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

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) Evaluation5.5.2.1 Finding: No Significant Social and Socioeconomic ImpactsAs presented previously in Table 5-6, the significance threshold for impacts related to the social andsocioeconomic environment, in accordance with the FAA Order 1050.1E, is when an action would cause:extensive relocation, but sufficient replacement housing is unavailable; extensive relocation of communitybusinesses that would cause a severe economic hardship for affected communities; disruption in local trafficpatterns that would substantially reduce the level of service of roads serving the airport and surroundingcommunities; or a substantial loss in the community tax base.Alternatives B2 and B4 would not result in significant impacts to social and socioeconomic conditions because:• There would be sufficient replacement housing within the City of Warwick and surrounding communities.• There would be sufficient commercial space for relocating businesses within the City of Warwick and itssurrounding communities.• There would be no substantial reduction in the Level of Service of roads serving the airport and itssurrounding communities. Alternatives B2 and B4 would improve traffic circulation surrounding theAirport, specifically with the proposed improvements to Airport Road and the gateway to the Airport onPost Road (refer to Section 5.6, Surface Transportation).• There would be no substantial loss in community tax base. For Alternatives B2 and B4, the total potentialannual property tax loss (for land acquisitions) is less than one percent of the total annual tax revenue basefor the City of Warwick 332 ($1,173,997 would be lost annually starting in 2020, or 0.57 percent of the base,under Alternative B2 and $567,521 would be lost annually starting in 2020, or 0.28 percent of the base, underAlternative B4). Over time, cumulative decreases in City of Warwick property tax revenue would total$5.9 million by 2025 for Alternative B2 and $3.2 million by 2025 for Alternative B4. (These losses in propertytax revenue represent substantially less than one percent of the City or Warwick’s tax base for 2010 and,therefore, is not considered significant.)In addition, under either Alternative B2 or B4, the Airport would continue to serve and increase its role as asubstantial economic driver for the State of Rhode Island and the region by providing additional economicbenefits in the form of new jobs, increased on- and off-Airport spending and business revenues, and increasedstate tax revenues. Since Alternative B4 includes a Runway 5-23 extension by the end of 2015 it would result in80 percent greater economic gains between 2015 and the end of 2020 than Alternative B2 because of theexpedited construction schedule. (For the purposes of the FEIS, it is assumed that the runway extension wouldcome online in 2015 for Alternative B4 and in 2020 for Alternative B2; therefore, project-related impacts andbenefits associated with runway operations were considered for these years.) Specific economic benefitsassociated with Alternatives B2 and B4 include:• Alternative B4: Potential economic gains between 2015 and the end of 2020 would total $385 million inbusiness revenues in the City of Warwick and $816 million for the State of Rhode Island, and $13 million in332 Based on the City of Warwick’s 2010 estimated total local tax revenue base of $204,173,334, as provided by Rhode Island Municipal Affairs, Department ofAdministration.Chapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-76 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc