Final EIS for Project Grand Slam Ball Field 1

Transcription

Town of Ramapo
Final Environmental Impact
Statement
Project Grand Slam Ball Field
Christopher P. St Lawrence, Supervisor,
Councilwoman Frances Hunter
Councilman Yitzchok Ulman
Councilman Patrick J. Withers
Councilman Daniel Friedman
Town of Ramapo Staff
Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc.
June 1, 2010
PROJECT GRAND SLAM BALL FIELD
FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
Project Description:
The project consists of the construction of a recreation
facility for the Town of Ramapo, on a 61.23 acre Town
owned parcel which will serve as the home field for a minor
league baseball team and for Town events after the
season. The ball field will provide seating for 3500 fans,
900 parking spaces, accessory uses such as training and
workout spaces and will conform to the zoning bulk
restrictions of the Laboratory Office (LO) zone.
Location:
The project is located at the northwest corner of the
intersection of Firemen’s Memorial Drive and Pomona
Road
Parcel Identification
The parcels are: Section 33.14, Block 1, Lots 2, 5, and 6.
Lead Agency:
Town of Ramapo – Town Board
Ramapo Town Hall
237 Route 59, Suffern New York 10901
Attention: Michael Klein
845-357-5100
DEIS Preparer:
Frederick P. Clark Associates Inc.
350 Theodore Fremd Avenue, Rye, NY 10580
Attention: John Lange
845-297-6056
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Project Grand Slam Ball Field 523095 jfl
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List of Primary Consultants
FEIS
350 Theodore Fremd Avenue
Rye, New York 10580
Contact: John Lange Phone: 845-297-6056
Site Engineer
Leonard Jackson Associates Inc.
26 Firemen’s Memorial Drive
Pomona, New York 10970
Contact: Leonard Jackson Phone: 845-354-4382
Traffic
350 Theodore Fremd Avenue
Rye, New York 10580
Contact: Michael Galante Phone: 845-297-6056
Wetlands
Robert G. Torgersen
Landscape Architect and Environmental Sciences
3 Main Drive, Nanuet, NY 10954
Contact: Robert Torgersen Phone: 845-623-4835
Archaeology
Tracker Associates Archaeology Services, Inc.
Monroe, NY 10950
Contact Alfred G. Cammisa Phone: 845-783-4082
Air Pollution
POTENZA Environmental Consultants LLC
166 Main Street
Flemington, New Jersey
Contact: Ed Potenza
Phone: 908-782-9716
Noise
POTENZA Environmental Consultants
166 Main Street
Flemington, New Jersey
Contact: Ed Potenza
Phone: 908-782-9716
Environment
Hampton-Clarke, Inc
175 Route 46W; Suite D, Fairfield, NJ 07004
Contact: Mira Abdelaziz
Project Architect
DNR Group
7290 West 133rd Street
Overland Park, Kansas 66213
Contact: Bob Carlson Phone: 913-897-7811
Soil Remediation
AKRF
32 South Broadway, Suite 401
White Plains, New York 10601
Contact: Marc S. Godick
Phone: 914-949-7559
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction and Background
2.0 Site Location and Description
3.0 Project Purpose, Need, and Description of Operations
4.0 Neighborhood Character
5.0 Slope and Topography
6.0 Natural Resources
7.0 Historic Resources
8.0 Infrastructure
9.0 Traffic
10.0
Air Pollution
11.0
Noise
12.0
Visual Assessment
13.0
Construction Impacts
14.0
Fiscal Resources and Community Services
15.0
Impacts and Mitigation
16.0
Alternatives
Appendices
APPENDIX A – Scope of Work
APPENDIX B – Traffic Study
APPENDIX C – Air Pollution Study
APPENDIX D - Noise Study
APPENDIX E - Archaeological Study (Phase 1B)
APPENDIX F – Hydrologic Report
APPENDIX G – Soil Contamination Report
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Correspondence

Will Serve Letter from United Water

SHIPO Letter
Comments, Review Letters and Responses

Public Hearing Comments
 Public Hearing Response to Comments
 Response to Air Quality Comments

Rockland County Environmental Resources Comments
 Response to Rockland County Environmental Resource Comments

Rockland County Drainage Agency Comments

Rockland County Department of Health Comments
 Response to Rockland County Department of Health Comments
 Rockland County Department of Highways Review Letter
 Response to Rockland County Department of Highways
 Rockland County Sewer District No. 1 Review Letter
 Response to Rockland County Sewer District No. 1
 Rockland County Department of Planning Review Letter
 Response to Rockland County Department of Planning
 Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services Review Letter
 Response to Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services
 Response to KLD consulting comments for RCF&E Services
 Comment Letter from Mel Cook
 Response to Mel Cook
 Comment Letter from Julie H.Banach
 Response to Julie H. Banach
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1.0 Introduction and Background
The Town of Ramapo intends to construct a baseball field, parking lots and accessory
facilities on property owned by the Town at the northwest corner of the intersection of
Pomona Road and Firemen’s Memorial Drive in the Town of Ramapo, New York. The
facility will expand the outdoor recreation programs available to Town residents as well
as providing a home for a minor league professional baseball team permitting close and
personal access for the Town’s residents to aspiring professional athletes. In addition to
its seasonal use, it will also offer limited year round capabilities for recreation related
uses. When not in use by the professional team, the Town intends to make the facility
available for college and high school baseball, baseball clinics, as well as other
recreational activities and special events.
In accordance with the requirements of the SEQRA regulations, Part 617 of Article 8, a
positive declaration was adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Ramapo on
February 18, 2010 as the following potential negative impacts were identified:

Ground or surface water quality;

Traffic;

Noise levels;

Solid waste production

Sanitary sewage

Increase potential for erosion, flooding, and drainage problems

Removal of large quantities of vegetation

Impairment of existing or neighborhood character

Substantial change in intensity of uses

Induced growth changes
A scoping session was held on March 11, 2010 and a final scope of work was adopted
on March 11, 2010. The scope of work is included in appendix 1 of this document. The
primary topics to be covered in the scope include:
Land Use and Zoning
Community Character Impacts
Traffic and Transportation Resources
Geology, Soils and Topography
Surface Water Resources
Wetland Resources
Visual Resources
Noise Impacts
Lighting Impacts
Terrestrial and Aquatic Resources
Community Services, including emergency services, police, and fire
Fiscal Resources
Historical and Archeological Resources
Construction Impacts
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The Table of Contents mirrors closely the Scope of Work. All of the topics in the Scope
of Work are fully covered in this Environmental Impact Statement, although in slightly
differing categories. Each of the above is evaluated as part of this Draft Environmental
Impact Statement.
2.0 Site Location and Description
The site is located in the north east corner of the Town of Ramapo just east of the
Palisades Parkway. The property is designated on the Town of Ramapo tax maps as
parcels Section 33.14, Block 1, Lots 2, 5, and 6. The property consists of 61.23 acres in
total with approximately 16 acres of wetlands. The property is currently vacant and
consists of gentle sloping topography with streams and wetlands as well as dry upland
portions. The property is substantially wooded with a few areas of scrub growth. The
property is approximately four hundred feet from Route 45 and is in close proximity to
three exits of the Palisades Parkway (exits 11, 12 and 13). It is roughly 5000 feet from
Route 202 to the north. The property is zoned LO, Laboratory Office, which permits
outdoor recreation facilities and accessory recreation structures as a special permit use
of the planning board under Use Group J of the regulations. No rezoning is required for
this project. The following conceptual architectural renderings provide the small scale
plans as required by the scope of work. Please note that these plans will change as the
design proceeds.
The site is best described as a bowl consisting of higher lands to the west, south and
east with lands to the northwest at lower elevations. The site drains to the north past the
Rockland County Fire Training facility to the Rockland County Park known as the
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Samuel G. Fisher, Mount Ivy Environmental Park. The low point of the site parallels the
eastern border approximately 100 feet in from Firemen’s Memorial Drive. The
topography rises to the east past Firemen’s Memorial Drive and crests a hill to the west
towards the Minisceongo Golf Club. There is vacant land rising to the south in the Village
of New Hempstead with approximately 500 feet of vegetation before encountering the
closest residences.
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The site location is illustrated on the following regional (Map 1) and local location map
aerial (Map 2).
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3.0 Project Purpose, Need, and Description of Operations
The Town of Ramapo seeks to expand the recreational facilities and opportunities to its
residents and to attract a minor league baseball team to enhance the overall economic
attractiveness of this portion of the Town. This project is consistent with the Town’s
goals of increasing the recreational facilities and open space resources while also
drawing new business to the Town. The project is a permitted use in this zone.
The Town expects to construct and lease this facility between Memorial Day to Labor
Day to a minor league professional baseball team who will use this facility as their home
field. It is expected that fifty home games will be played per year at the facility.
Preliminary plans for the facility anticipate permanent seating for 3,500 fans. The zoning
for this facility requires 875 parking spaces to accommodate those fans – one space per
four fans. The plans provide parking for 900 cars, 25 more than required. Should
concerts or other unique special events generate additional patronage, an additional 350
“grass” parking spaces have been designated. The concept is to minimize impervious
surfaces while providing for special uses that are not quantifiable. The area for this
parking will be designated on the plans, but seeded and not constructed. In this manner,
parking for the baseball patrons exceeds the zoning requirements, while providing
unique event parking in an environmentally safe manner. This would exceed the parking
needs based upon a full stadium paradigm, a relatively rare occurrence for everyday
baseball events.
When not in use by the minor league baseball team, the ball field will be available for a
number of Town sponsored activities including local high school or amateur
championship games, clinics, tryouts, or potential outdoor events including concerts and
walking trails.
The professional baseball games will generally begin at 7PM in the evening.
Occasionally afternoon games may be played. No double headers are scheduled and
unless weather causes an unanticipated number of cancellations, double headers
should not be expected. An occasional double header may be required to complete the
schedule. Games will last an average of 2.5 hours. Pregame warm-ups, infield and
batting practice will occur from 5-7 PM each game night.
It is anticipated that approximately eight games will be followed by a 15-20 minute
fireworks display.
Town use of the facility will occur primarily during the day without the significant levels of
traffic expected for the professional games. Duration of daily activities has yet to be
established, but the field must be prepared for the 50 home games which will restrict the
use of the facility during the season to mornings and early afternoon sessions, subject to
the approval of the professional team.
Concerts and other uses may be scheduled for the facility while the home team is
travelling. No schedule has been established for the concerts and other uses at this
time. Use of the facility for other events will require a permit from the Town and will
require compliance with regulations designed specifically for this facility. Permitted users
will be required to post bond and to hire event staff to manage events.
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Preliminary plans for the ball field include primary access from Firemen’s Memorial Drive
in accordance with the Rockland County Highway Department’s requirements. Firemen’s
Memorial Drive will be increased to four lanes, two in each direction. The entrance will
be as far north on the property as possible to provide maximum queuing lengths. The
entrance road will parallel the northern property limit and will utilize a proposed bridge
over the stream and wetlands before entering the main parking area of the complex. An
emergency access road will be utilized from the site to either or both Station Road and
Pomona Road.
Approvals, Reviews and Permits
As a local government, the Town of Ramapo does not need to obtain planning approval
for its own projects. However the project will comply with all Town Zoning requirements.
Reviews and approvals that will be required from other agencies are:
US Army Corp of Engineers:–
Review is required; permit is not expected to be needed
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
File Notice Of Intent & Storm Water Management Plan
Rockland County Sewer District No. 1
Sewer Hookup permit
Rockland County Highway Department
Road Opening Permit
Rockland County Health Department
Soil Remediation Plan Approval
New York State Department of Transportation
Signal and Improvement approvals
United States Environmental Protection Agency
ESA waiver
4. Neighborhood Character
a) Land Use
The land uses in the surrounding area are office and recreation related uses. To
the east are medical and professional offices, including several complexes along
Route 45. However, there is one parcel on the eastern side of Route 45 presently
under construction for a 52 unit active adult residential community. To the west is
a Verizon dispatching center on Pomona Road with an American Legion facility
north of the Verizon facility on Station Road. Further west is the Minisceongo
Golf Club. Beyond the golf club are single family residences and several schools
located along Pomona Road nearing Route 306. To the north is the Rockland
County Fire training center which offers both indoor and outdoor training facilities
including both classroom and hands-on training. Included within this facility is a
190 foot tall communications tower which is visible from many surrounding
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locations, particularly when the leaves are off the trees. This site also contains a
heliport which operates in the parking area in the southeast corner of the site.
South of the proposed ball field site is a parcel of undeveloped town owned land
within the Village of New Hempstead. Further to the south are single family
residences. The area south and west of Verizon is characterized by single family
homes. Northeast of the site and east of the Palisades Parkway are larger lot
single family residences. Due east of the Palisades is a house of worship and
further east is a large vacant property on Conklin Road recently purchased by the
Town known as Palisades Ridge.
The current generalized land use map is illustrated in Map 4. Specific individual
land uses are labeled in Map 5
b) Zoning
The zoning map of this area is depicted on Map 6. The LO designation is
intended for office uses for local businesses. Included as permitted uses by right
are:
 Utility and public buildings
 Office buildings for business and professional use
 Laboratories, research facilities and corporate parks
 Medical and dental clinics and health services complexes
Uses permitted by special permit of the planning board are:
 Reservoirs
 Outdoor recreation facilities and accessory recreation structures
 Temporary structures
 Hotels and motels (not within 500 feet of a residential district)
 Schools of special instruction
 Industrial uses subject to provisions of Section 376-33 and 376-104
 Wholesale and warehousing but excluding retail sales
 Manufacturing of prototype products as an adjunct to an office or
laboratory use
 Wireless communication services facilities subject to 3776-1214
By special permit of the Town Board, an Active Adult Senior Housing Development is
also permitted.
Neighborhood Character:
The character of the immediate neighborhood is defined by the uses. With the
exception of the active adult development on Route 45, there are no residential
developments within the LO zone. As evidenced in Map 4 and Map 5, the character
of the neighborhood to the east and north are office related – primarily medical
offices characterized by in/out traffic. Uses to the west are utility based (Verizon
dispatching which has similar in/out traffic and recreational use with the golf course.
South of the site is a vacant parcel owned by the Town of Ramapo, but in the Village
of New Hempstead. Under construction to the east on the east side of Route 45 is
the Active Adult Residential Complex. No residential property line exists within a 370
foot distance from any boundary of this site.
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c). Scenic Roads District
The Scenic Roads District of the Town of Ramapo was created to provide additional
flexibility in zoning controls to enhance the protection of natural features within 1000
feet of designated roadways. The image below depicts the Scenic Roads District for
the Town of Ramapo. In the area of the proposed ball field, the Scenic Road District
is within 1000 feet from the Palisades Parkway. Figure 7 shows the approximate
location of the scenic roads boundary on this property. The 1000 foot line reaches
the north east corner of the ball field property from the centerline of the southbound
Palisades Parkway, while the 1000 foot line at the southern edge of the property line
just reaches Firemen’s Memorial Way Drive. Much of the area impacted is in
protected wetlands which will not be effected by construction. The area to the north
coincides with the entrance road to the facility where the impacts to visibility from the
Parkway will be negligible since the view of this site from the Parkway is extremely
limited.
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5.0 Slope and Topography
The site slopes to the north and west draining to the County Park behind the Fire
Training Center as evidenced by the contour and slope Map 11. There are limited areas
of slopes in excess of 25%. There are slopes in excess of 35%, but these areas are
directly adjacent to the stream and the wetlands. The design of the facility will take
advantage of the change in slope to provide buffering of the facility by stepping the
seating area down to the field level. There will be fairly significant modifications to the
site to level an area large enough for the playing field. There will be no change to the
slopes within 100 feet of the wetlands areas in conformance with the buffers proposed.
The grading of the site will require walls to permit the design to meet the maximum
slopes restrictions for parking areas and access roads, but all walls will be designed and
certified by licensed professionals and constructed to Town standards.
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6.0 Natural Resources - Geology, Topography, and Soils
6.1.
Geology
The surficial geology of the Site consists of glacial till and soil cover. The glacial till soils
may be thicker in the stream channel. Glacial till is a poorly-sorted admixture of sand,
silt, gravel, stones, and clay with low permeability. According to the Surficial Geologic
Map of New York, there are no sand and gravel deposits on the property. The bedrock
geology consists of a mix of schist and quartz-biotite-plagioclase gneiss of the
Manhattan Formation (Xm and Xmhb) and a gabbro and diorite intrusive unit on
northwestern edge of the Site. In no locations were bedrock encountered and rock
outcroppings were not identified on the Site. Based on the Soil Survey, the bedrock onsite is greater than five (5) feet below the surface. The Site does not contain any other
unique or unusual land forms (such as cliffs, dunes, or other geological formations).
6.2.
Topography
A site topographical plan, based on a field topographic survey of the site, is included
The site is located in a relatively low-lying area extending from Firemans Memorial Drive
west to Station Road, and north to the County of Rockland property. See previous
section 5 for additional topographic information.
6.3
Soils
The soils on the ball park site have been identified using the soil characteristics of the
USDA Soil Conservation Service (SDS). The detailed descriptions of the soils have been
taken from the Soil Survey of Rockland County (SCS, October 1990). The property has
three predominant soil types including Wethersfield gravelly loams, Alden silt loams, and
Carlisle Muck. Each soil type is described below:
Wethersfield gravelly silt loams: This soil is very deep, gently sloping and well drained. It
is on ridge tops and foot slopes. The areas are irregularly sloped and range from 75 to
150 acres. There are two weathersfield gravelly silt loams, B and C which differ only in
that the B is 3-8% slopes while the C is 8-15% slopes.
Alden silt loams: This soil is deep, nearly level, and very poorly drained. It is in broad
drainage ways or depressional areas of dissected till plains and in depressional areas of
bedrock-controlled uplands. The areas are commonly oblong and range mainly from 520 acres.
Carlisle muck: This soil is very deep, nearly level and very poorly drained. It is in broad
depressional or basin like swamps and bogs that have water on the surface for
extensive periods. The areas range from 5-300 acres and are oval or rectangular. Small
perennial streams either bisect or run along the edge of this unit. Slopes are less than 2
percent.
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Approximately 75% of the ball field site is Wethersfield soils. Alden soils are about 20%
of the site and Carlisle Soils are about 5% of the site. No disturbance is proposed for the
Alden or Carlisle soils.
Most areas of the Wethersfield soils are wooded and suitable for community
development. The Wethersfield B soils are characterized as prime farmlands. They are
also characterized by slow percolation. In terms of development restrictions the soil
survey lists water, slope and frost as the areas of concern. Soil Conservation
development restrictions relate to residential construction and are less applicable to this
project.
Soil testing was conducted under the direction of environmental consultant HamptonClarke, Inc. to determine suitability of these soils for building and to determine whether
any hazardous materials exist in the soils from the use of this site as an orchard and
farm. The soil report notes a number of hazardous materials found in the soil tests at
levels above state recommended maximum levels. A soil mitigation plan is being
developed to mix the contaminants in with other soils on site to dilute the concentrations
to acceptable levels. This plan must be approved by the Rockland County Department of
Health and will be subject to final testing to insure compliance with the Rockland County
Department of Health and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
requirements.
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6.4
Flora, Fauna, and Ecological Communities
Field studies were conducted to identify and evaluate the flora, fauna, and ecological
conditions of the Site. These studies included general inspection of the Site at various
times, including inspections for flora, fauna, and ecological conditions, and threatened
and endangered species, for the natural resources survey. The List of Endangered,
Threatened and Special Concern Fish and Wildlife Species of New York State, prepared
by the Division of Fish, Wildlife, and Marine Resources of NYSDEC was referred to in
preparing the site investigation methodology and for identification of possible species of
concern for the site investigation. The field studies were also coordinated with other
available regional biological resources information (texts, reports, and agency file search
results) to evaluate terrestrial and aquatic ecology present on the Project Site.
6.4.1
Plant (Woody and Non-Woody) Community
Ecological communities are defined by the New York Natural Heritage Program as “…a
variable assemblage of interacting plant and animal populations that share a common
environment.”
Although the Site is previously disturbed, it contains ecological
communities, mapped in accordance with NYSDEC recognized ecological community
types. Below is a discussion of those plant populations and habitats that create the
Site’s ecological communities. Note that because of their special significance and
regulation by the USACOE and the NYSDEC, wetland communities are discussed here
and also below in Wetlands, Watercourses, and Buffer Areas. A discussion of those
animal populations and habitats occurs later under 6.5 - Animal Community.
Vegetation and Habitat Cover
Habitats and cover types were identified on the Site during the various field
investigations. An assessment of vegetation types on the Project Site, including their
location, extent, and structure was completed, as well as a review of upland and wetland
communities and floristic composition. In general, the Site is a secondary growth forest
broken up by old farm trails, wetland, and some minor old-field area. As classified by
Carol Reschke in Ecological Communities of New York State, four (4) cover types were
identified on the Project Site.
Identified Cover Types
Cover Type Names (Reschke, 1990)
Red Maple Hardwood Swamp/Wet Meadow
Mid Reach Stream
Successional Northern Hardwoods
Successional Old Field
TOTAL
Area
(acres)
12.5
*
36.33
12.4
61.23
Percent of
Site
20.4
*
59.4
20.2
100%
NOTE: *Contained within the Red Maple Swamp ecological community.
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The cover types on the Site provide for a mosaic, yielding some minor “edge” habitat
(ecotone) dominated by the old-field/wetland interface. Detailed descriptions of each
cover type are outlined below.
Within each cover type, visual searches for herbaceous and woody plant species or
parts thereof, including leaves, bark, twigs, seeds, or other identifiable plant structures
were conducted to identify and document plant material on the Site.
6.4.2
Detailed Description of Cover Types and Vegetation
Red Maple Hardwood Swamp/Wet Meadow – The Red Maple Hardwood Swamp/Wet
Meadow ecological communities presently include approximately 12.4 acres of the
Project Site and are dominated by red maple (Acer rubrum) which covers approximately
20.4 percent of the total area overall. Distribution within the cover types is uniform, with
reed canary grass found in the open portion of the Wet Meadow and red maple at the
edges of the Red Maple Hardwood Swamp. Reed canary grass was estimated to have
approximately thirty-five (35) plants per square foot and red maple was estimated to
have two (2) stems per square foot. The other species identified in the wetland habitat
contained fewer numbers of stems and a more random distribution. Following is a more
detailed description of each of the ecological communities.
The Red Maple Hardwood Swamp community is, according to Reschke (1990) a
common type of “…hardwood swamp that occurs in poorly drained depressions, usually
on inorganic soils.” The Red Maple Hardwood Swamp was estimated to have 65
percent coverage by red maple (Acer rubrum). The co-dominant trees consist of
American elm (Ulmus Americana) and pin oak (Quercus palustris). Plant species in the
shrub layer consists mainly of arrowood (Viburnum recognitum) and silky dogwood
(Cornus amoemum). Plant species in the herbaceous layer contains skunk cabbage
(Symplocarpus foetidus), tussock sedge (Carex stricta), sensitive fern (Onoclea
sensibilis), and sphagnum moss (Sphagnum spp.). The Wet Meadow (Forested
Wetland) ecological community is a wetland located through the western portion of the
property and the north and eastern portion of the property which contains the
watercourse that flows from the wetland habitat to the north to discharge under Pomona
Road. The ecological community contains hydric soils, a dominance of hydrophytic
vegetation, and the requisite hydrology for the classification of the area as a freshwater
wetland. As described below under Wetlands, Watercourses and Buffer Areas, a
wetland investigation was conducted in accordance with the 1987 United States Army
Corps of Engineers (USACOE) Wetlands Delineation Manual.
The forested wetland portion of the Wet Meadow community was dominated by reed
canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), which covered approximately 80 percent of that
cover type.
Plant species in the wetland includes jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema
triphyllum), bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), common wintercress (Barbarea spp.),
and willowherb (Epilobium spp.). Plant species in the shrub layer consists of spicebush
(Lindera benzoin), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), arrowwood (Viburnum
dentatum), and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). In addition, a portion of the wetland is
recognized as a wet meadow dominated by tussock sedge (Carex stricta), soft rush
(Juncus effusus), and pockets of shrubs such as red osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera)
and highbush blueberry (Vaccinum corybosum).
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Mid Reach Stream – As described below under Wetlands, Watercourses and Buffer
Areas, there is a stream located on the Site that begins at the southerly property
boundary at Pomona Road in the upper reaches of the Site. This stream flows through a
wetland habitat to exit the Site at the northerly border of the property. This stream is a
tributary of the Minisceongo Creek, and is classified as a Class C stream by the
NYSDEC.
This stream habitat is contained completely within the wetland habitat and, therefore, is
not an individual habitat as far as vegetative species or cover is concerned.
Successional Hardwood Forest – The Successional Hardwood Forest ecological
community presently includes approximately 36.33 acres of the Project Site and is
defined by Reschke (1990) as “…a hardwood or mixed forest that occurs on sites that
have been cleared (for farming, logging, etc.) or otherwise disturbed.” The Successional
Hardwood Forest ecological community is located on the portion of the Site occupying
the well-drained, upland areas on the property between the wetland areas and Pomona
Road and supports a particular array of species.
The canopy layer ranges from dense to sparse depending on the age class of the
canopy layer on any given point on the Site. The understory also ranges from very
dense thicket to a more easily traveled zone where the trees are larger diameter. The
forest community is medium-aged and generally consists of trees ranging in size from
ten (10) to eighteen (18) inches diameter at breast height (dbh), with larger specimen
trees in select locations of the property. Very little soil moisture was evident in the
upland forest areas and even the slightest amount of soil moisture, especially on lower
slopes under rotting logs was enough for herptiles to use as habitat. The tree cover in
this habitat totals approximately 85 percent, with the balance being from the shrub
understory in the few open areas.
The Successional Hardwood Forest community is dominated by white ash (Fraxinus
americana), Red Maple (Acer rubrum), Red Oak (Quercus rubra ) , Pin Oak, (Quercus
palustris) black cherry (Prunus serotina), which cover approximately 65 percent of the
total area.
Plant species in the shrub and ground layers include multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora),
Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.), witch hazel
(Hamamelis virginia), and blackberry (Rubus occidentalis). Plant species in the
herbaceous layer contains garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), violet (Viola spp.), carrion
flower (Smilax herbacea), wood geranium (Geranium maculatum), wild strawberry
(Fragaria virginiana), false Solomon’s seal (Smilacina racemosa), trout lilly (Erythronium
americanum), and bugleweed (Ajuga reptans). These shrubs and herbs cover all of the
understory area.
Distribution within the cover type is random. White Ash and black cherry were estimated
to each have approximately three (3) stems per square foot. The other species
identified in the upland forest contained fewer numbers of stems and a more random
distribution.
Successional Old Field – The Successional Old Field ecological community presently
includes approximately 12.4 acres of the Project Site and is defined by Reschke (1990)
as “…a meadow dominated by forbs and grasses that occurs on sites that have been
27
cleared and plowed (for farming or development), and then abandoned…” The
Successional Old Field ecological community is located on the portion of the Site that is
expected to be developed, adjacent to Pomona Road. This field habitat is primarily a
developing ecological habitat that is constantly evolving, and eventually succeeds to a
shrubland, woodland, or forest community.
There are remnants of apple trees from the use in the distant past as a apple orchard.
Evolving hardwoods have grown up throughout the former fields, which include Red
Maple (Acer rubrum), Red Oak (Quercus rubra ) , Pin Oak, (Quercus palustris) and
black cherry (Prunus serotina.
The successional old field is dominated by grasses and some shrubs that are expected
to occur “on sites that have been cleared and plowed (for farming or development) and
then abandoned.” Herbs found here include goldenrods (Solidago altissima, S.
nemoralis, S. rugosa, S. Canadensis and Euthamia graminifolia). These fields also
contain young trees revealing the successional trend and representative observed plant
species are composed primarily of timothy (Phleum pratense) and orchard grass
(Dactylis glomerata) with a mixture of common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), old field
cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex), Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus corota), common ragweed
(Ambrosia artemisiifolia), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), and red osier dogwood
(Cornus stolonifera). Distribution within the old field is uniform.
6.4.3
Summary of On-Site Vegetation
Trees
The trees on the Project Site vary in size from four (4) inches to twenty four (24) inches
in caliper. The dominant size of the mature trees on the Site varies from eight (8) to
twenty four (24) inches in caliper. No old growth forest exists.
The dominant tree species on the project Site are: white ash (Fraxinus americana), red
maple (Acer rubrum), pin oak (Quercus palustris), red oak (Quercus rubra ), and black
cherry (Prunus serotina). These species are distributed throughout the wooded areas
of the Site
In the southern portion of the Site are a number of seedlings, saplings, and young trees.
Dominant species in the western portion include black cherry, and red maple. The area
adjacent to the eastern bank of the stream is densely vegetated with white ash, red
maple, and shagbark hickory. The other tree species are scattered throughout the Site
and do not dominate any one (1) portion of the Site.
6.5
Animal Community
A field survey was conducted for wildlife species, including mammals, birds, herpetiles
(reptiles and amphibians), and aquatic fauna. The field survey indicated that the
following mammals and birds occur on the Site: skunk, whitetail deer, raccoon, owl, and
various smaller birds, mainly in the meadow areas and wetland adjacent area to the
west side of the stream. Reptiles included red back salamander, red eft, garter snake,
and the calls of spring peepers and wood frogs. No listed or protected threatened or
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endangered species, unusual, locally rare, or exemplary animal communities, locally
significant habitats, or special concern species was observed on or in the vicinity of the
Site. In addition, no animal species listed in connection with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Endangered Species list was observed on or in the vicinity of the Site.
6.6
Wetlands, Watercourses, and Buffer Areas
Existing Surface Water Bodies, Watercourses, Drainage Patterns, and Wetland Areas
The Project Site is located in the headwaters of the Minisceongo Creek drainage basin,
in which runoff flows into the Hudson River basin. The location of the Surface Water
Bodies, Watercourses, and Drainage Patterns are illustrated in Map 12.
Watercourses on the Project Site consist of an unnamed perennial stream that flows to
Minisceongo Creek. The stream was described above under Flora, Fauna, and
Ecological Communities as an on-site cover type that enters the site from the Pomona
Road culvert in the south, to exit to the lower reaches of the Mount Ivy Swamp, a large
NYSDEC regulated freshwater wetlands that extend from the Route 202 vicinity to the
north to the subject site. The stream flows through the wetland habitat to exit the Site in
the northerly border of the Site. Surface runoff from the Site presently flows overland
into the stream crossing through the property and then the stream habitat is generally a
perennial stream that normally runs very sparsely during normal dry summer months.
The underlying hydrology that accompanies the stream is sufficient during the dry
summer months to support the adjoining freshwater wetland environment.
A small un-named stream course comes from the County of Rockland lands to the north,
and the Mount Ivy Swamp and which exits the site near the southeasterly corner of the
site under Pomona Road.
The Minisceongo Creek, located to the west of the site is designated as a Class C body
of water. 6 NYCRR §701.6, Class C fresh surface waters.
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30
Surface Water Quality Classification of the On-Site Stream
The perennial stream that runs through the site is identified in the New York
State classification system as H-31-P44-25 and has been categorized as Class C
by the NYSDEC. Title 6 of the Official Compilation of Codes, Rules and
Regulations of the State of New York (6 NYCRR) §701.8, Class C Fresh Surface
Waters, states that “[t]he best usage of Class C waters is fishing. These waters
shall be suitable for fish propagation and survival. The water quality shall be
suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation, although other factors may
limit the use for these purposes.” Surface water quality standards for Class C
waters are provided in the following Table.
New York State Class C Surface Water Quality Standards
Parameter
Taste, color, odor
Turbidity
Solids, suspended
Oil and floating
pH (su)
Dissolved oxygen (mg/l)
Coliforms, total (no./100 ml)
Coliforms, fecal (no./ 100 ml)
Dissolved solids (mg/l)
Water Class “C” Standard
None in amounts that will
adversely affect the taste, color,
or odor thereof, or impair the
waters for their best usages.
No increase that will cause a
substantial visible contrast to
natural conditions.
None that will cause deposition
or impair the waters for their
best usages.
No visible oil film or gobules of
grease. No residue attributable
to sewage, industrial waste or
other wastes.
Not less than 6.5 or more than
8.5.
The minimum daily average
shall not be less than 5.0, and at
no time shall the DO
concentration be less than 4.0.
Monthly median value and more
than 20 percent of the samples,
from a minimum of five
examinations, shall not exceed
2,400 and 5,000, respectively.
The monthly geometric mean
from a minimum of five
examinations shall not exceed
200.
Shall not exceed 500.
SOURCE: NYSDEC 6 NYCRR 703
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On-Site Wetlands
The 8.04 acre NYSDEC classified wetland area is located in the north and westerly
portion of the site. The wetland serves to collect and store rainfall runoff from the upland
areas and, as such, functions to filter many pollutants and sediment from water and
flowages into the wetland and increase the water quality discharging from the wetland.
Water from storm events and high flow periods is also slowly absorbed and discharged
from the wetland thereby altering and slowing flow from the system and decreasing
potential downstream flows. An additional benefit of the wetland is that of diverse animal
and amphibian habitat. The wetland and headwaters, however, are not deemed an
important migratory corridor since the property abuts two major roads and minimal
migration activities across the road systems is expected to occur (see discussion above
under Flora, Fauna, and Ecological Communities).
The second wetland, a federal jurisdictional freshwater wetland, contains 4.46 acres,
and is associated with the stream that runs through the site from north to south. The
subject wetland is classified as a palustrine deciduous forested freshwater wetland and
runs along the stream corridor (i.e., along the watercourse and the downslope of some
woodland).
The freshwater wetland was observed in field surveys conducted for the proposed
