T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluationboundary of “maximum area of land acquisition,” which includes proposed areas of mandatory and voluntaryland acquisitions, was also used to more specifically identify impacts to environmental justice populations.4.4.1.3 Affordable Housing Assessment MethodologyAlthough not required by FAA Orders of CEQ regulations, in response to a request by the City of Warwick theT.F. Green Airport Improvement Program was evaluated in terms of its potential impact to affordable housing.For the Baseline Condition, residential properties within the Project and Study Areas were evaluated to see ifthey meet the State of Rhode Island definition of affordable housing (refer to Appendix G.2, Affordable HousingAnalysis, for the state definitions). Consideration was also given to low-and moderate-income housing that issubsidized by a municipal, state or federal source, and/or is managed by a public entity or non-profitorganization. This assessment provides the Baseline Condition as context for assessing whether theImprovement Program would result in substantial reductions of the subsidized housing stock with noreplacement options or would significantly impact housing affordability by removing a substantial numberof affordable housing units from the City of Warwick’s housing stock.4.4.2 Affected EnvironmentThis section provides an overview of the Baseline Condition for social and socioeconomic conditions,environmental justice populations, and children’s health and safety as context for the environment in which theT.F. Green Airport Improvement Program would occur.4.4.2.1 Economic ConditionsThis Study Area has substantial commercial and industrial activity, accounting for almost half of Warwick’semployment, 36 percent of the City’s commercial tax base, and 45 percent of its commercial establishments.The Airport is an important component of the existing economic base for the Cities of Warwick and Cranston,the larger regional economy, and the State of Rhode Island. A notable amount of this commercial activity isairport-related and this activity occurs in the 89 airport-dependent establishments which employ more than3,400 people, as well as the 474 aviation-reliant firms which provide nearly 5,100 of the 25,300 jobs in the StudyArea. Figure 4-10 shows the airport-related businesses within the Study Area.Business and Employment ProfileThe general economies of the Study Area and State of Rhode Island are similar with the exception of transportationand related industries which are five times more concentrated in the Study Area than in the State as a whole. Othersectors that are airport-dependent or aviation-reliant and are slightly stronger in the Study Area than the Stateinclude wholesale trade, accommodation and food services, and construction. Figure 4-11 presents the general sectorsof employment in the Study Area (excluding government employment) compared with the State.In 2004, the combined economies of the Cities of Warwick and Cranston included approximately 77,000employees in 5,800 firms. Approximately ten percent of jobs in Warwick were filled by workers commutingfrom Cranston, indicating that there is an important economic relationship between the cities. Warwick is theretailing center of the State of Rhode Island. Warwick has two super-regional malls just outside of the StudyArea: Warwick Mall and the Rhode Island Mall. 174 Both are on Bald Hill Road near the junction of I-95 and I-295.174 The Rhode Island Mall is the former Midland Mall, and is the site of 11 stores, including Wal-Mart, Kohl’s and Sears. Previously, the Midland Mall housedmore than 100 stores.Chapter 4 – Affected Environment 4-19 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH04_Affected_Env_JUL_2011.doc