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

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationFor construction of Alternative B4, acquisition and relocation of 11 residential units and 12 businesses wouldoccur over multiple years (by 2015) and would cause community disruption during this time. UnderAlternative B4, construction of Realigned Main Avenue south of the Airport would occur primarily on airportproperty, but would require full and partial land acquisitions that would cause disruption to residences south ofthe Airport. During construction of Partially Relocated Airport Road under Alternative B4 there would be somedisruption to businesses north of the Airport due mostly to partial land acquisitions and some full landacquisitions. A construction management plan will be implemented to minimize community disruption duringconstruction (see Chapter 6, Mitigation). Appendix H, Surface Transportation, of this FEIS provides detailedconstruction phasing plans for the off-Airport roadway improvements and describes the impact avoidancemethods developed for Alternative B4 as the Preferred Alternative. The construction phasing plans weredeveloped so that Main Avenue, Airport Road, and Post Road would remain open at all times. This is achievedthrough the use of lane shifts or use of temporary roadways in conjunction with potential nighttimeconstruction operations. During final design and construction phase, the construction phasing plans will requirefurther development and coordination among RIAC, RIDOT, the City of Warwick, and other entities, such asschools or entities that use the roadways for emergency access (such as hospitals or State Police).5.4.7 Cumulative ImpactsThe following analysis considers cumulative impacts to land use within the geographic area of the Study Area andidentified within the timeline discussed in the methodology section. Past land use changes, reasonably foreseeablefuture land use changes (i.e., known planned and permitted development and projected growth according to local,regional, and state plans and policies), and the potential land use impacts of Alternatives B2 and B4 are consideredto identify areas that would be more or less affected. Refer to Section 5.5, Social and Socioeconomic, EnvironmentalJustice and Children’s Health and Safety Risks, for a discussion of long-term community impacts and affects onbusinesses and the local and regional economies as well as affordable housing.5.4.7.1 Overview of Historical Land Use ChangesHistorically, the majority of Airport-related projects have impacted predominantly residential areas west, east,and south of the Airport. When the Airport was first dedicated in 1931, the predominant land uses surroundingthe Airport were undeveloped and agricultural with some residential. The Airport was originally 158 acres ofcleared brush and turf runways. The majority of the dense housing stock currently characterizing the residentialareas surrounding the Airport was built in the post-war housing boom beginning in the late 1940s and 1950s. Inthe 1960s, the Airport was expanded to include a passenger terminal (located on Post Road) and extendedrunways to accommodate jet airplanes. This runway extension discontinued an east-west connection to thesouth of the Airport along Strawberry Field Road limiting access to and isolating the Strawberry Fieldneighborhood. Runway 5-23 was further expanded to its existing length of 7,166 feet in 1983.In addition to Airport expansion, commercial development on Post Road gradually reduced much of theresidential area west of the Airport. Since the 1980s, new industrial development in the City of Warwick hasChapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-68 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc