[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 27, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55279-55281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-25820]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for Proposed Transit Improvements in the Corridor Between the 
Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) and The 
Anaheim ResortTM in the City of Anaheim, Orange County, CA

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).
    Subject: Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS).
    Project Title: Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study.

SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with 
the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and the City of 
Anaheim, is planning to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) to provide transit service over 
a 3.5-mile corridor between the future ARTIC on the east and The 
Anaheim Resort on the west. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 
regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
as well as provisions of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient 
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, 2005). The 
purpose of this Notice of Intent is to alert interested parties 
regarding the plan to prepare the DEIS, to provide information on the 
proposed transit project, to invite participation in the EIS process, 
including comments on the scope of the DEIS proposed in this notice, 
and to announce that public scoping meetings will be conducted.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS including the 
project's purpose and need, the alternatives to be considered, the 
impacts to be evaluated, and the methodologies to be used in the 
evaluations should be sent to Ms. Jamie Lai, Transit Manager, by 
December 1, 2009. A Scoping meeting will be held on Thursday, November 
12, 2009 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the location indicated under 
ADDRESSES below. Agency representatives with an interest in the

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proposed project are encouraged to attend a 4:30 p.m. presentation at 
the location listed below. Representatives of Native American Tribes 
and all Federal, State, regional and local agencies that may have an 
interest in any aspect of the project will be invited to be 
participating or cooperating agencies, as appropriate.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the DEIS should be sent to 
Ms. Jamie Lai, Transit Manager, at City of Anaheim, Public Works 
Department, 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Suite 276, Anaheim, CA 92805. 
Comments may be submitted in writing or may be made orally at the 
public scoping meetings. The address for the public scoping meeting is 
as follows: Anaheim Downtown Community Center--Assembly Hall A, 250 E. 
Center Street, Anaheim, CA 92805.
    The Scoping Meeting will be held on Thursday, November 12, 2009 
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The project's purpose and need and the 
description of alternatives under consideration for the proposed 
project will be presented at this meeting. The meeting location will be 
accessible to persons with disabilities. If special translation or 
signing services or other special accommodations are needed, please 
contact Ms. Jennifer Labrado (949) 252-1755 or [email protected] 
at least 48 hours before the scoping meeting. Paper copies of scoping 
materials may be obtained from Ms. Labrado. Also, scoping materials 
will be available at the meeting and on the City of Anaheim Website 
(http://www.anaheim.net).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Hymie Luden, City and Regional 
Planner, of the Federal Transit Administration's San Francisco Regional 
Office at (415) 744-2732 or write to FTA Region IX Office, 201 Mission 
Street, Suite 1650, San Francisco, CA 94105-1926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Scoping: The FTA, OCTA, and the City of Anaheim invite all 
interested individuals and organizations, public agencies, and Native 
American Tribes to provide comments on the scope of the DEIS, including 
the project's purpose and need, the alternatives under consideration, 
the impacts to be evaluated, and the evaluation methods to be used. 
Comments should focus on: alternatives that may be less costly or have 
fewer environmental or community impacts while achieving similar 
transportation objectives and the identification of any significant 
social, economic or environmental issues related to alternatives.
    The Proposed Project: The Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor 
Study proposes to provide a new east-west transit connection between 
the ARTIC regional transportation hub in the Platinum Triangle area of 
the City of Anaheim and the general area of The Anaheim Resort. The 
project is envisioned to operate as a high-capacity system, providing 
convenient and efficient transfers to Metrolink, Amtrak, local fixed-
route bus, and future bus rapid transit and high-speed train services 
connecting at ARTIC. This connection will link Orange County's 
``backbone'' Metrolink commuter rail system to Anaheim's major 
employment and activity centers in the Platinum Triangle and The 
Anaheim Resort.
    Funding for the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor study was 
awarded to the City of Anaheim through OCTA's Go Local Program, which 
provides competition-based transit grants to Orange County cities for 
projects intended to improve transit access to Metrolink (commuter 
train) service. OCTA is providing program management oversight of the 
Anaheim Fixed Guideway Transit Corridor study.
    Purpose and Need for the Proposed Project: The primary purpose of 
the Anaheim Fixed-Guideway Transit Corridor Study is to provide a safe, 
convenient, frequent, and easy-to-navigate transportation connection, 
in the heavily-traveled east-west corridor between the ARTIC and The 
Anaheim Resort, for residents, employees, and visitors to local and 
regional destinations. The project is needed to accommodate existing 
and projected future demand for local and regional travel in a unique 
visitor/recreational market in the heart of central Orange County's 
entertainment district. Connecting Anaheim activity centers with a new 
and highly visible transit option to the proposed ARTIC addresses 
deficiencies in Anaheim's transportation system. Such a project would 
also be expandable to serve local and region-wide travel needs. In 
November 2006, voters in Orange County approved the renewal of Measure 
M (a half-cent local sales tax) to fund future transportation 
investments. The Renewed Measure M Transportation Investment Plan is a 
30-year, multi-billion dollar program, with 25 percent of the net 
revenue to be dedicated solely to countywide transit programs. The OCTA 
created the Go Local Program that provides funding through transit 
grants, so that Orange County cities can improve transit access to 
Metrolink (commuter train) service. This connection will address 
transportation issues and deficiencies related to highway congestion, 
transit, population and employment, parking demand and air quality in 
the corridor. A Fixed-Guideway project in this corridor is part of the 
City of Anaheim's 2007 Transit Master Plan. In addition, the proposed 
project is part of the Southern California Association of Governments' 
adopted 2008 Regional Transportation Plan (Strategic Plan List of 
Projects).
    Alternatives: Project alternatives currently under consideration 
include a No-Build Alternative, a Transportation System Management 
Alternative, a Bus Rapid Transit Alternative, and an Elevated Fixed-
Guideway Alternative, as follows:
     No-Build Alternative--the No-Build Alternative includes 
all programmed transportation improvements in the greater project area 
through the year 2035, excepting all elements of the Anaheim Fixed-
Guideway Transit Corridor Study.
     Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative--The 
TSM Alternative focuses on low-cost improvements to the project area 
transportation system that would address the project's purpose and need 
without requiring a major capital investment. The TSM Alternative 
includes strategies such as changeable message signs along freeways and 
improved traffic signal timing; transit service improvements (for 
example, bus route restructuring, expanded use of low-floor, multi-door 
buses, timed transfers, signal prioritization for buses, and simplified 
fare collection); a new bus route to serve the study corridor; and 
additional marketing to encourage carpool/vanpool usage.
     Semi-Exclusive At-Grade Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) 
Alternative--this alternative consists of a new BRT route approximating 
the proposed Fixed-Guideway alignment and including five new bus 
stations. The new BRT service would operate at grade on local city 
streets in exclusive lanes where sufficient right-of-way exists and in 
mixed-flow traffic where existing right-of-way does not allow for a 
dedicated lane.
     Elevated Fixed-Guideway-Central Alignment Alternative--the 
Elevated Fixed-Guideway Alternative would begin at the planned ARTIC 
transportation hub and travel westward along Gene Autry Way, northward 
along Haster Street and Anaheim Boulevard, westward along Disney Way, 
and southward along Harbor Boulevard to terminate at Harbor Boulevard 
and Convention Way. A tail track for operational purposes will be 
included south of Convention Way along Harbor

