation and conservation purposes”. While Amherst State Park is one of the smaller parks in the State Park System, it's resources and value to the community and the region are significant. This reinforces the need for a comprehensive statement of the vision, stewardship responsibilities and public recreation opportunities at Amherst State Park. The preparation of a Master Plan is a timely and appropriate response to current conditions at the park as well as to the need for long-term management and stewardship of the park's resources. The overall intent of the Master Plan is to provide comprehensive recommendations for both the short and long-term environmental and recreational development of the park. The Master Plan for Amherst State Park presents a means of addressing existing recreational and resource protection goals, including the following: • Provide a variety of facilities for appropriate recreational uses based on identified local and regional needs and deficiencies. • Enhance, preserve and protect unique natural and scenic resources. • Provide, enhance and improve nature-oriented recreational opportunities, including addressing public access to Ellicott Creek. • Utilize existing infrastructure to the extent possible to reduce costs and environmental impacts. B. Environmental Setting Amherst State Park includes approximately 77 acres of State-owned land and approximately 3 acres of Town-owned land in the Town of Amherst, Erie County, New York. It is located directly north of the Village of Williamsville between Glen Avenue and Sheridan Drive. The property represents a significant area of public open space within an area that is largely developed for residential, i commercial, educational, institutional and private uses. The highlight of the proposed park is Ellicott Creek, which bisects the main area of the property. In fact, a majority of the park property (approximately 70%) falls within the 100-year floodplain of the creek. The property also features wooded areas, meadows, old orchards and formally landscaped grounds. The Reist Mill, a locally designated historic structure is located within the park adjacent to Reist Street. The park is currently used for family and small group picnicking, bird watching, fishing, walking, jogging, dog walking and a variety of other passive recreational activities. On November 21, 2002, the Town of Amherst Planning Board approved a site plan for the former Mother House that will see the structure converted to a 102-unit senior housing facility. The Mother House and 4.11 acres of property will be sold by the Town to CRS Properties (a.k.a St. Mary’s Commons Associates, L.P.) who will own and operate the facility. The property being purchased is smaller than the original 7.96-acre parcel that was reserved for future development of the Mother House. The balance of 3.85 acres will be retained by the Town of Amherst in three separate parcels. Two of these parcels (one located south and west of the Mother House building and the other located primarily east of the Mother House building) totaling 2.85 acres are intended to be combined with the State Park. These 2.85 acres have been included as part of the State Park in the Master Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the purpose of assessing any environmental impacts associated with this land and thus bring the total acreage of park land to approximately 80 acres. The third parcel (1± acres) containing the old powerhouse north of the Mother House will remain in Town ownership. A description of the existing park, including its history, classification, and existing environmental conditions is included in Section IIB of the Master Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement (MP/FEIS). C. Proposed Master Plan Vision and Goals The overall vision for Amherst State Park is to provide an opportunity for the public to appreciate the unique environmental and cultural resources that exist within the park. Park development and management will be aimed at protecting these resources while increasing opportunities