Environmental Impact Statement: Peninsula Commute Service San Francisco Downtown Extension (PCS-DTX) Project in the San Francisco Bay Area, California

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration

Environmental Impact Statement: Peninsula Commute Service San

Francisco Downtown Extension (PCS-DTX) Project in the San Francisco Bay

Area, California

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with

the Penninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (PCJPB), is resuming

preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for the PCS-DTX in

accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The PCJPB

will ensure that the EIS also satisfies the requirements of the

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The NEPA Lead Agency will

be FTA. The CEQA Lead Agency will be the PCJPB.

The Peninsula Commute Service, commonly referred to as CalTrain, is

the commuter rail system that serves the San Francisco Peninsula

between Gilroy and the existing terminal station in San Francisco

located at Fourth and Townsend Streets. The present location of the

terminal is not considered desirable from a transportation, land use,

or public policy perspective. The prosposed project would extend

CalTrain to a new station closer to downtown San Francisco.

The project was determined by the Bay Area Partnership, a body of

transportation officials representing different modes, regulatory

agencies and federal agencies, to belong in the category of projects

``requiring a Major Investment Study (MIS) but may be satisfied by

prior studies''. The consultation group convened to discuss MIS

requirements for this project agreed that past corridor studies such as

PENTAP, SCR 74, BART/SFO AA/DEIS, and the MTC/JPBCalTrain Downtown

Extension/System Upgrades Study satisfy MIS requirements and that the

project could advance into preliminary engineering and environmental

documentation.

DATES: Written comments on the alternatives and impacts to be

considered must be postmarked no later than June 15, 1995, and send to

PCJPB at the address below. Two public informational meetings will be

held June 21, 1995 at 10 AM-noon and 5:30 PM-7:30 PM in Auditorium B,

Golden Gate University, 536 Mission Street, San Francisco 94105. These

meetings will mark the resumption of environmental studies and

preparation of the EIS/EIR (see Supplementary Information below).

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ms. Marie Pang,

Environmental Manager, PCS-DTX Project, Peninsula Corridor JPB, P.O.

Box 3006, San Carlos, CA 94070-1306. Phone: (415) 508-6338.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Robert Hom, Director, Program Development, FTA Region IX, 201

Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Phone: (415) 744-

3116. [[Page 26474]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Scoping

A Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS was previously published in

the Federal Register on January 18, 1989. The Scoping Process began

with two public scoping meetings on February 15, 1989. An

Administrative Draft EIS was prepared in 1991 but was not circulated

due to lack of local funding commitments for the project.

The project was held in abeyance until March, 1993, when the PCJPB

conducted four public meetings to solicit public input on key project

issues, including which alternatives deserved further consideration. As

a result, the PCJPB, jointly with the Metropolitan Transportation

Commission (MTC), conducted a study to develop fundable extension

alternatives and system upgrades that could be recommended by the PCJPB

for inclusion in the MTC's financially constrained Regional

Transportation Plan (RTP). The study evaluated nine alternatives and

the results were reviewed in public meetings. In March, 1994, the PCJPB

designated Alternative 8B (extension of CalTrain to an underground

terminal at Beale and Market Streets) of that study as the Locally

Preferred Alternative (LPA) for inclusion in the RTP. This alternative

was subsequently included in the 1994 RTP adopted by MTC after

extensive public review. The PCJPB is now resuming environmental

studies for the preparation of a Draft EIS/EIR for public review and

comment.

The public informational meetings will announce resumption of

environmental studies. The environmental process will be outlined, and

the public will be invited to become involved in this process through

the Public Participation/Consensus Building Program that will be

implemented for this project. The public will be invited to comment on

all aspects of the project, including alignments, station design, and

the environmental, social and economic impacts to be analyzed. The

public will also be notified of future informational meetings and

workshops as the studies progress.

II. Description of Study Area

The Peninsula Commute Service traverses three counties (San

Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara) from San Francisco to Gilroy for

a distance of approximately 77 miles. However, most of the proposed

project is located in the City of San Francisco, in an area generally

bounded by Market Street, the Embarcadero, China Basin Channel,

Sixteenth Street, Seventh Street, Bryant Street and Second Street. The

primary east-west corridors are along Brannan, Townsend and King

Streets; primary north-south corridors are along Beale Street and Colin

P. Kelly/Essex Streets (to the Transbay Terminal). The proposed station

location is at Beale and Market Streets; however, the existing Transbay

Transit Terminal location will also be evaluated in the envent the LPA

location proves infeasible.

III. Alternatives

Three alternatives with sub-options emerged from the evaluation and

public involvement processes conducted previously. These alternatives

will be evaluated in the DEIS/DEIR as follows:

Alternative 1--No Build. The San Francisco station would

remain at 4th and Townsend.

Alternative 2 (The Proposed Project [LPA])--CalTrain would

be extended to a station at Beale and Market Streets with the following

routing and fuel options:

Option A--CalTrain would be routed on the surface along Townsend

Street to 4th Street, underground via cut and cover under public

streets from 4th Street to Market and Beale Streets. King and Brannan

Streets, would be considered should Townsend Street prove infeasible.

Full system electrification is included in this option.

Option B--Same as Option A, except existing locomotives with diesel

power would be used or would be converted to liquified natural gas.

Option C--Same as Option A, except that a direct mined or bored

tunnel alignment would be used from approximately 3rd Street to

approximately Harrison and Beale Streets under private properties in

the South Beach Area.

Alternative 3--CalTrain would be extended to a station at

the existing Transbay Transit Terminal location. The PCS would be

routed on the surface along Townsend Street, underground via cut and

cover and/or mined tunnel to Folsom/Essex Streets and from there to a

new or rehabilitated Transbay Transit Terminal. King or Brannan Streets

would be considered should Townsend prove infeasible. Full system

electrification is included in this alternative.

IV. Probable Effects

Impacts proposed for analysis include changes in the physical

environment (air quality, noise, water quality, geology, visual);

changes in the social environment (land use, business disruptions, and

neighborhoods); changes in traffic and pedestrian circulation; impacts

on parklands and historic sites; changes in transit service and

partonage; associated changes in highway congestion; capital, operating

and maintenance costs; and financial implications. Impacts will be

identified both for the construction period and for the long term

operation of the alternatives. The proposed evaluation criteria include

transportation, environmental, social, economic and financial measures

as required by current Federal (NEPA) and State (CEQA) environmental

laws and current Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and FTA

guidelines. Mitigating measures will be explored for adverse impacts

that are identified.

Issued on: May 12, 1995.

Stewart F. Taylor,

Region IX Administrator.

[FR Doc. 95-12165 Filed 5-6-95; 8:45 am]

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