Silvercup West FEIS Executive Summary Executive Summary Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................. ES-1 A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION ............................................................................. ES-1 B. PROPOSED BUILDING PROGRAM ................................................................... ES-3 C. REQUIRED ACTIONS AND APPROVALS............................................................. ES-7 D. LAND USE, ZONING, AND PUBLIC POLICY.......................................................ES-11 E. SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS ...................................................................ES-12 F. NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER .....................................................................ES-15 G. COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND SERVICES .........................................................ES-16 H. OPEN SPACE ........................................................................................ES-17 I. SHADOWS ...........................................................................................ES-18 J. HISTORIC RESOURCES.............................................................................ES-19 K. TRAFFIC AND PARKING ............................................................................ES-21 L. TRANSIT AND PEDESTRIANS ......................................................................ES-23 M. AIR QUALITY........................................................................................ES-24 N. NOISE ...............................................................................................ES-26 O. INFRASTRUCTURE ..................................................................................ES-27 P. SOLID WASTE ......................................................................................ES-27 Q. ENERGY..............................................................................................ES-27 R. NATURAL RESOURCES .............................................................................ES-28 S. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ..........................................................................ES-29 T. URBAN DESIGN AND VISUAL RESOURCES .......................................................ES-30 U. CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS..........................................................................ES-32 V. WATERFRONT REVITALIZATION PROGRAM.......................................................ES-34 W. PUBLIC HEALTH.....................................................................................ES-35 X. GENERIC ANALYSIS OF IMPACTS FROM SALT PILE RELOCATION ..............................ES-35 Y. MITIGATION.........................................................................................ES-36 Z. ALTERNATIVES......................................................................................ES-37 AA. UNAVOIDABLE SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE IMPACTS ................................................ES-44 BB. GROWTH-INDUCING ASPECTS OF THE PROPOSED ACTION ....................................ES-44 CC. IRREVERSIBLE AND IRRETRIEVABLE COMMITMENTS OF RESOURCES..........................ES-45 SILVERCUP WEST FEIS ES-i Executive Summary: Table of Contents List of Tables TABLE ES-1: PREFERRED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND POTENTIAL VARIATIONS ...................ES-2 TABLE ES-2: OPEN SPACE .................................................................................ES-5 TABLE ES-3: 2009 NO BUILD VERSUS BUILD WEEKDAY TRAFFIC LOS SUMMARY ...............ES-21 TABLE ES-4: 2009 NO BUILD VERSUS BUILD SATURDAY MIDDAY TRAFFIC LOS SUMMARY...................................................................................ES-22 TABLE ES-5: SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC IMPACT MITIGATION SUMMARY................................ES-23 TABLE ES-6: FUTURE WITH THE PROPOSED ACTION (2009) – MAXIMUM 8-HOUR CO LEVELS......................................................................................ES-24 TABLE ES-7: FUTURE WITH THE PROPOSED ACTION (2009) – MAXIMUM PM2.5 INCREMENTAL IMPACTS ...................................................................ES-25 TABLE ES-8: CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTED DURATIONS............................ES-33 TABLE ES-9: SIGNIFICANT TRAFFIC IMPACT MITIGATION SUMMARY................................ES-36 SILVERCUP WEST FEIS ES-ii Executive Summary A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 1. Purpose & Need The purpose and need for the Project include: • The need to meet current and anticipated demand for film and television production facilities that conform to industry standards; • The need to compete against other venues offering film and television production facilities; • The need to support the redevelopment of Long Island City as a “24-hour” neighborhood containing a mix of industrial, commercial, residential, retail, cultural and open space uses contributing to the vitality of Queens as a whole; and • The need to provide improved access to the East River waterfront from locations in Queens. 2. Project Description Terra Cotta, LLC (the Applicant) seeks approval by the CPC of an amendment to the zoning map for the area bounded by the northern boundary of the existing M1-4 district to the north at the northern limit of the Queensboro Bridge, the midpoint of Vernon Boulevard to the east, the midpoint of 43rd Avenue to the south, and the East River to the west (the Rezoning Area). The Rezoning Area comprises Block 477, Lots 7, 13, 15, 20 and 24. In addition, the Applicant is seeking related CPC and Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) approvals to enable development of an approximately 2.77 million gsf mixed-use development (Silvercup West) on Block 477, Lots 13, 15, 20, and 24 (the Project Site). The Project Site is bounded by the Queensboro Bridge on the north, Vernon Boulevard on the east, 43rd Avenue on the south, and the East River on the west. The approximately 6.0-acre Project Site, which is located within an M1-4 district and in an area covered by the Waterfront Access Plan Q-1 (WAP) for Northern Hunters Point, is currently occupied, in part, by a temporary New York Power Authority (NYPA) facility on Lot 24, the former New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company building on Lot 20, and a New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) open storage pile of sand and salt located within the mapped but unopened segment of 43rd Avenue on the southern edge of the Project Site. Both the NYPA facility and DSNY storage pile would be moved prior to construction. Vacant land on the Project Site (following the removal of the NYPA facility) would be replaced by approximately 2.77 million gsf (approximately 2.10 million zoning square feet [zsf]) of new mixed use development containing a broad range of uses, including television and film production studios, residential, office, retail, museum and/or other cultural or community facilities, a health club, and a catering facility. Development of Silvercup West would conform to either a Preferred Development Program or one of three Variations. The Preferred Development Program and its three Variations are summarized in Table ES-1. SILVERCUP WEST FEIS ES-1 Executive Summary TABLE ES-1: PREFERRED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM AND POTENTIAL VARIATIONS Preferred Development Variation 1 Variation 2 Variation 3 Program (Residential) (Studio) (Residential and Studio) Use (gsf) (gsf) (gsf) (gsf) Residential 1,044,970 1,700,018 1,044,970 1,700,018 Commercial 816,538 161,490 816,538 161,490 Office 655,048 0 655,048 0 Retail 76,581 76,581 76,581 76,581 Health Club 40,013 40,013 40,013 40,013 Catering 44,896 44,896 44,896 44,896 Cultural/Community Facility 126,401 126,401 0 0 Studio/Studio Support 346,574 346,574 473,282 473,282 Loading/Parking 433,761 433,761 433,761 433,761 TOTAL Floor Area 2,768,551 2,768,551 2,768,551 2,768,551 Public Open Space (Upland Connection and 55,000 55,000 55,000 55,000 Esplanade) As indicated in Table ES-1, some aspects of the development program would be the same in all the Variations. These include the retail and restaurant space, the catering facility and the health club. However, the Variations differ from the Preferred Development Program in terms of the amounts of residential space, office and support space, and the cultural facility space. Specifically: • One variation (Variation 1: Residential) would replace the 655,048 gsf of office space with an equivalent amount of residential space containing 655 apartments. • A second variation (Variation 2: Studio) would replace the 126,401 gsf cultural facility with an equivalent amount of studio and studio support space, including two additional studios. • A third variation (Variation 3: Residential and Studio) would replace the 655,048 gsf of office space with an equivalent amount of residential space containing 655 apartments and would replace the 126,401 gsf cultural facility with an equivalent amount of studio and studio support space, including two additional studios. Total floor area would be the same with the Preferred Development Program and each of its three Variations. The floor-area ratio (FAR) of the proposed project would be approximately 7.9 with the Preferred Development Program or any of the three Variations. Final selection of the program to be developed would depend on market conditions at the time of development. In all cases, the development would be subject to a Restrictive Declaration, which would result in the same bulk and building envelope in the Preferred Development Program and the three Variations. The Preferred Development Program and each of the three Variations would provide approximately 1,400