Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Atlantic/Central Bus Base Expansion Project in Seattle, Washington

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 8, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48890-48892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-23334]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed Atlantic/Central 
Bus Base Expansion Project in Seattle, Washington

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the King County 
Metro Transit Division intend to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA). King County will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the 
requirements of the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). 
The FTA will be the NEPA lead agency. King County will be the SEPA lead 
agency.
    King County Metro Transit, a division of the King County Department 
of Transportation, may expand the operating capacity of the existing 
Atlantic/Central bus base complex located in Seattle's North Duwamish 
Industrial District. The existing complex consists of the existing 
Atlantic Base, which supports electric trolley service within the City 
of Seattle, and the Central Base, which supports a fleet of diesel 
buses that provide service within the City of Seattle and between the 
City and neighboring jurisdictions. In addition, all night owl service 
is dispatched from Central Base.
    Metro Transit uses the existing 22-acre complex for maintenance and 
storage of approximately 340 buses. The agency's Operating Facilities 
Strategic Plan identified a need for central Seattle maintenance 
capacity for up to 185 additional buses within the next 10 years and an 
additional 200 buses within the next 25 years (for a total of 385 
additional buses). Increased capacity will allow maintenance service 
for planned increases in transit service within the City of Seattle as 
well as some increases in service for routes between Seattle and other 
jurisdictions. Among other things, King County's system is slated to 
accommodate up to 85 of Sound Transit's Express Service buses.
    The EIS will evaluate a no action alternative as well as feasible 
and prudent alternatives to expand the maintenance base. Study to date 
suggests that reasonable alternatives are limited to an upward 
structured expansion of employee parking combined with an expansion of 
the footprint of the base either westward or to the south. Expansion to 
the west might impact a group of buildings that could have historical 
significance. Expansion to the south might have an effect on a 
privately owned industrial business that handles approximately 10% of 
the Port of Seattle's export business. Expansion to non-contiguous 
property would not be prudent or meet project objectives because of the 
significantly higher operating costs, which would occur. This would 
reduce funds available for revenue (passenger carrying) service. 
Expansion to non-contiguous properties would also require acquisition 
of a larger amount of industrial property, which would be contrary to 
City policy directed toward maximum preservation of industrial 
property.
    The existing base complex occupies land that is industrially zoned. 
Applicable zoning regulations allow expansion of the base facilities 
within the industrial zone subject to a showing that impacts on 
industrial property and activities have been minimized.
    King County Transit and FTA will determine the scope of 
environmental review after receiving input from interested parties and 
organizations and from federal, state, regional, and local agencies. A 
similar scoping process was recently completed in accordance with

[[Page 48891]]

the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). A SEPA scoping meeting took 
place on August 12, 1999 in the Atlantic/Central base neighborhood, and 
comments were solicited from project stakeholders, interested parties, 
government agencies and property owners and tenants within the project 
area and vicinity.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of alternatives 
and impacts to be considered should be sent to King County Metro 
Transit by Thursday, October 7, 1999. See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the project scope should be sent to: 
Paul Leland, Senior Transit Environmental Planner, King County Metro 
Transit, Design and Construction Section, MS KSC-TR-0431, 201 S. 
Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104-3856; phone (206) 684-1168; fax (206) 
684-1900.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Gehrke, Federal Transit 
Administration, Region X, 915 Second Avenue, Room 3142, Seattle, WA 
98174; phone (206) 220-7954.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

    The FTA and King County Transit invite interested individuals and 
organizations, and federal, state, regional, and local agencies to 
participate in defining the alternatives for expanding the capacity of 
the Atlantic/Central Base complex, and in identifying any significant 
social, economic, or environmental issues related to the alternatives. 
Scoping comments may be made be submitted in writing by letter or fax: 
See the ADDRESSES section above for the appropriate address and fax 
number. Scoping comments may also be submitted by E-mail using the 
electronic scoping form, which is available at http://www6.metrokc.gov/
kcdot/transit/sepacomm.cfm. Scoping comments should focus on 
identifying specific social, economic, or environmental impacts to be 
evaluated and suggesting alternatives that are more cost-effective or 
have fewer environmental impacts while achieving similar transit 
objectives.
    A project scoping document providing more detail on project 
alternatives, alternatives considered but deemed inappropriate for 
further refinement or consideration, potential project impacts, and 
required permits and approvals is being forwarded to all potentially 
interested parties and agencies and is also available on the internet 
at: http://www.metrokc.gov/kcdot/basepgm/sepa/enviro.htm. Copies of the 
project scoping document can be requested by calling King County Metro 
Transit at (206) 684-6776. If you wish to be placed on the mailing list 
to receive further information as the project proceeds, please contact 
Barbara de Michele at Metro Transit; (206) 263-3792.

