A. INTRODUCTION B. CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS

Transcription

1 Chapter 4: Cumulative Effects A. INTRODUCTION The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation plans to reconstruct the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk in the borough of Queens, New York City, which Hurricane Sandy significantly damaged in October The goal of this project is to reconstruct the boardwalk and increase its resiliency and to provide public facilities that add to the quality of life for the communities in the Rockaways and leave these communities sustainably positioned to meet the needs of their post-disaster populations and to further prospects for growth. The proposed project would be funded by HUD Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of As part of the Environmental Assessment for this funding action, the project s effects in combination with the effects of other ongoing projects are summarized in this cumulative effects assessment. B. CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ANALYSIS PHASE I RECONSTRUCTION In the first part of 2013, targeted repairs were made to sections of the boardwalk to allow their limited use during the summer. Located at Beach 117th Street, Beach 106th Street, Beach 97th Street, and Beach 86th Street, these repaired sections (or islands ) include beach access, lifeguard stations, restroom facilities, and New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Offices. In addition, concrete baffle-walls were installed along the beach between Beach 126th and Beach 149th Streets to replace the walls that were lost in the storm, and trap bags were installed as a temporary protective measure between approximately Beach 55th and Beach 149th Streets. Therefore, there would be no overlapping or cumulative construction effects from on-going construction at or near the islands. The Phase I Targeted Repairs also include the replacement of a restroom facility previously located near Beach 66th Street with one located near Beach 67th Street. This limited area of construction could be on-going while the construction activities associated with the first section of the proposed project gets underway between Beach 86th and Beach 96th Streets. The 20- block distance between the two project areas would minimize any potential for adverse cumulative effects during construction. INTERIM CONNECTION BETWEEN BEACH 35TH AND BEACH 39TH STREETS There are currently several sections of boardwalk surface that are completely absent due to storm damage. One of these gaps currently exists between Beach 35th and Beach 39th Streets. Because the initial phase of boardwalk reconstruction is proposed to begin at Beach 86th Street and move west toward Beach 126th Street, reconstruction on the eastern end of the peninsula (including this stretch in the 30 s) is not immediate. Therefore, the City is proposing to close this 4-1

2 Rockaway Boardwalk Reconstruction gap with an interim connection. The proposed temporary structure will use salvaged ipe stringers that were recovered from the damaged boardwalk. These stringers will be placed on and anchored to the existing concrete piles, with timber decking placed on the stringers. The width of the deck will be approximately 12 feet and will be connected to the existing boardwalk at Beach 35th and Beach 39th Streets. Once this section of the boardwalk is complete the entire stretch of boardwalk between Beach 9th and Beach 60th Streets will be usable for the 2014 beach season and beyond The approximate linear footage of the gap in the boardwalk between Beach 35th and Beach 39th Streets is 1,075 linear feet. This limited area of construction could be on-going while the construction activities associated with the first section of the proposed project gets underway between Beach 86th and Beach 96th Streets. However, the 47-block distance between the two project areas would minimize any potential for adverse cumulative effects during construction. SAND FENCING BETWEEN BEACH 9TH AND BEACH 20TH STREETS In the future with or without the proposed project, DPR intends to install sand fencing that would aid in the gradual formation of a sand dune beyond the eastern end of the USACE dune in order to provide flood protection to communities between Beach 9th and Beach 20th Streets. The sand fencing would be placed in two parallel rows approximately 20 feet apart, adjacent to and in approximate alignment with the eastern terminus of the USACE dune and landward of the existing natural dunes that occur in this area. Pedestrian access would be through five at-grade openings in the sand fencing, where pedestrian access is now in the vicinity of Beach 19th, Beach 16th and Beach 9th Streets. This limited area of construction could be on-going while the construction activities associated with the first section of the proposed project gets underway between Beach 86th and Beach 96th Streets. However, the 66-block distance between the two project areas would minimize any potential for adverse cumulative effects during construction. UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS (USACE) BEACH RENOURISHMENT Independent of the proposed project, USACE is currently undertaking a beach renourishment project. This project includes the creation of a new dune located just south of the boardwalk between the shore and the upland area. As the completion date for this ongoing beach renourishment project is summer 2014, it will be completed prior to the majority of the boardwalk reconstruction project that is expected to start in early 2014 and be completed in It is expected that the current renourishment program will be amended by a betterment that would utilize the project s volume of sand in a manner to raise the level of the USACE dune from 14 to 16 feet in height (with a 25 foot crest), cover over existing trap bags, and provide for additional fine grading to allow for vehicular and pedestrian access. DPR, in the future with or without the proposed project, would plant cape beach grass on the top of the USACE dune from Beach 20th Street to approximately Beach 73rd Street and on the top and seaward side of the dune from Beach 73rd Street to approximately Beach 149th Street. Planted areas would be protected by sand fencing until the vegetation becomes established. USACE is also undertaking a long term reformulation study that will look at beach renourishment and other erosion control measures and flood protection for the entire Rockaway Peninsula. That reformulation study is expected to begin a public review and planning process in 2014 that will identify and select various components that will comprise a long-term plan. 4-2

