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Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement on Transportation Improvements Within the Blue Line Extension Corridor in Suburban Cleveland, Ohio

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: February 18, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 34)]
[Notices]
[Page 8470-8472]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18fe00-146]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement on
Transportation Improvements Within the Blue Line Extension Corridor in
Suburban Cleveland, Ohio

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is issuing this
notice to advise interested agencies and the public that an
environmental impact statement is being prepared for transportation
improvements in the Blue Line Extension Corridor in suburban Cleveland,
Ohio.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the
alternatives and impacts to be considered should be sent to Richard
Enty, Team Leader, by April 10, 2000.
    Scoping Meetings: A public scoping meeting will be held on
Thursday, March 9, 2000, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and an interagency
scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 1, 2000, from 9:30
a.m. to 11:30 a.m. See ADDRESSES below.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope should be sent to Richard
Enty, Team Leader, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA),
1240 West 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1331. Phone: (216) 566-
5260. Fax (216) 781-4726. Scoping meetings will be held at the
following locations:

Public Scoping: Thursday, March 9, 2000, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.,

[[Page 8471]]

Beachwood City Hall, 2700 Richmond Road, Beachwood, Ohio 44122
Interagency Scoping: Wednesday, March 1, 2000, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30
a.m., Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, 1240 West 6th
Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1331

    For additional information about the scoping meetings, contact
Richard Enty whose address and phone number are given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carlos Pena , Federal Transit
Administration Region 5, 200 West Adams Street, Suite 2410, Chicago,
Illinois 60606; Telephone: (312) 353-2865.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA),
the federal lead agency, in cooperation with the Greater Cleveland
Regional Transit Authority (RTA), the local lead agency, is preparing
an environmental impact statement (EIS) for proposed transportation
improvements in the Blue Line Extension Corridor and adjacent areas.
The transportation improvements are being defined through a Major
Investment Study (MIS) conducted in conjunction with the development of
the environmental impact statement. Issues and alternatives will be
identified through a scoping process in accordance with the regulations
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as
amended. The scoping process will include the identification and
evaluation of alternative design concepts and scopes, and provide the
basis for the selection of a preferred design concept and scope for
inclusion in the metropolitan transportation plan. Subsequently,
alternative alignments and designs that are consistent with the
selected concept and scope will be addressed in the EIS. It is
important to note that a final decision to prepare an EIS has not been
made at this time. This decision will be made at the end of the major
investment study, and will depend upon the nature of the selected
concept and its expected impacts.

I. Scoping

    RTA will hold a public scoping meeting on Thursday, March 9, 2000,
between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at Beachwood City Hall, 2700 Richmond
Road, Beachwood, Ohio 44122. FTA and RTA invite interested individuals,
organizations, and public agencies to attend the scoping meeting and
participate in establishing the purpose, alternatives, schedule, and
analysis approach, as well as an active public involvement program. The
public is invited to comment on the alternatives to be addressed, the
modes and technologies to be evaluated, the alignments and termination
points to be considered, the environmental, social, and economic
impacts to be analyzed, and the evaluation approach to be used to
select a locally preferred alternative. The scoping meeting location is
accessible and will include interpretive services for the hearing
impaired.
    An interagency scoping meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 1,
2000, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Greater Cleveland Regional
Transit Authority, 1240 West 6th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-1331.
Interested federal, state, and local public agencies, municipal
officials and members of the Blue Line Study Project Scoping Committee
are invited.
    To ensure that a full range of issues is addressed and all
significant issues are identified, comments and suggestions are invited
from all interested parties. Comments or questions should be directed
to the RTA at the address provided above.

