Light rail line may help fill missing link in Valley parks

By LAURA KRAMER
Parametrix

With the third highest population growth rate in the nation among large metropolitan areas, the Puget Sound region is being challenged when it comes to meeting its growing transportation needs. Before any infrastructure changes are made, however, there is a rigorous environmental planning, permitting and mitigation process that occurs.

Whether the proposed project is a road, highway or mass transit facility, associated environmental impacts must be addressed. These impacts can include wetlands, noise, aesthetics, traffic, historic resources, water quality, and, most recently, meeting Endangered Species Act requirements related to salmon. This process is used as a means of achieving regulatory requirements, but it can also be used in planning community enhancements in some instances, even improving what is currently in place.

The environmental documentation necessary to meet regulations greatly depends on the location of the project and the funding source. The most common types of comprehensive documentation are checklists, environmental assessments and environmental impact statements. These documents are usually prepared as third party documents for a local, state or federal agency. Although there are instances when a determination of nonsignificance is made, meaning that there are not any substantial environmental issues, this is not generally the case.

For many transportation projects, initial project proposals often only consider a single design alternative. Federal and state environmental policy act regulations, however, require that the "no action" and "other action" alternatives must be considered when there is a potential for significant environmental impacts. The state additionally requires the consideration of "other action" alternatives that are of a lesser environmental impact than the proposed project.

Mitigating for these environmental considerations often drives the ultimate siting and design of transportation projects. This leads to the examination of alternatives that can often bring about both project and community enhancements.

"There is often an unwarranted negative connotation associated with the environmental planning side of transportation projects," according to Jeff Peacock, transportation services director at Parametrix, Inc. "There are permitting issues associated with all transportation projects, and through the process, viable alternatives are identified, giving our clients and the community more choices, and often opening opportunities for community enhancement."

Environmental mitigation can enhance communities

Sound Transit's Link light rail Final Environmental Impact Statement will be completed this fall. While the EIS focuses on environmental impacts, the evaluation and public involvement process has also identified numerous potential benefits along the entire 21-mile corridor.

For example, the proposed McClellan light rail station in the Rainier Valley could provide unique enhancements to the surrounding area. In addition to transportation and land use benefits, the project may also help this area build a long missing connection to a city-wide system of boulevards and parks that was planned and largely designed at the beginning of this century.

This visionary plan, known as the Olmsted plan, designated large tracts of land for what have since become many of the city's great parks, including the Washington Arboretum and Jefferson Park and Golf Course. The Olmsted plan also defined corridors to connect these parks with tree-lined boulevards such as Lake Washington and Mount Baker boulevards. A portion of the corridor that once connected Jefferson Park to other Olmsted plan parks to the east, such as Seward Park, was encroached upon in the 1960s, breaking the link.

The light rail project may help replace this missing link. The planned light rail station at this location may include potential changes to the adjacent roadway, adding landscaping improvements and better bicycle and pedestrian connections. Although a small improvement in the scale of the light rail project, these changes could help complete a vision that began nearly 100 years ago.

"During most EIS processes on large projects, we often discover information that leads to new siting and design options," Jeff Heilman, the project manager from Parametrix Inc. responsible for the Link Light Rail Environmental Impact Statement, explained. "Although design changes can be frustrating, early discovery of impacts is preferable to finding out late in the game. In addition, the modifications that result through the environmental review process often lead to alternatives that are easier to permit and provide greater benefits."

In Bremerton, the desire to integrate community enhancements into a major transportation facility will soon be a reality. An environmental impact statement was prepared for the state Route 3/304 improvement project, which will be a major connecting arterial into the city. The need for this environmental documentation meant that several alternative routes and alignments were considered, along with their impacts.

"During the planning process, it became apparent there was a wonderful opportunity to create a landscaped green-way along the boulevard," Peacock said. Working with the residents in the community, a green-way was planned, varying in width from 25 feet to over 100 feet in width. "The green-way will provide a dramatic buffer between the neighborhoods along the route, and the roadway and industrialized area of the Naval Shipyard."

The end result of this planning effort, which began in 1991, is what is often referred to as the "Gateways-to-Bremerton" project. This is an award-winning project that incorporates Kitsap Transit's new Bremerton Transportation Center with the state Route 3/304 improvements.

"Although this project has been controversial over the years, especially in the beginning, it is now viewed as a centerpiece of the city's long-term redevelopment plan," Peacock said.

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