development on the Site, on January 18 and 20, 2010 by Robert G. Torgersen, LA,
CPESC. The wetland boundaries are depicted on the site topographic plans for the
project.
The wetland area is the result of a surface and sub-surface water supply that provides a
wetland soil condition at or near the surface of the soil for a significant portion of the
growing season. The soils in the wetland area and the existing hydrology on this portion
of the Site meet the classification set by the USACOE for classification as wetlands. The
soils on the Project Site were described above under Geology, Topography, and Soils.
Specific to the wetland areas are Fluvaquents (Ff), which are a deep, well drained to
poorly drained, medium-textured soil formed in recent alluvial deposits. The water table
is normally one-half (½) to one (1) foot below the surface, though it fluctuates according
to the flow in the associated stream. These soils have a low load-carrying capacity and
are underlain by wet compressible materials. The depth to bedrock is greater than sixty
(60) inches. The wetland soils were identified as having an A horizon organic 0 to 4inch, and the B horizon having a Munsell classification of 10YR 5/1 for the base soil
color at four (4) inches below the surface, with mottles present of 10YR 5/6 color. There
was water, at varying depths of from 3 to 8 inches from the surface.
This particular wetland is well developed and maintains the wetland habitat during dry
summers. The dominant vegetation is classified as obligate, or those species which will
only grown in wetlands.
Red maple (Acer rubrum) and green ash (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica) are clearly dominant here with only occasional American elms (Ulmus
americana) scattered about. The shrub layer here is dense in places and consists
mainly of spicebush (Lindera benzoin), highbush blueberry (Viburnum cassinoides),
shadbush (Amelanchier sp.), and winterberry (Ilex verticillata). The herbaceous layer
here is dominated by skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetitus), tussock sedge (Carex
stricta), sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis), and sphagnum moss (Sphagnum sp.).
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Off-Site Wetlands
A review of the New York State Freshwater Wetland Maps for the North Rockland area
and correspondence with the NYSDEC (Division of Environmental Permits) indicates
that the New York State-designated freshwater wetland (designated as ‘TH-16’) is
located partly on and extending northward from the Project Site to the Route 202 vicinity.
NYSDEC regulates freshwater wetlands that are 12.4 acres or larger in area, or less
frequently, smaller wetlands of exceptional importance or value. This wetland is in a
Rockland County Parkland known as the Samuel G. Fisher Mount Ivy Environmental
Park.
The State wetland’s regulated adjacent area (one-hundred [100]-foot width) extends
onto the Project Site, on the wetlands located on the northwesterly corner on this site.
The on-Site stream from lands to the north does not flow directly into portions of the
State wetland, but runs across the site in an easterly direction, thence southward to exit
under Pomona Road. The location of the State wetland is depicted on the site plans.
Wetland Functional Analysis
Freshwater wetlands are vital natural resources that can perform a number of important
ecological functions, including the support of unique vegetation, the provision of wildlife
habitat, stormwater retention, sediment trapping, the provision of fishery habitat, and
education/recreation. The functions and relative values of freshwater wetlands are
determined by biological and physical characteristics, including the position of the
landscape in the wetland, the geology and hydrology of the site, and the substrate and
vegetation comprising the wetland. The northerly and easterly on-Site wetland is largely
an expanded stream habitat, as the wetland area extends on each side of the existing
stream and is fed by groundwater adjacent to each side of the streambed. There is little
stormwater storage capacity due to the slope from the upstream area to the downstream
portion of the Site. The major functions of this wooded wetland are to create a shaded
environment for the stream itself to reduce temperature extremes in the aquatic
environment of the stream and to provide habitat for some small mammals, insects, and
birds along the stream corridor. The wetland/stream corridor, with the varying vegetative
habitats and varying aquatic regime, does at this time, provide a passageway for smaller
mammals and, by the provision of habitat in the adjoining shrubbery for a variety of
insect life, in turn, provides forage for a variety of birdlife.
In addition, the wetland environment, on the wetland to the west which is a NYSDEC
regulated wetland, provides a controlled 100 foot wide adjacent area to prevent
construction-related impacts to the wetlands
7. Historic Resources
Review of the older (1955) USGS map below indicate that a portion of this site was used
as an orchard.
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1955 USG Theils Quadrangle
Review of known historical resources failed to find reference to this particular site. In
addition, this office conducted site inspections which did not reveal any previous or
existing structures on this site. Since the date of this USGS map is 1955, it appears that
the current growth of trees on the upland portion of the property occurred after the
removal of the orchard. The clearing of the land for the orchard would have disturbed
original structures, if any, that might have existed prior to that time.
This site was part of the greater Concklin Farm Orchards and the 1955 USGS map
shows a number of orchards in the immediate area which lend support for the
agricultural roots of this area in earlier times. The Concklin’s website indicates that the
family has been farming continuously in Pomona since 1712. The family provided
information that this site had been owned by the family, but was sold in 1966.
The Town has contracted with Tracker Associates Inc. to conduct a phase 1B
archaeological survey which has confirmed that the site holds low potential for
archaeological significance. The findings of the report will be included in Appendix E.
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8. Infrastructure
Water
Based upon the seating capacity and the extended seating on the grass/berm, water
usage will be approximately 25,000 gallons per day during game events. Water for
maintaining the grassed areas will be supplied from water re-use captured during rain
events either through storm water treatment and detention facilities, rain gardens or
porous pavement. Water consumption figures have been sent to United Water which has
issued a willingness to serve letter dated March 4, 2010. A copy of the willingness to
serve letter is contained in Appendix F under Correspondence. Two existing water
mains serve the site, one on Pomona Road and one on Firemen’s Memorial Way.
Although water re-use has been planned, no reductions were taken in the water
consumption figures to reflect re-use. The water main in Pomona Road is a 16 inch line.
Sewer Collection and Treatment System
Based upon the water consumption estimate, the sewage generated by this facility will
be approximately 25,000 gallons per day. The site is served by the Rockland County
Sewer District No. 1’s Interceptor. Sewage from the ball field will be conveyed to a 10”
PVC line in Pomona Road via a gravity sewer to the pump station. The pump station has
sufficient capacity to convey the flows to Sewage Treatment Plant in Orangeburg. The
treatment plant also has the capacity to treat these flows. It is noted that the treatment
and conveyance capacity were sized in conformance with the zoning and since this use
is permitted under the zoning, capacity will not be an issue.
Stormwater System
Stormwaters will be conveyed to water quality basins towards the rear of the site. The
basins will be sized to comply with the New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation Design Manual. Detention facilities will be located outside of all wetlands
and floodplains. See the following drawings for further information on the stormwater
design.
Solid Waste
Based upon a review of similar facilities, the architects for the ball field have
recommended that a figure of .45 pounds of garbage per fan per game be used for the
baseball season (June through September). In addition, .30 pounds of recycling per fan
per game can be expected. Efforts will be made to maximize use of recycled materials
for food services and paper supplies.
Hence, with 5000 potential patrons, it is projected that 2250 pounds of garbage will be
generated while 1500 pounds of material will be generated for recycling, assuming one
hundred percent occupancy per game. Based upon 50 home games, 112,500 pounds or
56.25 tons of waste will be generated per season. These estimates are very
conservative since the calculation is based upon a sell out of every game. The actual
numbers will be significantly lower.
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Stormwater Water Quality and Detention – Developed Conditions
Energy
The site is service by both natural gas lines and overhead electric lines from Orange and
Rockland Utilities. These services were designed to provide for potential office
developments as the zoning indicates so there is ample capacity.
9. Traffic, Transportation, Parking and Circulation
Traffic and Transportation
The site is located within the Town of Ramapo at the northwest corner of the intersection
of Pomona Road and Firemen’s Memorial Way, a few hundred feet west of New York
State Route 45. A traffic impact study was prepared by Frederick P. Clark Associates
dated April 1, 2010. This study fully addresses the traffic related impacts of the proposed
ball field. The study evaluates existing and future traffic conditions at the impacted
intersections as identified in the approved scope of work. The full report is included in
Appendix B of this report. Based upon the results of that study, with appropriate
signalization and improvements, this traffic associated with the ball field will not have a
significant negative impact on levels of service in the area of study. The following is
excerpted from the executive summary of the traffic study.
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A baseball field, parking lots and accessory facilities are proposed to be built on the
vacant property owned by the Town of Ramapo at the northwest corner of the
intersection of Pomona Road at Fireman’s Memorial Drive. The large single phase
development is expected to be completed in 2011. Access to the Site is provided via
Fireman’s Memorial Drive and Station Road (East).
This Traffic Access and Impact Study provide a detailed analysis of the impacts
associated with the proposed Baseball Park during the time periods that provided the
highest cumulative directional traffic demand. The peak characteristics of the adjacent
street and highway systems were determined through the analysis of hourly traffic
volumes (ATR’s) data from New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT)
and the peak characteristics of the Proposed Action operations program. The results of
this analysis shows that the improvements will be based on the cumulative needs of the
weekday morning, weekday afternoon, Saturday midday and Sunday midday peak
hours. These periods were selected based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers
(ITE) recommended guidelines and as they represent the peak times of the activities
expected at the Site and on the adjacent street network.
The number of trips expected to be generated by the proposed development during the
peak hours of the adjacent street traffic were determined based on methodology by ITE
“Traffic Access and Impact Study for Site Development – A Recommended Practice.”
This methodology is directly associated with the peaking characteristics of both the
project related travel and the area transportation system. Also, the street peak traffic
hours and the Site directional peak traffic hours both were identified and analyzed to
ensure not only adequate roadway operation, but also to provide for sufficient driveways,
turn lanes and queue capacity. Consideration was given to weekend games and
activities off-peak traffic in addition to normal weekday conditions. The development is
anticipated to generate 667, 750, 1,667 and 1,417 vehicle trip ends during the weekday
morning, weekday afternoon, Saturday midday and Sunday midday peak hours,
respectively.
A capacity analysis and Storage/Queue analysis were performed at key study area
intersections and interchanges for 2010 existing conditions, 2011 no-build conditions
with anticipated road improvements, 2011 build conditions with anticipated road
improvements and 2011 build conditions with recommended road improvements. The
future traffic volumes without the project employed a two percent annual traffic growth
rate and included all other developments planned and approved in the vicinity of the
Study Area such as Minisceongo Park, Patrick Farms, Cumberland Farms, Pomona
Heights Office Building, Bobover Yeshiva of Monsey, The Views at Pomona,
Congregation Khal Torath Chaim, Minisceongo Golf Course, Matterhorn Nursery and
Cambridge Heights Condominiums.
Also, the capacity and storage/queue analysis
were conducted for two possible directional distribution scenarios of the Proposed Action
related uses. The first scenario assumes 70 percent of the project related traffic is from
the local influence area, while the remaining 30 percent of the project related traffic is
regional. The second scenario assumes 70 percent regional trips and 30 percent of the
project related travel is local. The results of the analysis indicated that the traffic
generated by the development will not significantly impact the Study Area traffic
operations, given the mitigation measures proposed.
Overall, the Study Area
intersections have reserve capacity and will operate at an overall level of service “D” or
37
better, implementing the mitigation measures program proposed. It should be noted that
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39
40
41
42
the intersections of U.S. Route 202 at NYS Route 45, U.S. Route 202 at Thiells Mount
Ivy Road, U.S. Route 202 at Palisade Interstate Parkway interchange 13 southbound onoff ramps, and Palisade Interstate Parkway Interchange 13 northbound off ramp at
Thiells Mount Ivy Road will continue to operate with lane groups and movements delay
and Storage/queue inadequate capacity during the Study peak hours, with implementing
the anticipated road improvements by New York State Department of Transportation and
others.
road improvements by New York State Department of Transportation and others.
The proposed road improvements program was based on both possible directional
distributions analyzed in this report, the street peak traffic hours, and the site directional
peak traffic hours to ensure not only adequate roadway operations at all possible
activities at the proposed action, but also provision for sufficient driveway, turn lanes,
and queuing capacity. It includes the following road improvements:
1. Firemen’s Memorial Drive – construct an additional northbound and
southbound travel lane between the Pomona Road intersection and the access
drive to the Ball Park near the Firemen’s Training Center southerly property line.
As part of the improvements to this roadway, appropriate directional signs should
be installed in both direction to alert motorists to the appropriate lanes for arriving
at the Ball Park and exiting the Ball Park to Pomona Road, New York State
Route 45, Palisades Interstate Parkway and New York State Route 306.
2. The intersection of Pomona Road and Firemen’s Memorial Drive – It is
recommended to add westbound free right-turn traffic lane, add a 120 feet
eastbound left-turn pocket, and install a semi-actuated traffic signal to
accommodate the proposed action related traffic. A signal warrant will be
conducted as needed.
3. The signalized intersection of Pomona Road at New York State Route 45 – It
is recommended to convert the eastbound right-turn pocket to a traffic lane
between New York State Route 45 and Firemen’s Memorial Drive, convert
southbound right-turn pocket to free right-turn lane between Pomona Road and
The signalized intersection of New York State Route 45 at Palisades Interstate
Parkway Southbound Ramps and optimize the traffic signal cycle, splits, offset.
4. The intersection of Pomona Road at Station Road – A semi-actuated traffic
signal should be installed and an eastbound left turn pocket providing 150 feet of
storage. A warrant analysis will be conducted as needed.
5. The signalized intersection of New York State Route 45 at Palisades
Interstate Parkway Southbound Ramps – At this signalized intersection the
existing traffic signal will be optimized to include the modification of the cycle
43
length, splits and offset. The existing southbound right turn lane should be
extended to connect to the Pomona Road intersection. This right turn lane will
be a free right turn movement directly to Pomona Road. Appropriate traffic
control signing and direction signs should be installed to direct motorists to the
Ball Park.
6. The signalized intersection of New York State Route 45 at Conklin Road –
The existing traffic signal timing plan should be optimized and include
modifications to the traffic signal cycle, splits and offset.
7. The intersections of Conklin Road at Palisades Interstate Parkway
Northbound on-off Ramps –It is recommended to install two actuated traffic
signals with one controller.
8. The intersection of New York State Route 306 at East Pomona Road –It is
recommended to install a semi-actuated traffic signal and add a 75 feet
northbound right-turn pocket.
