[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 143 (Thursday, July 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43278-43280]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16990]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Preparation of a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement for 
Transit Improvements in the BeltLine Corridor in the City of Atlanta, 
GA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
and 4(f) Evaluation.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan 
Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) are planning to prepare a Tier 
1 Environmental Impact Statement (Tier 1 EIS) and 4(f) Evaluation for 
an approximately 22-mile loop of proposed transit and trail 
improvements within the City of Atlanta. The Tier 1 EIS will be 
prepared in accordance with regulations implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as

[[Page 43279]]

well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), enacted in 
2005. The purpose of this Notice of Intent (NOI) is to alert interested 
parties regarding the plan to prepare the Tier 1 EIS; to provide 
information on the nature of the proposed project; to invite 
participation in the Tier 1 EIS process, including comments on the 
scope of the Tier 1 EIS proposed in this notice; and to announce that 
public scoping meetings will be conducted. Tiering reflects FTA and 
MARTA's belief that it is necessary to focus on the actual issues ripe 
for decision at each level of environmental review (40 CFR 1508.28). It 
is the intent of this preliminary environmental documentation to 
determine and environmentally evaluate transit mode and general 
alignment for both the transit and trails in this corridor.

DATES: Comment Due Date: Written comments on the scope of the Tier 1 
EIS should be sent to Don Williams, Project Manager, MARTA, by 
September 22, 2008.
    Scoping Meetings: Eight public scoping meetings will be held 
between August 19 and August 21, 2008, at locations indicated under 
ADDRESSES below. An interagency pre-scoping meeting will be held on 
August 12, 2008, and an interagency post-scoping meeting will be held 
on August 22, 2008, at MARTA Headquarters.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the Tier 1 EIS should be 
sent to Don Williams, Project Manager, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid 
Transit Authority, 2424 Piedmont Road, NE., Atlanta, GA 30324-3330. 
Comments may also be offered at the public scoping meetings and via e-
mail at [email protected].
    The dates, times, and locations for the public scoping meetings are 
as follow:

Meetings 1&2: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 
p.m., Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road, Room B, 
Atlanta, GA 30327.
Meetings 3&4: Tuesday, August 19, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 
p.m., The Trolley Barn, 963 Edgewood Avenue, NE., Atlanta, GA 30307.
Meetings 5&6: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 
p.m., Georgia Hill Neighborhood Center, 250 Georgia Avenue, SE., 
Atlanta, GA 30312.
Meetings 7&8: Thursday, August 21, 2008, 1 p.m.-3 p.m. and 6 p.m.-8 
p.m., Central United Methodist Church, 503 Mitchell Street, SW., 
Atlanta, GA 30314.

