Action
Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
Summary
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in cooperation with the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB), the City and County of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency will prepare a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the San Francisco Transbay Terminal and Caltrain Downtown Extension Project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIS/EIR will address alternatives for: (1) A new, multi-modal transportation facility at the site of the current Transbay Terminal at First and Mission Streets, and (2) an extension of Caltrain commuter rail service from its current San Francisco terminus at 4th and Townsend to the new Transbay Terminal along with establishment of a redevelopment area and development of a mix of new transit-oriented uses on publicly-owned property in the vicinity of the new terminal to help defray project costs. Other project features include: an off-site bus storage facility, new bus ramps connecting to the Bay Bridge, construction and operation of a temporary bus facility for the construction period, and a reconfigured Caltrain layover yard. The EIS/ EIR will evaluate the following alternatives: (1) A No-Build Alternative, (2) a Build Alternative with design options, and (3) any additional reasonable alternatives that emerge from the scoping process. Previous studies relevant to this action include: the recently completed Transbay Terminal Study (Metropolitan Transportation Commission, 2001); associated technical reports regarding such subjects as Transbay Terminal design options, joint development options, and terminal operations; and the original Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) for the Caltrain San Francisco Downtown Extension Project (FTA-U.S. DOT/ Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, 1997). Although the 1997 DEIS/ DEIR contributed to the planning history of the proposed project, this new EIS/EIR will completely replace the 1997 document. Scoping will be accomplished through meetings and correspondence with interested persons, organizations, the general public, and federal, state, and local agencies. Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have been sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens who have expressed or are known to have interest in this proposal.