Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS), Notice under New York State
Eminent Domain Procedure Law, and Notice of Public
Workshops and Hearings for the Proposed LaGuardia
Access Improvement Project at LaGuardia Airport
(LGA), New York City, Queens County, New York
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing this notice under the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, to
announce the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed LaGuardia Airport (LGA) Access Improvement Project and its
connected actions (the Proposed Action). The Proposed Action would provide direct access between LGA and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) Mets-Willets Point Station and the New York City Transit (NYCT) 7 Line Mets-Willets Point Station. FAA is the lead federal agency in
the preparation of the EIS, with cooperating agencies including U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic
Preservation. The Draft EIS was prepared to disclose the potential environmental impacts resulting from the Proposed Action, including real property
transactions under the New York State Eminent Domain Procedures Law. This notice announces the beginning of the public comment period to solicit public
comments on the Draft EIS and provides notice pursuant to the New York State Eminent Domain Procedure Law (NYS EDPL). FAA plans to hold two public
workshops and three public hearings concerning the Proposed Action and information contained in the Draft EIS.
The Draft EIS was prepared in response to a proposal presented by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Port Authority). The Port Authority operates
LGA under a lease agreement with the City of New York. FAA must decide whether to approve, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. §§ 47106 and 47107 relating to the eligibility
of the Proposed Action for federal funding under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and/or under 49 U.S.C. § 40117, as implemented by 14 CFR 158.25, to
impose and use passenger facility charge (PFC) revenue collected for the Proposed Action to assist with construction of potentially eligible development items
shown on the Airport Layout Plan (ALP). FAA approval of the eligibility for federal funding under AIP or to impose and use PFCs is a Federal action that must
comply with NEPA requirements.
The Draft EIS presents the purpose and need for the Proposed Action, analysis of reasonable alternatives, discussion of impacts for each reasonable alternative,
and support appendices. Pursuant to Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1502.14(d), the No Action Alternative is also assessed in the Draft EIS as the
baseline for comparison purposes. The Proposed Action includes:
• construction of an above ground fixed guideway automated people mover (APM) system approximately 2.3 miles in length that extends from the future LGA
Central Hall Building to the MTA LIRR Mets-Willets Point Station and the NYCT 7 Line Mets-Willets Point Station;
• construction of two on-Airport APM stations (Central Hall APM Station and East APM Station) and one off-Airport APM station at Willets Point (Willets Point
APM Station) that provides connections to the Mets-Willets Point LIRR and NYCT 7 Line stations;
• construction of passenger walkway systems to connect the APM stations to the passenger terminals, parking garages, and ground transportation facilities;
• construction of a multi-level APM operations, maintenance, and storage facility (OMSF) that includes up to 1,000 parking spaces (500 for airport employees,
250 for MTA employees, 50 for APM employees, and 200 for replacement Citi Field parking);
• construction of three traction power substations: one located at the on-Airport East Station, another at-grade west of the proposed Willets Point Station
just south of Roosevelt Avenue, and the third at the OMSF to provide power to the APM guideway;
• construction of a 27kV main substation located adjacent to the OMSF structure on MTA property;
• construction of utilities infrastructure, both new and modified, as needed, to support the Proposed Action, including a permanent stormwater outfall into
Flushing Creek and a temporary stormwater outfall into Flushing Creek; and
• acquisition of real property interests including but not limited to temporary and permanent easements.
The Proposed Action also includes various connected actions, including: utility relocation and demolition of certain existing facilities; a temporary MTA bus
storage/parking facility; relocation of up to 200 Citi Field parking spaces; demolition and replacement of the Passerelle Bridge; temporary walkway to maintain
access between the transit stations and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park; modifications to the MTA LIRR Mets-Willets Point Station, including service changes to
the LIRR Port Washington Line; and the relocation of a boat lift, finger piers and connected timber floating dock, Marina office and boatyard facility, boat storage
and parking, and operations shed, part of the World’s Fair Marina.
FAA provides the following notices:
• Pursuant to 36 CFR § 800.8(c) that it is using the NEPA process to notify the public of FAA’s finding that the proposed undertaking would adversely affect
properties listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and is seeking public comment on the measures proposed to avoid,
minimize, or mitigate such effects disclosed in the Draft EIS. A Draft Memorandum of Agreement to resolve adverse effects to historic properties is included
in Appendix K.11 of the Draft EIS.
• Pursuant to Section 4(f) of the DOT Act, FAA has prepared a Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation (see Appendix I of the Draft EIS).
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