II. Description of Study Area and Project Need

    The existing Atlantic Central base complex and the adjacent areas 
within which expansion might occur are within the North Duwamish 
industrial neighborhood situated a short way south of the Seattle 
central business district, south of the International District and east 
of the area occupied by Seattle's new Safeco baseball field and King 
County Transit's Ryerson transit base. King County's other existing 
transit bases include North Base north of Seattle in the City of 
Shoreline, Bellevue and East Bases east of Lake Washington in the City 
of Bellevue, and South Base south of Seattle in Tukwila. Bases are 
located throughout the metropolitan area to achieve operating 
efficiencies related to the maintenance, dispatch and storage of 
transit buses.
    The Atlantic/Central Base Expansion project is expected to include 
the following improvements: increased bus parking space; additional 
repair and inspection bay capacity; expanded body repair, paint, 
upholstery and tire shop capacity; and other additional specialty bay 
capacity; expanded electronics shop; expanded driver and support area 
including (including transit police); additional employee parking to 
support expanded base (including consideration of structured parking to 
reduce use of industrial land); and possible provision of additional 
layover capacity adjacent to the base and within the base during peak 
hours to accommodate existing layover space that will be lost due to 
Sound Transit's conversion of the downtown bus tunnel and associated 
stations to light rail use, and other local transportation 
infrastructure projects; possible additional bus fueling and washing 
capacity; and possible joint use industrial space if it is determined 
to be economically feasible. If an on-site alternative is selected, 
functions that can operate efficiently from other locations (such as 
the information distribution warehouse, and work center for transit 
facilities maintenance) may be moved to another location to minimize 
the amount of additional land needed.
    Expansion of base capacity using non-contiguous property will not 
meet King County Transit's project objectives and needs. Expanding on a 
non-contiguous site would increase operating expenses by requiring 
significant duplication of overhead costs (staffing & equipment) 
totaling over one million dollars per year. Expansion on a non-
contiguous industrial site would preclude potential operating and 
spatial efficiencies which could be achieved with a consolidated 
complex and would therefore utilize more industrial property than a 
consolidated facility. Expanding to a non-contiguous site outside of 
the Duwamish area would not meet King County Transit's objectives due 
to the increased non-revenue deadhead time which would be required for 
buses traveling between the maintenance base and transit service 
routes. The Transit Operating Facilities Strategic Plan provides more 
detail concerning project needs and is available through King County 
Transit at (206) 684-1846.
    Contiguous expansion of the Atlantic/Central Bus Base complex to 
accommodate up to 385 additional buses is expected to require 
acquisition of approximately 13.3 to 13.6 acres of abutting industrial 
property. The location of the existing Atlantic/Central Bus Base 
complex limits potential contiguous expansion options to either 
westward or southward expansion. The complex is bounded on the north by 
Interstate 90/SR 519 ramps, and to the east by Airport Way South and 
Interstate 5.
    Immediately contiguous to the west is an assemblage of buildings to 
either side of Sixth Avenue South, all of which were built in the late 
1920's to early 1930's and have a similar appearance and functional 
relationship to now removed railroad spurs and 6th Avenue South. A 
previously completed historic resource assessment of Sixth Avenue South 
concluded that the buildings constitute a district that is eligible for 
listing on the National Register of Historic Places under the National 
Historic Preservation Act. However, the integrity of the district has 
been seriously compromised as a result of its having been bisected by a 
recent major elevated freeway ramp project, and the cumulative impact 
of extensive building upgrading and modernization projects undertaken 
by tenants over the years. Also, there are unresolved questions about 
the uniqueness of the district within the metropolitan Seattle area.
    The size and configurations of the parcels and buildings in the 
historic district, as well as their structural condition relative to 
earthquake hazards and building seismic standards, tends to render them 
functionally obsolete for many modern industrial uses, including 
possible transit maintenance base operations. Therefore, westward