[[Page 55281]]

Boulevard and would terminate north of Orangewood Avenue. The Fixed-
Guideway facility would be completely elevated. Four station locations 
and one transit center/station, as well as four alternative maintenance 
facility sites, will be evaluated for this alternative. The technology 
to be used would be some form of automated guideway technology. A 
specific technology would be selected only if the Elevated Fixed-
Guideway Alternative is approved after completion of the environmental 
evaluation. The Elevated Fixed-Guideway Alternative has two alignment 
variations to the north of Disney Way in the segment between Anaheim 
Boulevard and Harbor Boulevard. Four pedestrian connectors linking 
stations to activity centers are also proposed as part of the project: 
from the station at Gene Autry Way and State College Boulevard eastward 
to the Angel Stadium of Anaheim, from the station on Disney Way or 
north of Disney Way southward to The Shops at Anaheim GardenWalk, from 
this same station westward to the Disney theme park entrance on Harbor 
Boulevard, and from the station at Harbor Boulevard and Convention Way 
westward along Convention Way to the Anaheim Convention Center 
entrance.
    Station/stop locations for both build alternatives are proposed to 
serve major activity centers in the study area, including the ARTIC 
transportation hub, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, the Platinum Triangle, 
the residential area west of the Interstate 5 Freeway, and attractions 
in The Anaheim Resort district including The Shops at Anaheim 
GardenWalk, Disney theme parks, and the Anaheim Convention Center.
    The EIS Process and the Role of Participating Agencies and the 
Public: The purpose of the EIS process is to explore in a public 
setting the potentially significant effects of implementing the 
proposed action and alternatives on the physical, human, and natural 
environment. Areas of investigation include, but are not limited to, 
land use, environmental justice, cultural resources (including 
historical, archaeological, and paleontological resources), visual and 
aesthetic qualities, air quality, noise and vibration, energy use, 
traffic, safety and security, wetlands, threatened and endangered 
species, and hazardous materials. Regulations implementing NEPA, as 
well as provisions of SAFETEA-LU, call for public involvement in the 
EIS process. Section 6002 of SAFETEA-LU requires that FTA, OCTA, and 
the City of Anaheim do the following: (1) Extend an invitation to other 
Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American 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 a 
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 
environmental review process. An invitation to become a participating 
agency, with the scoping information packet appended, will be extended 
to other Federal and non-Federal agencies and Native American Tribes 
that may have an interest in the proposed project. It is possible that 
we may not be able to identify all Federal and non-Federal agencies and 
Native American Tribes that may have such an interest. Any Federal or 
non-Federal agency or Native American Tribe interested in the proposed 
project that does not receive an invitation to become a participating 
agency should notify the City of Anaheim Transit Manager identified 
above under ADDRESSES, at the earliest opportunity, but no later than 
30 days following this notice.
    A comprehensive public involvement program has been developed. A 
technical advisory committee called the Project Development Team, 
consisting of representatives of state, regional and local agencies, is 
in place. The program also includes a two-part public scoping process 
consisting of a combined California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)/
early NEPA scoping process with a meeting held July 29, 2009 and a NEPA 
scoping process, noticed herein; a public review/comment period and 
public hearing on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement; development 
and distribution of project newsletters; and posting of information on 
the project website. 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. 
Comments on potential significant environmental impacts that may be 
associated with the proposed project are also welcomed. All comments 
and suggestions will be given serious consideration. 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 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), Section 404(b)(1) guidelines of EPA (40 
CFR Part 230), Executive Orders 11988, 11990 and 12898 regarding 
floodplains, wetlands, and environmental justice, respectively, Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800), 
Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (50 CFR Part 402), and Section 
4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (23 CFR 771.135).

Edward Carranza, Jr.,
Regional Administrator, FTA, Region 9.
[FR Doc. E9-25820 Filed 10-26-09; 8:45 am]
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