    The appropriate federal, state, and local agency offices will be 
notified individually about the time and location of the interagency 
scoping meeting.
    The locations of the scoping meetings are accessible to persons 
with disabilities. If translation, signing services, or other special 
accommodations are needed, please contact Project Hotline at (404) 524-
2070 or for hearing impaired TTY (404) 848-4931 at least 48 hours 
before the meeting. A scoping information packet is available on the 
project Web site at: http://www.itsmarta.com/newsroom/beltline.html or 
by calling the Project Hotline at (404) 524-2070. Copies will also be 
available at the scoping meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Schilling, Community Planner, 
Federal Transit Administration, 230 Peachtree, NW., Suite 800, Atlanta, 
Georgia 30303, Telephone: (404) 865-5600, Facsimile (404) 865-5605; Don 
Williams, Manager Regional Planning and Analysis, Metropolitan Atlanta 
Rapid Transit Authority, 2424 Piedmont Road, NE., Atlanta, GA 30324-
3330, Telephone: (404) 848-4422, Facsimile (404) 848-5132; or Nate 
Conable, Senior Project Manager, Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., 86 Pryor 
Street, Suite 200, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, Telephone: (404) 880-4100, 
Facsimile: (404) 880-0616.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Description of Study Area and Proposed Project: The BeltLine 
Corridor contains many of Atlanta's residential neighborhoods, a 
majority of the parks in the central city area, as well as a 
significant number of major attractions and points of interest. Transit 
improvements in the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor would create a new 22-
mile transit loop, including potential new stations on an existing rail 
right-of-way. The BeltLine Corridor would connect to the MARTA heavy 
rail system at or near four locations: Lindbergh Center, Inman Park/
Reynoldstown, West End, and Ashby Stations. Improvements in the 
BeltLine Corridor would support the MARTA bus network, other regional 
bus services, future High Capacity Transit projects along I-75, I-285, 
Memorial Drive and Buford Highway, the pending commuter rail service 
between Lovejoy and downtown Atlanta, and the proposed Peachtree 
Streetcar. The Atlanta BeltLine Corridor also includes approximately 33 
miles of new multi-use trails in a linear park located primarily along 
the corridor, with extensions connecting to parks and other trails.
    Purpose of and Need for the Proposed Project: The purpose of the 
BeltLine Corridor transit and trails improvements are to improve local 
and regional mobility, address accessibility and connectivity, and 
support the City of Atlanta's redevelopment plans. The need for the 
proposed project stems from population and employment growth that is 
related to the occurring and planned redevelopment within the City and 
the City's desire to provide better linkages to parks throughout the 
area and to increase overall availability of accessible greenspace.
    Alternatives: Through a process of technical evaluation and public 
input during the previous MARTA BeltLine study, the Inner Core 
Alternatives Analysis (January 2007), a large number of alternatives 
was examined, leading to the agency selection of a Locally Preferred 
Alternative (PA). This decision was based on the PA being the best 
performing alternative and preferred by the public and major 
stakeholders. The preliminary list of alternatives to be considered in 
the Tier 1 Draft EIS will include the No Build Alternative and the PA 
(henceforth referred to as the Build Alternative):
     No Build Alternative: The No Build Alternative assumes 
that no transportation infrastructure improvements would be made in the 
project area apart from improvements that have already been committed 
to by the Georgia Department of Transportation, the City of Atlanta, 
and MARTA and are included in the regional Transportation Improvement 
Program. The No Build Alternative would also assume that no trail 
improvements would be made other than what is currently committed to by 
the City of Atlanta and Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
     Build Alternatives: The Build Alternatives are to be based 
on the PA established in the Alternatives Analysis and would evaluate 
variations in the alignment based on feasibility and potential for 
impacts. In addition to any alternatives uncovered during public 
scoping, the Build Alternatives would include a new 23-mile transit 
service, primarily on existing rail corridor and identify locations for 
new stations on the alignment, with connections to MARTA's heavy rail 
system at its Lindbergh Center, Inman Park/Reynoldstown, West End, and 
Ashby Stations. The Build Alternatives would also incorporate a system 
of connecting trails that would run adjacent to the transit line and 
provide vital connections to existing and proposed recreational 
facilities around the Atlanta BeltLine Corridor.

[[Page 43280]]