[[Page 48892]]

expansion of the base would have to eliminate a significant portion of 
the buildings within the southern half of the historic district.
    Expansion of the base complex southward across Massachusetts Avenue 
would require the use of industrial property with existing rail spur 
access, and would displace one or more existing industrial businesses 
that supply a significant portion of the Port of Seattle's export 
business. The City of Seattle's land use code allows transit base 
facilities and expansion within industrially zoned property, subject to 
a demonstration that all reasonable measures have been taken to 
minimize impacts related to significant displacement of other viable 
industrial businesses, and that the use of land with access to 
industrial shorelines or major rail facilities has been minimized.

III. Alternatives

    Project alternatives include a No-Build Alternative and two build 
alternatives. Under Alternative A, the No-Build Alternative, expansion 
of the existing base complex would not occur. Without expanded base 
capacity within the City, King County Metro Transit could not operate 
new or expanded services. Implementation of the new Six-Year Transit 
Plan would be in jeopardy. And Metro could not implement the contract 
with Sound Transit for provision of regional express bus services.
    Under Alternative B, the Atlantic Central Base complex would be 
expanded in 3 phases over the next 15 to 25 years to accommodate 385 
additional buses, including the above mentioned project elements. The 
expansion of the complex would be westward, encompassing currently 
privately owned business properties on both sides of 6th Avenue South 
between Royal Brougham Way and South Massachusetts Street, and 
properties on the west side of 6th Avenue South between South 
Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street. It is possible that this 
would affect historic properties.
    Alternative C is premised on Sound Transit electing to proceed with 
a light-rail maintenance base south of the Atlantic/Central base 
between South Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street. 
Alternative C would include all of the improvements proposed under 
Alternative B except that the proposed layover capacity on Sixth Avenue 
South would be entirely on site. Sound Transit's light rail maintenance 
facility would require vacation of Sixth Avenue South between South 
Massachusetts Street and South Holgate Street. Since Metro could not 
expand south of South Massachusetts, accommodating Metro's base 
expansion needs would require vacating Sixth Avenue South from South 
Massachusetts Street north to South Royal Brougham Way. The Sound 
Transit light rail facility is a separate project being planned and 
analyzed in a separate NEPA/SEPA document by Sound Transit and the 
Federal Transit Administration. Alternative C could include some shared 
facilities on the Sound Transit site, such as employee parking, control 
center and fueling for general service vehicles.
    The EIS will also document a range of project alternatives 
considered that might lessen or avoid taking out portions of the 
adjacent historic district. It is anticipated based on preliminary 
analysis of these alternatives that none of them are prudent or 
feasible.

IV. Probable Effects/Potential Impacts for Analysis

    King County plans to use a single EIS document to satisfy both SEPA 
and NEPA for the proposed project. Presently, the issue of principal 
concern related to NEPA is potential impacts on historic resources, 
which may be National Register eligible. Other NEPA concerns include 
environmental justice. King County may be preparing a Section 4(f) and 
Section 106 analysis of historic resources as a part of the NEPA EIS 
documentation. Issues principally of concern under SEPA include impacts 
on industrial land uses and business within the project area, including 
potential impacts on industrial traffic. Other impacts, which will be 
evaluated, include water quality; archaeological resources; hazardous 
materials; air quality (including air quality conformity); noise; 
consistency with local land-use and transportation plans and policies; 
business displacements and relocations; and economics. These impacts 
will be evaluated both for the construction phase and in relation to 
ongoing operations as appropriate. Reasonable measures to mitigate 
adverse impacts will be identified.

V. FTA Procedures

    The NEPA EIS process will address the social, economic, and 
environmental impacts of the Atlantic Central Base expansion 
alternatives. A draft EIS will be published and made available for 
public and agency review and comment, and a public comment meeting will 
be held to receive review comments pertaining to the draft EIS. On the 
basis of the draft EIS and the comments received, King County Metro 
Transit will complete the final EIS.

    Issued on: September 1, 1999.
Linda Gehrke,
Acting Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-23334 Filed 9-7-99; 8:45 am]
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