3 Chapter 4: Cumulative Effects USACE is expected to issue final erosion and flood protection recommendations in 2015 with implementation thereafter. As a result, the USACE projects (including both the ongoing beach renourishment and future potential flood protection plans for the Rockaway Peninsula) and the proposed project are directly interrelated on a contextual and design basis, and plans for both projects have been established in close coordination between the City and USACE. Cumulatively, the USACE beach renourishment work and the reconstructed boardwalk would offer an improved resiliency for the boardwalk, Rockaway Beach, and the adjacent communities through the design of the boardwalk and its additional sand infill that would extend the protective features of the USACE dune to the new boardwalk structure. In addition, the proposed project s construction of structures to manage and control access across the dune in the area between Beach 126th and Beach 149th Streets would also help preserve and protect the USACE dune. At the same time, there is unlikely to be a cumulative impact of ongoing construction activities since USACE will have built the dune and completed the current beach renourishment project before the boardwalk work gets substantially underway and any long-term implementation by USACE is expected after the boardwalk work is largely completed. As analyzed in Chapter 3, Section E, Natural Resources, there would be no cumulative effect on natural resources in terms of threatened or endangered species or adjacent habitat areas. Because the proposed sand-retaining wall underneath the boardwalk would be located on the landward side of the dune that will be constructed by the USACE independently of the proposed project, it would not affect storm overwash processes that currently act to maintain the significant maritime dune habitat north of the boardwalk and would not further impede the movement of wildlife between areas north and south of the boardwalk. NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION S ROCKAWAY PENNINSULA PLAN The reconstructed boardwalk also is intended to be an integral part of the Rockaway Peninsula Plan. Beginning with this project and over the course of the next few years, DPR will be developing and implementing comprehensive urban design and open space concepts for the greater area of the Rockaway Peninsula to the east and west of the project area, as well as north of the boardwalk as it connects to the local pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular traffic network. This larger conceptual plan will look at all lands north of the boardwalk structure to the DPR property line and craft a vision of a restored landscape and recreational facilities that are integrated with the raised and reconstructed boardwalk. The Rockaway Peninsula Plan is intended to address knitting together the various DPR open space parcels with each other, with adjacent streets, and with the boardwalk. While the boardwalk reconstruction project has substantial independent utility and is proceeding on an expedited basis to restore what was damaged by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, the enhanced open space connections for local residents and the region would be a significant cumulative benefit of a long-term Rockaway Peninsula Plan. Once developed, the plan would be implemented after the reconstruction of the boardwalk based on available funds and would not generate cumulative construction impacts from concurrent activities. Other than the proposed project, no other plan components have been developed. 4-3

4 Rockaway Boardwalk Reconstruction OTHER INITIATIVES AND PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT A design competition has recently been completed for Arverne East, an approximately 80-acre vacant site between Beach 32nd and Beach 59th Streets. The "Small Means & Great Ends" winning proposal includes a mix of housing units and "social nodes" (e.g., a nature preserve, parks, a town square, a wetland park with children's programming, and community gardens), sandbanks and other features to protect against storm surges, and there will be spaces available for rent by local shops and businesses near a proposed town square. It is expected that the results of the competition will be used for further planning work with regard to Arverne East and as a prototype for long term planning and development strategies in other densely populated seaside communities in the Rockaways and beyond. Arverne East will be a mixed-use, mixed-income, sustainable and storm-resilient community of approximately 1,300 units, and the competition guidelines require the project to incorporate all new infrastructure roadways, water mains, sanitary and storm sewers, utilities, smart grids, etc. and both active and passive landscaped open space on the approximately 80-acre site. In addition, the competition guidelines recommend that proposals emphasize sustainability and resiliency. 1 As the development of Arverne East is currently in the planning stages, it is not expected that any construction associated with the mixed-use development would occur before the completion of the boardwalk reconstruction project. However, it is possible that some construction activities of Arverne East could overlap with construction of the proposed project. If that were to occur, it is not expected that there would be any cumulative construction impacts, as any simultaneous construction would be temporary and may not be adjacent. Further, the design of the Arverne East mixed-use development is anticipated to be complementary to the boardwalk and the Rockaway Peninsula Plan. No other major land use changes are currently anticipated in the study area. C. CUMULATIVE EFFECTS SUMMARY Each of these projects affecting Rockaway Beach, the boardwalk, and the study area has independent utility i.e., each would proceed in the absence of the others. None of the projects is related in a way that would foreclose options or require the New York City Office of Management & Budget/United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (OMB/HUD) to commit funding for the others. However, while they are separate projects, OMB/HUD considered the cumulative impacts of these projects to determine whether they might collectively result in any significant adverse impacts. No significant adverse environmental or socioeconomic impacts are expected to result from the construction of the projects identified above, considered individually or cumulatively. The distribution of the projects over a wide geographic area, along with the planning and design features to avoid potential adverse impacts, is expected to minimize the possibility of additive or cumulative construction impacts, such as effects on natural resources, historic resources, economic conditions, and access and circulation. During the construction period, plans for maintenance and protection of local traffic will be instituted where necessary. Other area-wide impacts during the construction period, such as noise and air quality, are unlikely because the projects are separated geographically and their peak construction activities are unlikely to occur simultaneously

5 Chapter 4: Cumulative Effects No significant adverse environmental impacts are expected to result from the operation of the proposed projects, considered individually or cumulatively. The potential for individual project impacts will be addressed in the environmental documentation for each project, and in the case of Arverne East were addressed in the 2003 Final Environmental Impact Statement. Furthermore, the distribution of the projects over a wide geographic area is expected to result in minimal additive or cumulative impacts following completion of the projects. Upon completion, the proposed projects are expected to improve the quality of life for the communities in the Rockaways and leave these communities sustainably positioned to meet the needs of their post-disaster populations and to further prospects for growth. The cumulative effect of the proposed projects on the Rockaways urban fabric is expected to be beneficial. Overall, these projects would not result in any significant adverse environmental or socioeconomic impacts, during their respective construction or operational phases. 4-5