9. The signalized intersection of New Hempstead Road at Palisades Interstate
Parkway Southbound Ramps – The existing traffic signal at this intersection
should include the revision of the existing traffic signal timing plan.
10. The signalized intersection of U.S. Route 202 at Palisades Interstate
Parkway Southbound Ramps/Diner Access Drive – The existing traffic signal
should be optimized.
11. The signalized intersection of U.S. Route 202 at Thiells Mount Ivy Road –
The existing traffic signal should be optimized.
12. The signalized intersection of U.S. Route 202 at New York State Route
45/Old County Road – The existing traffic signal should be optimized.
Based on the results of the analysis, which includes the anticipated and recommended
improvements, as described above, a Ball Park activity, baseball games or other events,
with anticipated use of 5,000 seats, can be accommodated on area roads with these
improvements. The analysis recognizes that different types of events could be held at
this location and the actual schedule of baseball games may occur at different times.
However, the analysis approach was to address the highest level of cumulative traffic at
each of the intersections for weekday mornings, weekday afternoons, Saturday midday
and Sunday midday conditions and the site directional peak traffic hours to ensure not
only adequate roadway traffic operation but also provision for sufficient driveway, turn
lanes and queuing capacity.
44
45
Parking and Circulation
The Local Office (LO) Zoning for this site requires that one parking space be provided for
every four patrons for a stadium environment. The 3500 person seating capacity would
thus require 875 parking spaces. To be conservative, the plans have provided 900
parking spaces plus additional capacity. The traffic impact analysis, in an effort to be
more conservative in approach, estimated the need for a 5000 patron capacity instead of
the 3500 seating capacity. The plans as proposed provide 900 paved parking spaces
with an additional 350 grass spaces as pictured in the site plan below.
It is noted that since the majority of the events occur at night and or weekends, that
additional parking resources exist in the vicinity. Although not counted for the purposes
of this analysis, in the office complexes and Town Park parking lots, or even at the
County Fire Training Facility all have parking lots which are not utilized after normal
business hours. In summary, the parking provided exceeds the requirements of the
zoning law and there is provided unpaved grass areas for additional parking for unique
events.
The on-site circulation flow plan provides a long entrance way to manage arriving traffic
and queues. The current configuration shows the main entrance to the site at the
northern extreme near the Firemen’s Training Facility. The number of traffic lanes will be
increased in Firemen’s Memorial Drive to manage the inbound flows. The entrance road
loops west across the northern end of the site and then turns back to the perimeter road
for the parking lots providing ample room to collect parking fees and then park towards
the ball field. Exiting the ball park reverses the flow and the coordinated land and signal
improvements to Firemen’s Memorial Drive and Pomona Road provide a sequenced exit
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to the Palisades Parkway. Thus, Firemen’s Memorial Drive is the primary access as
required by the Rockland County Highway Department. Emergency access has been
provided via Station Road and Pomona Road.
10. Air Pollution
An air pollution study was prepared for the ballpark based upon build level traffic
volumes by POTENTA Environmental Consultants. The study placed eight receptors
adjacent to intersection roadways and midblock on the approaches. These locations
were chosen based upon the NYSDOT standards and represent locations where the
maximum change in CO levels and air quality impacts might occur.
The report provided the following conclusions:
1. The maximum CO levels of 5.2 ppm (1hr) and 3.5 ppm (8hr) were
predicted at Site 4 for the No Build Conditions at the Southeast corner
receptor at the center of the intersection
2. The maximum CO levels predicted for the Build Conditions were 4.1
ppm (1hr) and 2.7 ppm (8hr) occurring at Site 2 at the Northeast corner
receptor at the intersection.
3. The predicted CO levels are lower for the Build conditions verse the No
Build Conditions due to the improved signal timing for the Build Scenario
to accommodate the future intersection traffic
4. The results indicate that the project would not result in violations of
either the one-hour (35 ppm) or the eight-hour (9 ppm) NAAQS or State
CO standards and would not result in any significant adverse impacts to
existing air quality at the critical intersection receptors analyzed.
5. The project traffic and associated access road improvements are not
expected to cause or contribute to any new violations of the air quality
standards or exacerbate existing violations. Therefore, the proposed
project would be considered consistent with the NY SIP.
The complete report is included in appendix C.
11. Noise
Potenta Environmental Consultants were contracted to prepare a report on expected
noise levels. The following text summarizes their report which is included in Appendix D
Noise Standards and Criteria
Local and County Noise Regulations - The local noise code for the Town of Ramapo as
stated in Chapter 244, requires that noise emitted from commercial, business and
industrial facilities operations shall not produce unreasonable noise levels across
adjacent residential property lines. There are no specific standards set forth in the local
code for evaluating compliance. However, the noise standards published in the
Rockland County Sanitary Code (Article IX) for different land use categories were
47
addressed for this assessment to determine the potential impact of the facility operations
on the affected community. The Rockland County noise regulations used as guidance
for this noise study sets forth in Article IX that industrial and commercial facilities must
comply with maximum permissible sound levels of 65 dBA during the daytime hours of
7:00AM to 10:00PM and 55 dBA during the nighttime hours of 10:00PM to 7:00AM at
adjacent residential (Class A) land use, and meet 65dBA at any adjacent commercial
(Class B) office use. For purposes of this assessment, based on the daytime hours of
the stadium operations and the noise sources associated with the proposed project, the
maximum permissible Rockland County daytime noise standard of 65dBA was
addressed at the property line of the nearest receptors.
FHWA/NYSDOT Criteria – There are Federal noise criteria considered and generally
accepted in addressing traffic noise impacts of a project on the affected community
based on the land use categories. Traffic noise impacts associated with the proposed
stadium development were also addressed qualitatively using the criteria established by
the FHWA/NYSDOT in the evaluation of traffic noise impacts based upon Noise
Abatement Criteria (NAC) for Land Use Categories described in federal regulations (23
CFR 772). These criteria were established to protect the public health, safety and
welfare by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) from highway noise based on
residential and other land use categories. The New York State Department of
Transportation (NYSDOT) adheres to the FHWA criteria for assessing roadway impacts
on land use, therefore, the FHWA/NYSDOT noise criteria were used to evaluate the
effect of this project on traffic noise at nearby residential receptors. This noise
assessment addressed the NAC set forth in Table 1 for affected land use using the
maximum one-hour equivalent (Leq) noise level criteria of 67 dBA for residential land
use. The measured Leq noise levels were used to assess the potential increase in noise
levels due to project generated traffic along the key site access roads, Route 45 and
Pomona Road, for comparison with the FHWA land use criteria.
Because of the complex manner in which the human ear functions, measurement of
different noise sources does not always correspond to their relative loudness or
annoyance. Therefore, different scales have been developed to provide guidance in
evaluating the importance of different noise sources. The "A-weighted" scale (units
expressed as dBA) has been widely accepted for noise impact analyses and has been
found to compare well with human reaction to noise levels. Since noise levels fluctuate
over a period of time, the range of measured noise levels and the Leq, or equivalent
noise level were used to evaluate potential noise impacts. The Leq is the equivalent
steady-state sound level containing the same acoustic energy as the time-varying sound
level during the same time period. The maximum equipment noise levels generated by
the facility were used to determine compliance with the 65 dBA Rockland County noise
standard at affected receptors.
Existing Noise Environment
Existing noise levels were measured at the nearest residential and commercial receptors
adjacent to the project site to determine the ambient noise levels representative of the
study area. The range of noise levels including the average Leq noise level were
recorded at the receptor locations shown in Figure 1. The noise measurements were
taken during the midday period when background traffic volumes and corresponding
noise levels were slightly lower to be conservative in estimating the potential noise
impact of facility operations. The residential receptors along the local site access roads
48
are primarily influenced by existing traffic and the measured noise data was assumed
representative of existing 2011 No Build conditions.
Noise levels representative of the project area were measured during the off-peak traffic
period on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 between 11:30AM-1:00PM, to determine the
existing noise levels affecting the adjacent receptors. The noise measurements were
taken for 10-20 minutes during the noted period to determine the noise levels
representative of ambient conditions in the project area. The dominant source of ambient
noise during the measurement program was the flow of traffic on local roadways
adjacent to the selected receptors.
The ambient noise levels were measured with the CEL 490.B.1 Sound Level Meter,
which conforms to both the IEC and ANSI specifications for a Type 1 integrating sound
level meter (SLM). The noise instrument was calibrated before and after the monitoring
program using the CEL Instruments Acoustic Calibrator Type CEL-177. All noise
equipment was certified as being calibrated electronically within the past year.
Meteorological parameters were recorded during testing using the Kestrel 3000 wind
instrument including: ambient temperature recorded during noise testing was 5961degrees F, under sunny/partly cloudy skies, and wind speeds varied between 0-8
miles per hour with no wind gusts encountered during the measurement periods, and the
relative humidity was 18-20 percent. The noise microphone was mounted on a tripod 5
feet above ground and at least 6 feet from any large reflecting surface to avoid
interference with sound propagation. The microphone was covered with a wind screen
during noise measurements and the SLM was set to the A-weighted scale for measuring
noise levels.
The results of the noise measurement study are presented in Table 2 for the ambient
noise levels recorded at the four selected receptor sites. The existing Leq noise levels
recorded at Sites 1, 2 and 4 ranged from 56-64dBA, in compliance with the Rockland
County daytime noise standard of 65dBA. The Leq noise level recorded at Site 3 due to
traffic sources on the Palisades Interstate Parkway (PIP) was at 66dBA, slightly above
the Rockland County daytime standard of 65dBA but in compliance with the FHWA NAC
of 67dBA for the residences east of the PIP with access off Route 45. Therefore, the
near residences to the project site were determined to have existing noise levels
generally in compliance with the Rockland County noise standard 65dBA and all
receptors comply with the FHWA NAC for residential land use.
Impact Assessment
The noise assessment addressed two areas of potential site noise impacts focused on
the near residential receptors to the site. The first area focused on the effect of facility
traffic at the proposed senior housing residential complex immediately adjacent to the
intersection at Route 45 and Pomona Road such as the proposed senior housing
residential complex (Site 1) where the maximum site generated traffic would occur. The
49
50
second area focused on the facility operation noise at the affected receptors due to the
stadium crowd, the public address system, concert events, and other equipment
associated with facility operation. The site-generated traffic data was obtained from the
project traffic report prepared by Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc. (FCPA) dated March
2010, and used to determine the potential change in traffic noise levels at the affected
residential receptors evaluated.
Site-Generated Traffic - Standard relationships between traffic volume and noise were
used to address potential impacts along the local access roads. Examples of the
magnitude of change in either the traffic volume, travel speed, or the distance from the
noise source to the receptor, that are necessary to result in a 3 dBA increase in noise
levels are as follows:
- a doubling of the hourly auto or truck volumes,
- a doubling of the combination of hourly auto and truck volumes,
- a one-third reduction in the distance between the vehicular traffic and the sensitive
receptor,
- an increase in average speed by 15 mph or more.
The proposed project traffic will not double the existing traffic volumes along any critical
site access roads during operations except on Pomona Road where traffic increases by
98 percent between the intersection at Route 45 and the site entrance where there are
no residential receptors, but by only 32 percent by Station Road and the near the
residences at receptor Site 4. Along Route 45 there will be an overall 36 percent
increase in traffic during project events between the Palisades Parkway and Pomona
Road. No local road improvements are proposed that will significantly affect receptor
distances or the average travel speeds along these roadways. Based on the trip
generation data provided in the FCPA traffic report, the potential increase in 2011 No
Build noise levels due to project generated traffic (see attached figures) was determined
qualitatively using the above criteria.
Using the traffic volume versus the noise level criteria above, the project-generated
traffic would result in a maximum increase in the ambient Leq noise levels of less than
1dBA between 2011 No Build and Build conditions at any residence along local access
roads during the PM peak hour period. The maximum increase of 1dBA in receptor noise
levels will be an imperceptible change and have a negligible effect on existing noise
levels determined using the information provided in Table 3 that shows typical human
response to such a change in noise levels. To assess the potential project impact of the
1dB increase in ambient noise levels, this increment was added to the existing/2011 No
Build ambient noise levels shown in Table 2 to determine the maximum project Leq for
comparison with the FHWA/NYSDOT residential land use criteria in Table 1. The
resultant noise levels in Table 4 indicate that the site-generated traffic will result in Leq
noise levels at the receptor sites ranging from 57-67dBA during the PM peak hour traffic
period. Therefore, the receptor noise levels due to the project traffic are expected to
remain in compliance with the FHWA NAC of Leq= 67 dBA and the project will not result
in any significant noise impact at the nearby residences or the surrounding community.
51
Facility Operation Noise
The effect of noise generated from operating equipment sources onsite and stadium
events was evaluated at the nearest adjacent receptors. Manufacturer’s sound data was
used to determine the noise levels generated by typical onsite HVAC equipment
associated with the project. The noise generated by the public address (PA) system and
crowd noise was obtained from the report prepared by BAI, LLC., acoustical consultants
for the stadium PA system design. There are eight HVAC units located on the proposed
stadium roof and an at-grade emergency generator with an enclosure that would not
have any major offsite impact since the potential noise associated with these typical
units is screened from the site property line and adjacent residential receptors by the
roof parapet or site topography and will have little or no effect on the ambient noise
levels. The results of the noise report by BAI provided estimated stadium generated
noise levels due to the crowd and the PA system during ballgames at varied distances
from the stadium. The effect of these activities on the selected receptors is shown in
Table 5 along with the effects of noise from concerts and fireworks (Cowan, 1992)
events at the stadium.
Equipment - Project related noise levels due to equipment sources operating including
rooftop HVAC onsite during facility operations and an emergency generator are not
expected to have any offsite noise impact due to the minimal effect of such activities on
site generated noise. However, such activities were addressed at the nearest site
property lines to the West and South of the stadium complex using the proposed site
plan configuration and the standard formula for estimating sound propagation and
combining noise levels. The receptor noise levels were determined using manufacturer’s
test noise data for the equipment sources associated with the project. The equipment
noise levels were adjusted for distance from the source to determine the combined