II. Description of Study Area and Its Transportation Needs

    The Blue Line Extension Corridor is located in southeastern suburbs
of Cleveland, extending eastward approximately three miles from the
existing terminus of the Blue Line at Van Aken and Warrensville Road in
Shaker Heights, to the vicinity of I-271. The Corridor is approximately
two miles wide, from Chagrin Blvd. on the north to Emery Road on the
south. It includes portions of eight municipalities: City of Shaker
Heights, City of Beachwood, City of Pepper Pike, City of Warrensville
Heights, City of North Randall, Village of Highland Hills, Village of
Orange, and Village of Woodmere. Two municipalities (Orange and Pepper
Pike) are primarily residential, while the others are a mix of
residential, office and retail. A more extensive ``study area'' is
being considered for purposes of examining impacts of alternatives.
    The largest single landowner in the corridor is the City of
Cleveland. The City is developing one property itself: Cleveland
Enterprise Park (recently renamed Mill Creek Enterprise Park), a 113
acre office park within the Village of Highland Hills. The City's other
property, about 600 acres called Chagrin Highlands, is being developed
by the Richard E. Jacobs Group under a master development agreement
that provides for corporate headquarters and office park with
supporting hotel and retail development. Additionally, the City of
Cleveland has joint economic development agreements with three of the
four communities in which Cleveland's property is located: Beachwood,
Warrensville Heights, and Orange. There are a number of other public
and private development sites in the corridor.
    The corridor has a diverse mix of major institutions on relatively
large sites, including Cuyahoga Community College, major medical
institutions and facilities, a regional shopping mall and a number of
large shopping centers, major office developments, a thoroughbred
racetrack, a public golf course, cemeteries, and a variety of small
businesses.
    The area is served by a number of bus lines, two Interstate
highways (I-271 and I-480), a U.S. highway, state highways, and county
roads. These existing transportation facilities are under the
jurisdiction of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, the
Ohio Department of Transportation and Cuyahoga County.
    For central city residents, the corridor development creates new
employment opportunities, but these jobs are difficult, if not
impossible, to reach by transit. Several RTA bus routes serve the area
and connect with the Blue Line at Van Aken, but access to the Van Aken
station is relatively poor.
    The study area already suffers from traffic congestion. The
complicated six-legged Warrensville/Van Aken/Chagrin intersection, just
east of the Blue Line terminus, is one of the most heavily used in
Cuyahoga County, and one of the most congested. Chagrin Boulevard and
other roadways in the study area also experience congestion during the
morning and evening peak periods and at mid-day.
    It is likely that without additional transportation investments,
new development will add to traffic congestion. There is concern that
the additional traffic will hurt the area's quality of life and future
development potential. Some large planned development projects have no
provisions for transit. There may be an opportunity to modify the
planned development to maximize transit and land use efficiencies and
to incorporate transit into the development plans at an early stage.

III. Alternatives

    It is expected that the scoping meeting, stakeholder interviews,
and written comments will be a major source of candidate alternatives
for consideration in the study. The following describes the No-Build,
Enhanced Bus/Transportation Systems Management (TSM), and Light Rail
Transit Alternative that are suggested

[[Page 8472]]

for consideration in the Blue Line Extension MIS:
    1. No-Build Alternative--Existing and planned transit service and
programmed new transportation facilities to the year 2020;
    2. TSM Alternative--Changes in existing bus routes or new bus
routes to provide better service and lower-cost transportation,
roadway, and other improvements, such as bus prioritization at
signalized intersections, and special bus lanes that would enhance the
operation of the existing street and bus networks to help buses move
faster.
    3. Light Rail Alternative--Extension of the rail rapid transit Blue
Line eastward from the existing Van Aken terminal station to the
vicinity of I-271 via several alternative alignments using Chagrin Road
or Northfield Road.
    Based on public and agency input received during scoping,
variations of the above alternatives and other transportation-related
improvement options, both transit and non-transit, will be considered
for the Blue Line Extension Corridor.

IV. Probable Effects

    Issues and impacts to be considered during the study include
potential changes to: the physical environment (air quality, noise,
water quality, aesthetics, etc.); the social environment (land use,
development, neighborhoods, etc.); parkland, cemeteries, and historic
resources; transportation system performance; capital operating and
maintenance costs; financial resources available and financial impact
on the RTA. The entire Corridor is undergoing rapid development. The
potential for Transit Oriented Development and the effect on existing
public and private development agreements will be important. Vehicular/
pedestrian circulation, parking and in-street operation of buses and
streetcars are key considerations.
    Evaluation criteria will include consideration of the local goals
and objectives established for the study, measures of effectiveness
identified during scoping, and criteria established by FTA for ``New
Start'' transit projects.

    Issued on: February 11, 2000.
Don Gismondi,
Deputy Regional Administrator.
[FR Doc. 00-3897 Filed 2-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-57-P

 
 

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