    This preliminary range of alternatives may be supplemented during 
the public scoping process and development of the Tier 1 Draft EIS.
    The Tiered EIS Process and the Role of the Participating Agencies 
and the Public: The purpose of the Tier 1 EIS process is to serve as 
the basis for the decision regarding the project design concept and 
scope and will support the acquisition of the right-of-way for corridor 
preservation. The Tier 1 DEIS will preliminarily screen and evaluate a 
range of social, environmental, and economic impacts resulting from the 
mode choice, general alignment, and approximate location of stations. 
Impacts to the affected environment will be screened and evaluated 
based upon information uncovered during public scoping and interagency 
coordination efforts. MARTA will prepare an Annotated Outline for the 
DEIS following this scoping. This gives assurances that the Tier 1 
document will focus on the issues ripe for consideration and that 
scoping has accomplished its intended purpose.
    The Tier 1 EIS will build upon the extensive screening, 
environmental and technical studies and public comments and outreach 
conducted to date. Tiering will allow the FTA and MARTA to conduct 
planning and NEPA activities for this large project and focus on those 
decisions that are ready to be made at this level of analysis. The Tier 
1 analysis will serve as a basis for establishing the general alignment 
of the proposed transit and trail corridor along the entire 23-mile 
loop. Conceptual locations of stations, trail connections, and other 
facilities will be determined, as will the choice of transit 
technology. The scope of analysis in the Tier 1 EIS will be appropriate 
to the level of detail necessary to make informed decisions and will 
receive input from the public and the reviewing agencies.
    A goal of the Tier 1 EIS and these decisions is to support future 
ROW preservation along the entire 22-mile loop. FTA allows the advance 
acquisition of a limited amount of real property for hardship or 
protective purposes as defined in the NEPA regulation at 23 CFR 
771.117(d)(12). Also, in accordance with 49 U.S.C. 5324(c), the 
acquisition of pre-existing railroad ROW may be evaluated for NEPA 
purposes separately from the future transit and trails project that 
will ultimately be built on that ROW under certain conditions and with 
certain understandings. With these exceptions, all corridor parcels 
cleared for ROW preservation and purchase in the Tier 1 document will 
be individually identified and documented.
    This Tier 1 EIS will also meet the requirements of the Georgia 
Environmental Policy Act (GEPA). GEPA requires the assessment of any 
state-level action to determine whether or not the action may 
significantly adversely affect the quality of the environment. A 
project that is subject to NEPA review has met the requirements of GEPA 
and does not require separate documentation.
    The Build Alternative would be finalized after the circulation of 
the Tier 1 DEIS to the public and then included in the Tier 1 Final 
EIS. After completion the FEIS, the Federal Transit Administration 
(FTA) will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) on the Preferred 
Alternative which will include selection of transit mode and general 
alignment. The Tier 1 EIS will serve as the point of departure for 
future project refinement and subsequent, in depth environmental 
analysis required for Tier 2 analysis when the project advances further 
through the project development process. NEPA regulations and SAFETEA-
LU provisions call for public involvement in the EIS process. Section 
6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA and MARTA do the following: (1) 
Extend an invitation to other Federal and non-Federal agencies and 
Indian tribes that may have an interest in the proposed project to 
become ``participating agencies,'' (2) provide an opportunity for 
involvement by participating agencies and the public in helping to 
define the purpose and need for the proposed project, as well as the 
range of alternatives for consideration in the impact statement, and 
(3) establish a plan for coordinating public and agency participation 
in and comment on the scoping information packet. It is possible that 
we may not be able to identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and 
Indian tribes that may have such an interest. Any Federal or non-
Federal agency or Indian tribe interested in the proposed project that 
does not receive an invitation to become a participating agency should 
notify at the earliest opportunity the Project Manager identified above 
under ADDRESSES.
    A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed and a 
public and agency involvement Coordination Plan will be created. The 
program includes a project Web site: http://www.itsmarta.com/newsroom/beltline.html; outreach to local and county officials and community and 
civic groups; a public scoping process to define the issues of concern 
among all parties interested in the project; establishment of a 
technical advisory committee and stakeholder advisory committee; a 
public hearing on the release of the Tier I DEIS; and development and 
distribution of project newsletters. The Coordination Plan will be 
posted to this Web site.
    The purpose and need for the proposed project have been 
preliminarily identified in this notice. We invite the public and 
participating agencies to consider the preliminary statement of purpose 
and need for the proposed project, as well as the alternatives proposed 
for consideration. Suggestions for modifications to the statement of 
purpose and need for the proposed project and any other alternatives 
that meet the purpose and need for the proposed project are welcome and 
will be given serious consideration. Comments on potentially 
significant environmental impacts that may be associated with the 
proposed project and alternatives are also welcome. There will be 
additional opportunities to participate in the scoping process at the 
public meetings announced in this notice.
    In accordance with 23 CFR 771.105 (a) and 771.133, FTA will comply 
with all Federal environmental laws, regulations, and executive orders 
applicable to the proposed project during the environmental review 
process to the maximum extent practicable. These requirements include, 
but are not limited to, the regulations of the Council on Environmental 
Quality and FTA implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 23 CFR 
Part 771), the project-level air quality conformity regulation of the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (40 CFR part 93), and 
Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 CFR part 230), the regulation 
implementing Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 
CFR Part 800), the regulation implementing section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act (50 CFR part 402), Section 4(f) of the Department of 
Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135), and Executive Orders 12898 on 
environmental justice, 11988 on floodplain management, and 11990 on 
wetlands.

    Issued on: July 17, 2008.
Yvette G. Taylor,
Regional Administrator, FTA Region 4.
 [FR Doc. E8-16990 Filed 7-23-08; 8:45 am]
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