project noise level at the receptor property line using the standard sound propagation
relationship,
Sound pressure level reduction (dB) = 20 log10 (Dm/De)
where Dm = distance from the source to measurement location,
and De = distance from the source to the receptor point.
The predicted noise levels for the proposed facility were compared with the Rockland
County noise standards and the ambient noise levels in Table 2 to determine the
potential noise impact at the selected residential receptor.
The results of the site equipment noise impact analysis are presented in Table 5 and
reflect the combined impact of multiple HVAC rooftop units onsite ranging in size from 3Ton to 20-Ton units. The two nearest property line locations were evaluated for
equipment noise: to the West near the American Legion building and to the South near
Station Road in the direction of the residences (Site 4) located on Carole Lane near the
project site. The proposed stadium design and the rooftop parapet screening the HVAC
equipment will provide a minimum 6dBAattenuation resulting in a maximum noise level
of 37dBA at the site property line and lower levels at the near residence. Therefore, the
project HVAC equipment will have no effect on the existing noise level (Leq=56dBA) at
the near residences to the south and the facility will operate in compliance with the
Rockland County property line noise standard of 65dBA.
Stadium Events - Noise generated by stadium events will be from four major sources:
the public address system, the crowd noise, concerts, and fireworks. The potential noise
52
levels from these activities were also evaluated and shown in Table 5 at each of the four
receptor sites analyzed. The crowd noise generated inside the stadium area is not
regulated, and not expected to have any significant offsite impact since the unamplified
human voice is exempt from most regulations including the Rockland County noise
standards. Typical stadium noise levels at the residential (Class A) receptors (Sites 1, 3
and 4) ranged from 30-38dBA due to crowd noise, from 40-48dBA due to the PA system,
from 55-63dBA due to concerts, and from 58-64dBA due to fireworks events. Noise
levels at the commercial (Class B) receptor (Site 2) would range from 43-53dBA for all
sources during stadium ballgame events to a maximum of 68dBA during concerts
depending on the type of music. The 68 dBA during the concert events falls within the
existing noise levels ranging from 49-70dBA measured at Site 2, resulting in a minimal
impact at the commercial receptor. The noise levels generated during typical ballgame
events and concerts ranging from 30-63dBA at the nearest residential receptors
analyzed would be in compliance with the Rockland County daytime noise standard of
65dBA for residential land use. Typical fireworks events would generate noise levels at
all the receptor sites ranging from 58-64dBA, below the 65dBA County standard, but
could result in short bursts up to 20dB higher, or 78-84dBA when certain shells are set
off. However, these fireworks sounds are more impulsive in nature and short term lasting
only a moment in time, minimizing their effect and overall impact. Correspondingly, the
Rockland County standard for such noise is much higher at 130dB.
Summary and Conclusions
The noise assessment indicates that project generated traffic will result in less than a
1dBA change in existing noise levels at residential receptors along local access roads
during the peak site activities, representing an imperceptible increase (Table 3) in
existing noise levels. The project noise levels in Table 4 indicate that the site-generated
traffic will result in Leq noise levels at the receptor sites ranging from 57-67dBA during
the PM peak hour traffic period. Therefore, the project traffic will not result in any
significant noise impact to the surrounding residential community and the receptor noise
levels due to the project are expected to remain in compliance with the FHWA NAC of
Leq= 67 dBA for affected residential land use.
The study results indicate that the site-generated noise during typical stadium ballgame
and concert events, including the stationary equipment sources, will have little or no
effect on the existing noise levels at nearby residences. The maximum noise level of
53dBA at receptor Site 2 associated with the PA system during ballgames and a
maximum noise level of 63dBA (Site 4) at the residential receptors during concert events
will be in compliance with the Rockland County daytime noise standard of 65 dBA. Noise
levels at the commercial receptor (Site 2) would be affected by a maximum of 68dBA
during concerts depending on the type of music. The maximum of 68 dBA during concert
events falls within the range existing noise levels measured at Site 2, from 49-70dBA,
resulting in a negligible effect at the worst-case commercial receptor. Therefore, the
proposed project will not significantly affect existing noise levels ranging from Leq=5666dBA in the study area dominated by local traffic sources, and will comply with both the
local and Rockland County noise regulations.
Occasional fireworks events will result in overall noise levels ranging from 58-64dBA at
the selected receptor sites evaluated, in compliance with the 65 dBA Rockland County
standard. However, there could be short burst impulse noise levels set off by certain
shells that are 20dB higher ranging from 78-84dBA at surrounding receptors. Since the
53
fireworks will be limited to only 8 events per year, there is a trade-off between
entertainment and short-term noise impacts associated with the fireworks events that will
have to be weighed in considering when to conduct such events and their importance to
the community.
Maps and tables supporting the conclusions of the noise impact analysis are contained
within Appendix E.
Background information on noise
Existing noise levels are generally characterized as background noise levels. The major
noise generators in the vicinity of this site are associated with the traffic along Route 45
and the Palisades Parkway with short term spikes in noise levels with events at the Fire
Training Facility. These events include instances of high noise levels associated with
helicopter landings, training exercises such as stun grenades, high powered pumps,
diesel fire apparatus, generators etc. Most of these are event related and are not
expected continuously on the site.
Noise is generally rated by decibel ratings using the dBa scale. According to Mr. Brent
G. Smith of BAi, LLC, Consultants in Acoustics & Audio/visual Technologies, sound
levels generally decrease by 6 decibels for each doubling of distance (in open air)
between the sound source and the listener on line of sight. “For a sound source which is
large in dimension as the crowd and PA system will be, we utilize the expected sound
level at 50 feet from the stadium perimeter as the a baseline.
Noise levels expected for the ball field will have similar peaks as spectator cheering
noise levels will vary with the team’s performance over the game. Fireworks of course
will provide peak noise levels, but the duration and schedule of events are limited in a
manner similar to helicopter landings at the Fire Training Center. The major noise level
expected will be from traffic accelerating up Pomona Road to Route 45.
Crowd noise levels will vary by distance and have calculated average and maximum
noise levels at a variety of distances from the stadium as contained in the table below.
The calculated figures do not consider any obstacles such as buildings or vegetation
which would attenuate sound levels and assumes calm wind conditions. It is estimated
that maximum sound levels will exist for a span of 10 minutes out of each hour
maximum.
Anticipated Crowd System Noise Levels
A. Average, Inside Stadium :....................................................70dBA
B. Average, 50 feet from Stadium............................................60dBA
C. Average, 100 feet from Stadium..........................................54dBA
D. Average, 200 feet from Stadium..........................................48dBA
E. Average, 400 feet from Stadium..........................................42dBA
F. Average, 800 feet from Stadium..........................................36dBA
G. Average, 1,600 feet from Stadium.......................................30dBA
A. Maximum, Inside Stadium :..................................................80dBA
B. Maximum, 50 feet from Stadium..........................................70dBA
C. Maximum, 100 feet from Stadium........................................64dBA
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D. Maximum, 200 feet from Stadium........................................58dBA
E. Maximum, 400 feet from Stadium........................................52dBA
F. Maximum, 800 feet from Stadium........................................46dBA
G. Maximum, 1,600 feet from Stadium.....................................40dBA
Anticipated PA System Noise Levels
Again, the distance from the sound source (crowd and PA System) to the surrounding
area is calculated out to 1,600 feet.
A. Average, Inside Stadium :....................................................80dBA
B. Average, 50 feet from Stadium............................................70dBA
C. Average, 100 feet from Stadium..........................................64dBA
D. Average, 200 feet from Stadium..........................................58dBA
E. Average, 400 feet from Stadium..........................................52dBA
F. Average, 800 feet from Stadium..........................................46dBA
G. Average, 1,600 feet from Stadium.......................................40dBA
A. Maximum, Inside Stadium :..................................................90dBA
B. Maximum, 50 feet from Stadium..........................................80dBA
C. Maximum, 100 feet from Stadium........................................74dBA
D. Maximum, 200 feet from Stadium........................................68dBA
E. Maximum, 400 feet from Stadium........................................62dBA
F. Maximum, 800 feet from Stadium........................................56dBA
G. Maximum, 1,600 feet from Stadium.....................................50dBA
BAi anticipates that sound levels will reach a momentary maximum of 68dBA at 200
feet from the stadium perimeter and 53dBA at 1200 feet from the stadium perimeter.
Average crowd noise levels will be approximately 48dBA at 200 feet from the stadium
perimeter and 30dBA at 1600 feet from the stadium perimeter.
BAi estimates that the sound levels generated by the crowd and the PA system will be
relatively unobtrusive to the surrounding neighborhood during games and other events.
The orientation of the field is an effective mitigation to noise generation. Fan noise will
generally travel out the open end of the ball field to the north where no residential
structures will be directly impacted. The bowl shape of the surrounding areas also helps
mitigate noise impacts. The design of the ball field to be as low on the property as
possible again mitigates noise concerns.
12. Visual Assessment
Setting:
The visual assessment is comprised of three components – day time visuals, night time
visuals, and fireworks visuals. The current area view shed is dominated by the
communications tower on the Rockland County Fire Training Facility site a few hundred
feet to the north. The tower is approximately 192 feet tall. It can be seen from several
locations to the north from Route 202, almost one mile away. About half of the tower is
visible during leaf off times from these locations. The tower is also visible for a short time
while travelling along the Palisades Parkway, but the view is through trees even during
the leaf off times. It is not visible above the trees and acts as an excellent reference for
the expected visibility of the ball field from the Palisades Parkway. The lighting poles are
estimated to be 125 feet tall with the base elevation (field elevation) lower than the
55
communication tower. Hence, the direct visibility of the ball field from the Palisades
Parkway will be through leafless trees at an elevation roughly half as high at the
communication tower. The primary visibility of the ball field will be looking directly west
from the intersection of Route 45 and Pomona Road where the right of way of the street
will look directly at the site. Most of the area adjacent to the intersection of Pomona
Road and Firemen’s Memorial Way will maintain the current vegetation providing
screening of the facility from the east.
Day time views - Near Views:
The day time views of the site and the surrounding area are somewhat constrained by
the “bowl” shape of the site. Since the highest elevations in the surrounding area occur
along Route 45, particularly on the eastern side of Route 45, those locations offer the
best views of the site. The views are not so much of the ball field site itself, but of the
Palisades Interstate Parklands to the northwest. Views directly west are limited by the
rise of the topography of the ball field site along Pomona Road which with the current
forested area, effectively blocking views directly west.
The view from the west is also limited by both topography and distance as the view shed
would overlook the Minisceonga Golf Course, the American Legion building and the
Verizon facility as well as through trees remaining to the west of the site. The existing
views are shown in the following photographs. The common key to evaluating impacts to
most of the views towards the site is the Communication Tower.
The following photographs illustrate the existing views of the site.
56
Figure 1 - View from Pomona Road in the vicinity of the ball park looking north
Figure 2 View looking North-East from Station Road
57
Figure 3 View from American Legion lot looking East
Figure 4 View from Firemen’s Memorial Drive looking West
Day Time Views – Scenic Vistas:
The day time views from known scenic vistas will not have a noticeable negative impact
to the scenic overlooks. The scenic overlooks are shown on the Harriman Park –
Southern Trail Map in the Palisades Interstate Park to the east. Two scenic vistas have
been depicted on the Suffern-Bear Mountain Trail. The views from these locations were
shown in the Environmental Impact Statement for the Patrick Farm property. The views
of the Patrick Farm project were evaluated as part of the Environmental Impact
Statement prepared which concluded that the site could not be distinguished from the
tree cover. Given the fact that Patrick Farm is approximately 4000 feet from the Scenic
Vistas, and that the ball field site is further distant at 13,000 to 16,000 feet (2.5 miles to 3
miles distant), it is virtually impossible to negatively impact this view. The photographs of
the views from these scenic overlooks demonstrate that daylight views of the ball field
would not be recognizable or distinguishable. Further evidence supporting this
determination is the fact that the telecommunications tower on the adjacent Rockland
County Training Center which is readily observable, is not discernable from this location.
If the Tower can not be recognized, it will not be possible to view details of this site from
that distance given the angle of view and limits of visibility over distance.
A second scenic vista potential exists from South Mountain. However, the site is
screened by the Palisades Parkway and the elevation of lands to the east of the
Palisades. The impact to South Mountain vistas would primarily consist of a soft glow of
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the ball field lights during night games. Previous visual studies prepared for the
Palisades Ridge development proposal for Conklin Road indicated that there would be
no impact to the views from South Mountain. The proposed ball field elevation is lower
than Palisades Ridge and an additional 3000 feet further to the west, reducing the
potential for any impacts to this area. The following photographs illustrate the views from
the scenic overlook points in the Palisades on the Suffern Bear Mountain Trail. These
maps were originally prepared by Tim Miller Associates for the Environmental Impact
Statement for Patrick Farm. Since the scenic views of the ball field site are directly in line
with the Patrick Farm photographs, these photographs were used with permission from
Tim Miller Associates.
59
60
61
Night time views:
The night time view of the facility will be discernable from most locations as a soft glow
in the dark sky. The design of the lights for the field focuses illumination downward to the
field, but some light is reflected upwards. This will be sufficient to diminish the views of
stars in the local area while the lights are on, although this impact is limited to home
game days, and to the duration of the event. Most significantly, the bowl shape of the
site is the best mitigation as much of the direct lighting impacts are buffered by the
surrounding area. Even to the relatively open north portion of the bowl, the distance to
the nearest businesses on Route 202 is over almost 5000 feet of vegetated wetlands.
The intensity of the increase in brightness is diminished over this distance. An artist’s
conception of the early night time view follows.
The lights of this facility from the Palisades Park lands to the northwest will be evident.
However, since no one hikes the scenic vistas during these hours and with the
diminishing intensity of the light over distance, the impacts would not be significant. The
vistas from the Palisades would be over 15,000 feet from this site.
Cross Sections of Site
Cross sections of the site were prepared to help the reader assess visual impacts. One
cross section was created in an east-west orientation across the site. A second section
depicts the north-south orientation. These sections demonstrate that:

The roof of the ball field is located at exactly the same elevation as Pomona
Road at the crest of the hill. Looking directly north from this location, very little of
the ball park will be visible. Assuming a person of at least 5 foot in height, the
only portion of the ball field that will be visible would be a small portion of the
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scoreboard and the poles that support the light fixtures. The Rockland County
Fire Training Center is shown at an elevation of 410 feet and the view from that
facility will be an uphill view through 300 feet of woods.

The section from Firemen’s Memorial Drive shows a base elevation on Firemen’s
Memorial Drive of about 500- 510 feet in elevation. Viewing the ball field from this
point requires looking over wetlands and across vegetation both along Firemen’s
Memorial Drive and after the wetlands. Hence even with the expanse of parking,
the view of the facility will be somewhat screened. With the roof elevation at 520
feet the ball park will still appear below the trees.

Views from the western property line will look uphill through 200 feet of wooded
wetland and forest with a sloped parking lot, buffering the view.
The following visualizations were prepared to gauge future views.
63
Cross Sections of Ball Field
Visualization of View from Pomona Road
64
Visualization of View from Firemen’s Memorial Drive
Visualization of View from American Legion Property
All three of the visuals demonstrate that the impacts on local views are not significant as
the excavation to level the site limits the views. In the Pomona Road View, the elevation
of the road is slightly above the roof elevation limiting the view to the scoreboard and
lighting stanchions. The view from Firemen’s Memorial Drive is across a considerable
length of wetlands and then set back across the parking lot. The grading of the parking
lot shields it from view. The view from the American Legion Property is also minimized
by the grading to level the field.
Fireworks visual assessment:
Fireworks are designed to impact the visual environment with large displays of exploding
shells into a variety of colors, shapes, and patterns that light up the sky. When
conducted in the course of the celebration of events such as July 4th, or Memorial Day or
other noteworthy events, there is little discussion of negative impacts. The fireworks are
a form of celebration that is widely accepted. The assessment for this visual impact is
therefore limited to a discussion of the number of events, and the intensity and duration
of the events. The minor league franchise has indicated that eight such events are
typically planned during the season. These include the July 4th holiday time period as
well as Labor Day. If one conceded fireworks for those occasions, then there is a net
addition of six firework displays.
The minor league franchise generally conducts the fireworks events following games.
Assuming that the games end between 10 and 11 o’clock, this indicates that a fifteen to
thirty minute display would occur at these times. It is expected that these events would
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be held on Friday nights or on holidays to minimize impacts to surrounding neighbors.
Visibility of the fireworks in the surrounding area would generally be accepted as a
positive event, providing that the number of events, and the duration of the events are as
anticipated.
The Town seeks to balance the schedule of fireworks to prevent the fireworks from
becoming an adverse impact. By limiting the number of events to eight scheduled
firework displays, it is anticipated that this would sufficiently mitigate these events.
13. Construction Impacts
Short term construction impacts will be experienced over the construction period. The
term of construction is estimated to be approximately one year. The duration and
intensity of these impacts will vary considerably based upon the construction activity.
The primary construction related impacts will be noise and air quality impacts from the
site clearing and construction of the ball fields and parking lots.
The noise impacts will result from the construction equipment used on site including
large trucks, graders, backhoes, generators and loaders. Clearing of the required trees
will involve chain saws operations. No blasting is anticipated. Most of these operations
will occur early in the construction phases. A list of anticipated construction noise levels
is contained below. Once the construction vehicles arrive on site, they will generally
remain on site. Since all of the soils are expected to remain on site, there should be very
limited off site trucking and construction vehicle impacts. The site will be subject to fairly
intensive grading. After clearing the vegetation, grading equipment used for the
construction of roadways, parking areas and walls will account for the majority of the
noise generated.
Construction Related Noise Levels
Equipment/Activity
Backhoe
Loader
Trucks
Generator
Maximum Sound Levels (dBA)
50 feet
200 feet
500 feet
82-84
70-72
62-64
86-90
74-78
66-70
81-87
69-75
61-67
71-87
59-75
51-67
1000 feet
56-58
60-64
55-61
45-61
With the clearing operations, a limited amount of fugitive dust will escape into the air but
compliance with standard construction methods such as watering down sections to
reduce dust, and cleaning of vehicles on the sediment control entrances will keep the
impacts to the minimum.
Noise related impacts will generally be located 1000 feet or more from residential
properties. There is no residential property with 500 feet of the construction. There is
natural mitigation of the noise impacts as the clearing and construction will occur below
the elevation of Pomona Road in the direction of the residences. In addition, construction
can not occur outside the limits as prescribed in the Town’s noise ordinance which limits
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construction activities to 8AM to 10PM on weekdays, although construction is not
anticipated after 6PM daily. Construction related noise is also regulated through the
efficient maintenance of the construction equipment’s muffler systems.
14. Fiscal Resources and Community Services
The purpose of this chapter is to identify the potential costs for additional services that
would accrue to the Town from the creation of this ball field. Administrative and
emergency response services are the services most likely to be impacted. This ballpark,
however, fits well into the overall framework of services. Each is described below:
o
Administrative – The Town has an extensive inventory of existing parks.
The recreation staff has sufficient personnel to manage the Town’s parks
and programs. The Town has expressed its ability and intent to manage
this facility with existing town parks and recreation administration staff.
o
Maintenance – The Town has existing maintenance personnel to maintain
its parks and recreation facilities. With this project, the minor league ball
team would be providing its own field maintenance support staff requiring
little intervention from Town employees. Use beyond the Memorial Day to
Labor Day period would be maintained by Town employees supplemented
by event staff for special events.
o
Police – The design for managing the traffic associated with this ball field
was predicated on the principle that no additional Police support personnel
would be required to manage the normal flow of traffic to and from the
facility. The plan provides coordinated signalization and lane improvements
which will be self activated and operating. No additional police presence is
required. Like any other special event, should police staff be required, it can
be made available as part of the event and paid directly by the promoter.
o
Fire – Adequate fire protection services exist. The plans are designed for
safe ingress and egress from all points of the building in conformance with
the New York State Building Codes. The roadway improvements will
facilitate enhanced response time during and after ball games and events.
o
Ambulance – An ambulance presence will be required for each game. The
costs for this service may be separate from the Town’s Services. Access to
Firemen’s Memorial Drive has been increased from two lanes to four lanes
with signalized on demand control of the signals permitting faster fire and
police response
In addition to the Memorial Day to Labor Day use by the professional minor league team,
potential exists for non-baseball uses for the September through May timeframe. These
events would be managed as special events as well with their own funding and staffing.
It should be remembered that the Town of Ramapo is creating a new addition to its
extensive parks and recreation inventory which is intended to further enhance the quality
of life in Ramapo. Such quality of life enhancements have a recognized positive impact
on real estate values and area desirability even if such impacts are not easily
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quantifiable in dollars and cents. Monies spent in the area of the ball field can provide
ripple effects to the local economy including attracting additional hotel and tourism
business. Coupled with the non baseball potential revenues, the attraction of out of town
fans spending in Ramapo will be a boost to the local economy. The attraction of a minor
league team to Ramapo provides additional benefits in terms of perceived vitality and
image which will also enhance the ability to attract new business to Ramapo.
One of the positive fiscal impacts will be the new sales tax revenue from ticket sales,
concessions and sale of team clothing and memorabilia. It is estimated that sales tax
revenues from these items would generate over $250,000. in sales tax revenues. The
ball team expects to spend in excess of $3M locally which will also stimulate the local
economy for additional housing, meals, and services as well as additional hotel and
sales taxes.
15. Impacts, Evaluation, and Mitigation
Impacts to land
The impacts to land will result from the removal of the tree cover and the grading of the
site to provide for parking of the spectator vehicles. Since much of this site was
previously used as an Orchard, no old growth forest exists. The perimeter of the site with
the exception of portions of Pomona Road will maintain as much of the existing
vegetation as possible. There will be no tree removal in the wetlands and floodplain
areas. Soil erosion and control plans will mitigate sediment transport, runoff, and fugitive
dust generation to the maximum practicable extent.
Impacts to community character
The character of the community will not be significantly impacted by the project since
this use was anticipated in the uses permitted under the plan. The impacts in terms of
altering the future character of the community do not significantly change the anticipated
use or the intensity of use of the LO community. Any impacts to surrounding residential
areas (none of which directly adjoin this property) have been quantified, evaluated and
mitigated to the maximum extent possible. The traffic study concluded that the levels of
service on the impacted roads are within norms and that air pollution levels will not
increase as the improvements to the circulation system will enhance the flow and safety
of traffic through the area. The community character will be enhanced with a recreational
facility open to all residents during and after the baseball season. The facility will be an
asset to the community at large.
Impacts to zoning and comprehensive plan
The impacts to zoning and the comprehensive plan are negligible as this use is a
permitted use within this zone. Sport and recreation related uses were identified as
desirable uses for this district. No changes were anticipated for this property under the
recently completed comprehensive plan. The zoning requires a special permit for this
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use by the planning board, however the Town is not required to obtain this permit since it
is a town sponsored project.
Impacts to slope
The slope of the land will be altered significantly in a cut and fill operation which will
reduce the high point and distribute that land to the lower elevations to provide for a level
playing field and to provide slopes on access roads and parking lots to meet Town
standards. Although the slopes will be altered for the project, compliance with soil
erosion and control procedures with effective slope stabilization will mitigate the impacts.
There will be no change to slopes within the wetlands.
Impacts to historic resources
Based upon the Phase 1B archaeological survey, no significant impacts to historic
resources are expected.
Impacts to geologic formations
Since no bedrock formations have been encountered, there are no impacts to geologic
resources.
Impacts to soils
The soil report notes a number of hazardous materials found in the soil tests at levels
above state recommended maximum levels. A soil mitigation plan is being developed to
mix the contaminants in with other soils on site to dilute the concentrations to acceptable
levels. This plan must be approved by the Rockland County Department of Health and
will be subject to final testing to insure compliance with the Rockland County Department
of Health and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation requirements.
Impacts to flora and fauna
Potential Impacts Plant (Woody and Non-Woody) Community
Vegetation and Habitat Cover

Red Maple Hardwood Swamp – After completion of the Proposed Action, the Red
Maple Hardwood Swamp Community will encompass approximately 12.4 acres of
the Project Site. Development activities have been planned to avoid impacts to the
wetland and wetland adjacent areas located in the Red Maple Hardwood Swamp
community. The adjacent area consists primarily of upland hardwood forest species.
There are approximately 3.21 acres of wetland buffers on this Site. This ecological
community will remain materially undisturbed by the proposed development and no
significant impacts are anticipated.

Mesophytic Forest – After completion of the Proposed Action, the Mesophytic Forest
Community will encompass approximately 7.16 acres of the Project Site, a decrease
of approximately 29.06 acres from the existing conditions. Construction activities
including the placement of the site access driveway, water quality ponds, and
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associated grading and appurtenant features will impact approximately 12.4 acres of
old field and 29.06 acres of successional forest area. Some of these areas will be
replaced with cultural cover types, such as mowed lawn with street trees. While the
cultural cover type will still provide usable wildlife habitat in general, the cultural
habitat type is of lower value to wildlife than the natural cover types with dense
canopy already prevalent on the Site. Overall a decrease in natural wildlife habitat
value is anticipated although the species richness of the local wildlife community
should remain constant.

Successional Old Field – After completion of the Proposed Action, the Successional
Old Field Community will not exist, since the proposed site development will take
place over all portions of this former habitat.

Stream – After construction of the Proposed Action, the stream that runs through the
Site will remain as it currently exists. There will, therefore, be no impacts to the
Stream Community.
When a site is disturbed and the native overstory layer is disturbed, normally by the
removal of trees for roads, etc. The newly open forest floor creates the opportunity for
the development of non-native, invasive shrub and forbs to be established.
Impacts to wetlands and water courses
Watercourses and Drainage - Runoff and Drainage Impacts
As described above, the Site is located at the downstream end of a drainage basin that
enters the site across Pomona Road and which flows toward the Minisceongo Creek to
the north. The sensitivity of the Samuel Fisher Mount Ivy Environmental County Park
has been a prime factor in the design of this facility to minimize impacts from runoff and
drainage
A stormwater treatment system will be provided for the building, parking lot, and
driveways to collect stormwater runoff and treat it prior to discharging to the stream. The
treatment of stormwater in the various basins as proposed will reduce the levels of any
thermal impacts to levels similar or less than that provided by the highway development
presently contributing runoff through this corridor.
Wetlands - On-Site Wetlands Disturbance
No disturbance of the wetlands is expected. A bridge at the northern reach of the
property is necessary for the site access driveway crossing, but the span is expected to
be longer than the wetlands including the structural elements to eliminate potential
disturbance.
As described above in Flora, Fauna, and Ecological Communities, the majority of the
wildlife habitat exists in the wetland and adjoining old field and forest communities. The
entire wetland habitat, will remain summarily undisturbed. As a result, the wetland will
continue to function as a part of the wetland/stream corridor, which will continue to
provide opportunities for wildlife to traverse the corridor.
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Off-Site Wetlands Impacts
The Proposed Action will not physically disturb the adjacent State wetland or any area
within the one-hundred (100)-foot adjacent area of the wetland.
In terms of potential secondary impacts, the proposed Site stormwater management
facilities are intended to create a stormwater environment that will not adversely impact
the downstream State wetland or stream habitats. The on-Site treatment of stormwater
quality and quantity will provide that the rate of flow and the quality of the stormwater
that runs through the Site will not change from that which now exists. The stormwater
flows will, however, be extended somewhat, due to the stormwater detention and
extended discharge features of the stormwater provisions. This stabilization of the flows
through this Site into down slope wetlands and habitats will thus not create any adverse
impacts to the existing environment off-Site. Removal of regulated sediment and other
stormwater contaminants are the purpose of the stormwater management facilities so
that adverse impacts downstream are not caused. Further, the construction of the
Project Site will not cause any adverse impacts on the flora and fauna contained in offSite wetlands.
Mitigation Measures
The site plan and construction aspects of the Proposed
impacts, 2) minimize impacts, and 3) mitigate impacts.
measures and design aspects to offset, reduce, or
potential impact losses and/or disturbances were taken.
be eliminated.
Action are designed to 1) avoid
All efforts to include avoidance
otherwise eliminate or lessen
However, not all impacts could
The Site design features as discussed herein will treat all on-Site developed stormwater
runoff with state of the art stormwater quantity and quality measures to filter out any
pollutants and detritus that may enter the stormwater discharge from this Site. As a
result, the proposed Site stormwater management facilities are intended to create a
stormwater environment that will not adversely impact the downstream State wetland or
stream habitats. Therefore, no additional mitigation is necessary relative to the
stormwater discharges from the Site into the adjacent State wetland or stream habitats.
Wetland/Watercourse Mitigation Plan
The portion of the site access driveway that lies within the stream and wetland will be
constructed with a minimal amount of disturbance to the wetland.
In order to
accommodate the proposed site access driveway, a new bridge over the on-Site stream
is proposed. The bridge is proposed to be precast concrete with a length sufficient to
span the wetlands in order to eliminate disturbance to the sensitive environmental areas
(the on-site stream is eight [8] feet wide) in this location. The new bridge will, therefore,
to the extent possible, minimize adverse impacts to the stream habitat and the adjoining
wetland habitat. It was determined that any alternative crossing method (such as three
[3]-sided culverts, new bridge, multiple bridges, etc.) was not feasible, as they would
have a greater impact on the wetland and wetland buffer areas. The water quality
features planned in the buffer areas will be heavily vegetated to avoid undue
environmental impact.
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The Wetland/Watercourse Mitigation Plan proposes the following to take place in the
present wetland edge habitat for restoration and habitat improvement purposes, and is
for work within the stream and wetland vicinities for the site access driveway
construction:
1.
Remove (by hand) wild rose shrubs, other invasive plants (as directed),
downed trees, brush, and other woodland debris. No tracked or wheeled
machinery will be utilized within the delineated area.
2.
Plant the following shrubs (as directed):
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa)
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)
The shrubs will be between twenty-four (24) and thirty-six (36) inches, #3
container minimum, and will be planted in groups of five (5) to seven (7) as
directed. Thirty-five (35) of each species will be planted in the areas along both
sides of the site access driveway.
3.
Seed all bare soil areas with a meadow mixture such as FACW Wetland
Meadow Mix at the Application Rate of ten [10] to twelve [12] pounds per acre –
ERNMX-122.
4.
Mulch all new planting with a three (3) inch layer of shredded wood bark,
and mulch all seeded areas with hay or straw mulch at the rate of two (2) tons
per acre.
In addition, the areas along the proposed Site construction in the adjacent stream
and wetland area will receive erosion and sediment control measures to
minimize any adverse impacts to the wetlands and the wetlands adjacent areas
(where applicable) from construction activities. All disturbed soil areas will be revegetated with suitable varieties of grasses and shrubs, according to the habitats
in which they will be planted for the protection of down slope areas. As will be
discussed later a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan will be developed. The
Erosion and Sediment Control Plan, as well as the Stormwater Pollution
Prevention Plan will be designed in accordance with the requirements of the
NYSDEC, and the USACOE.
With these mitigations, there will be no significant negative environmental
impacts to water resources.
Impacts to water supply
United Water has provided a “will serve” letter for the project which notes the ability to
provide the required increase in water consumption. Since the capacity exists for this
project, there is no impact to the water supply
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Impacts to sewerage systems
Since there is available capacity in both treatment and collection systems, there is no
significant negative impact on the sewerage system.
Impacts to traffic
Based upon the proposed improvements to the traffic network including street widening,
turning lanes, new signals, and coordinated and refined signal timings, similar levels of
service will exist under the build condition as existed in the no-build condition. Although
traffic levels will increase, the proposed improvements will mitigate the increase. With
the mitigation there are no significant negative environmental impacts associated with
this project.
Impacts to air pollution
Based upon the air pollution study completed by POTENZA Environmental Consultants,
with the mitigation provided with traffic improvements, build air quality levels will be
better than the existing air quality levels. Therefore, there are no significant negative
environmental impacts expected.
Impacts to noise levels
Based upon the Noise Impact Assessment prepared by POTENZA Environmental
Consultants, the change in existing noise levels will be a 1dBA increase at residential
receptors along local access roads during the peak site activities. Furthermore, the site
generated noise during typical ball games including the stationary equipment sources
will have little or not effect on the existing noise levels at nearby residences. Therefore
the proposed facility will not significantly affect existing noise levels.
Impacts to the visual environment
Based upon the visual analysis, the primary visual impacts will occur from field lighting
for night games. The impacts are limited to the home games, and will present a soft glow
to the surrounding area much the same as any lighted ball field in the Town. The
location of the ball field in a site sloping away from surrounding areas and the site design
which locates the field playing level some 50 feet below Pomona Road are some of the
mitigating factors which reduce the intensity of visual impacts. The current height of the
communications tower on the adjacent County Fire Training property at 190 feet
exceeds the 129 foot height of the ball field lighting stanchions.
The daytime visual impacts of the project from the significant scenic resources identified
will be imperceptible as the distances are too great to significantly impact the scenic
views.
Impacts to Fiscal Resources
The impact of the ball park on fiscal resources is largely due to the minor league ball
team franchise. The benefits to the Town can recur annually. A properly managed facility
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has many ways to contribute revenue as outlined in the fiscal resources section. The ball
park will not require dedicated police, fire, and emergency response support. The design
of the facility incorporates self regulating traffic controls; the NYS Building Code provides
for safe and efficient ingress/egress of the structure as well as for a fire safe design; the
field may require ambulance support, but the requirement to cover 50 game days of the
year is within the existing capabilities. In summary, there is a very limited service burden
created by the ball field, with the potential to cover its costs.
15. Alternatives to the proposed project
Two alternatives for this project have been identified - the no action alternative or
building the ball field as proposed. The reason for the limited number of alternatives is
that a ball field of this size is the minimum sized field necessary to attract a minor league
team. A smaller stadium would not be acceptable to the professional minor league
franchises. A larger complex would be more costly and the prospects of economic return
for the Town and the franchise would not support a larger facility.
a) No action alternative – The no action alternative would not accomplish the
Town’s objectives of providing a recreation complex and bringing a minor league
baseball team to Ramapo.
b) Ball Field alternative - This project goal of drawing a minor league baseball
team to Ramapo and providing an additional recreational asset for the town, can
not be accomplished without this ball field.
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A – Scope of Work
Final Scope of work
for Project Grandslam
APPENDIX B – Traffic Study
This complete traffic study is very large; the significant portion of the report has been
placed at the end of the appendices as a full text document with tables, charts and maps
totaling 49 pages; the supporting work sheets alone are over 800 pages and are
generally not required for EIS review.
APPENDIX C – Air Pollution Study
10550FINALRepAQ.
pdf
APPENDIX D - Noise Study
10550FINALNzRep.p
df
APPENDIX E - Archaeological Study (Phase 1B)
APPENDIX F – Hydrologic Report
Hydrologic
Report.pdf
APPENDIX G – Soil Contamination Report
Correspondence

