[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 34 (Friday, February 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8470-8472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3897]


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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.,

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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

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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]
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