Will Serve Letter from United Water

SHIPO Letter
Comments, Review Letters and Responses
Public Hearing Response to Comments
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Response to Air Quality Comments
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Rockland County Environmental Resources Comments
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Response to Rockland County Environmental Resource Comments
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County Drainage Agency Comments
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Response to Drainage Agency Comments:
The Town concurs with these comments
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Rockland County Department of Health Comments
Response to Rockland County Department of Health Comments
Compliance will be provided for all Health Department Comments
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Rockland County Sewer District No, 1 Review Letter
Response to Rockland County Sewer District No. 1
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All items mentioned will be fully complied with as permits are required.
Rockland County Department of Highways Review Letter
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Response to Rockland Department of Highways
MEMORANDUM
To: Rockland County Department of Highways: Attention Mr. Sonny Lin P.E.
Date: May 17, 2010
Subject: Response to your letter regarding Project Grand Slam Ball Field
Dear Mr. Lin,
Please find below responses to the items you raised in your letter of May 7, 2010.
Item 1: A dedicated through lane should be available for access of this facility at all
times. Consider adding a separate lane on Firemen’s Memorial Drive for this purpose.
Response: The plans detail Firemen’s Memorial Drive as an improved four lane road
with the intention of providing a lane in either direction for emergency access should it
be needed. Having four lanes provides the same function as a separate lane would since
no more than three lanes would be servicing the facility under ingress or egress times. If
the request is to provide an additional lane to the four provided, that request will have to
be evaluated. It is noted that the lanes provided are wide and both sides will have
shoulders in addition to the traffic lanes. If it is a hard requirement beyond what has been
proposed, perhaps a center striped lane can be provided for emergency access, but the
provision of the four lanes should be more than sufficient for emergency access.
Item 2: The traffic impact study did not address the role and operation of the fire
training center. There is also a heliport at the fire training center area. The new complex
will need to include this facility with respect to aviation safety issues and rules.
Response: The DEIS notes the presence of the Fire Training Center in many discussion
sections and as noted above, the plans were created to provide unfettered access to the
facility. The Synchro analyses demonstrates that even under peak conditions, access to
the facility will be enhanced, particularly entering with free right turns, and leaving with
coordinated signalizations. All of this was designed with the fire training needs in mind.
It is common knowledge that backups occur when classes are dismissed from the facility
and the off site improvements will significantly improve access to and from the facility.
In terms of aviation safety issues and rules, please note that the ball field was directly
designed to minimize potential impacts to the Fire Training Center. The existing
communications tower is located relatively close to the helipad and is just over 190 feet
tall. The design of the ball field places the ball field at a much lower elevation, further
away from the helipad with the height of the lighting poles for the field at approximately
125 feet. Adding in the approximate 25 foot difference in elevation, the field lighting
poles will be 100 feet lower than the close in communications tower and several hundred
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feet further removed. The Google image below demonstrates that the closest light pole
for the ball field is over 1,300 feet from the closest point of the helipad. The field is
separated by trees in the wetlands and around the streams. The open areas for the parking
facility present not only a landmark clearing for helicopters, but potentially a larger
landing site should it be needed. If there are other aviation issues and rules that we have
not addressed, please identify what needs to be assessed. Even considering flight paths
the ball field provides additional open areas from the south for approach over the parking
lots. Assuming prevailing winds out of the southwest, the approach will more normally
be from the Palisades Parkway from the northeast to the pad.
This office spoke to Gordon Wren regarding the scheduling of events. Classes are
generally from 7PM to 10PM which are consistent with the ball field games. The traffic
improvement program should be sufficient to allow entering and exiting class attendees
to access the site. When I explained to Gordon that there would be four lanes on
Firemen’s Memorial Drive, he noted that the County Highway Department had indicated
three lanes. He is comfortable with four lanes permitting adequate emergency ingress and
egress to the facility. He is having their emergency response consultant review our plans
and he will forward them to me on Monday, May 17th. He did request that the Opticon
system be provided to override the lights for their vehicles and that is included.
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Item 3: The use of “over-flow” lot for the fire training center needs to be discussed along
with associated pedestrian movement.
Response: We are not sure whether the issue is the use of the fire training facility as overflow or use of the ball field parking for fire training overflow. We are ready to discuss
either situation although there is no intent to utilize the parking at the fire training center
when ample parking has been provided on site. It is noted that the office complexes
would better provide overflow parking since the evening and weekend use of these lots is
minimal. Regardless, there are 900 paved parking spaces provided with 350 grass spaces
provided on site. The need for overflow parking, if required, could be met in a variety of
ways including using other Town owned properties and parks and existing park and ride
facilities in the area. There is no plan to use the Fire Training Facility parking for this
facility. In terms of pedestrian movements, sidewalks and crosswalks will be added to the
plans, although the intent of the plan is to provide for all parking on site which negates
the need for roadway sidewalks. However, they will be provided.
Item 4: A number of the proposed mitigation measures are based upon the anticipated
State Road projects and improvements. However there is no guarantee the proposed will
be carried out as shown. Some of the traffic signals proposed also require the State DOT
and PIP concurrence. The applicant should offer more in depth discussion concerning
this matter.
Response: The improvement program has been designed as a Synchro analysis and is
ready to discuss and demonstrate with NYS DOT and PIP after our discussion with your
office. The Town is funding these improvements and there is no reason to expect that we
would receive any less consideration than any other applicant seeking approvals. With
the noted improvements in queuing times and traffic flows, the correction of existing
impediments and the overall betterment of the traffic in general, it is difficult to
understand why approvals would not be forthcoming. There may be alterations requested
which the Town is ready to amend the design.
Item 5: There needs to have more discussion of after hour use and / or emergency
operation mode situation.
Response: We are ready to discuss this with you, but request further description of the
issues.
Item 6: The plan calls for two new actuated traffic lights to be installed northbound and
southbound at exit 12 of the PIP. The short necked ramp available between the Parkway
and Concklin Road may be insufficient to accommodate enough queuing distance for the
efficient flow of traffic. This should be analyzed in further detail.
Response: The Synchro analysis demonstrates that the peak hours can be safely and
efficiently managed with the synchronization of the lights at the PIP, Concklin Road and
NYS Route 45. We will demonstrate how the peak flows are handled with the model. We
are open to further discussion should you require it after viewing the model.
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Item 7: The entry radius form Pomona Road to Firemen’s Memorial Drive appears
sharp for the proposed use. Consider modifying the geometric alignment to smoothen up
the vehicular flow.
Response: The proposed radius meets the applicable standards as shown in the detailed
drawing of the individual improvements. This should be sufficient for the intended
traffic, but if upon review you feel that modification is required, we will accommodate.
Item 8: The proposed 350 grass paved overflow parking will be hard to be adequately
delineated. Maintenance needs to be carried out frequently to prevent accumulation of
water and tracking mud onto the county roads due to its proximity to the wetland and
county roads. The applicant should offer a discussion regarding the pathways for the
patrons walking from the overflow parking areas to the destination location.
Response: We are happy to offer this discussion. It is important to note that the architect
and site designer have been going back and forth on the exact location of the field and
parking lots. Regardless of the final location, the DEIS provides for 900 paved parking
spaces which are sufficient for a sold out event. The Town Zoning Law requires one
space for every four seats. Thirty five hundred divided by four equals 875 spaces where
900 has been provided. Separate parking areas for the players, coaches and staff have
been provided which are not included in that number. Although it would be nice to expect
a sell out for every game, it is more probable that most games would not sell out
providing a 10-25% margin. This does not take into consideration that buses will be
probably be used which again reduces the number of spaces required further. It is
expected that the buses will drop off at the gates and utilize the grass overflow parking
areas instead of providing paved bus parking.
The overflow area on the plans noted as area “D” is not intended to be the overflow area.
The overflow area was originally designed as paved parking north of parking area “B”. It
is anticipated that there will be depressed curb areas for the flow of traffic into the
grassed areas in the same alignment as the paved parking. Parking assistants will direct
the patrons to specific placements for the overflow parking. Again, this area is not
expected to be utilized under normal conditions. The alignment of all of the parking areas
will continue to change as the final drainage plans are developed.
The grassed areas are designed to support occasional use by cars and buses. If it rains
hard, there will be no game, so the water and tracking issues will be minimized. There is
also a substantial entry/exit from which stormwaters drain to the sedimentation and water
quality basins. The drainage system for the parking lots intends to use both structured and
non-structural systems to minimize runoff. The site engineers are working on the final
details of the design of the drainage facilities.
Pedestrian flow will imitate the flow of the pedestrians in the paved parking lots. Since
this is primarily an extension of the paved lot, it will be obvious that patrons will walk
down the row towards the ball field and to the closest sidewalk extension.
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Item 9: A right turn lane should be provided for westbound Pomona Road traffic before
Station Road Intersection. Emergency fire access at Pomona Road should be gated and
lock controlled.
Response: This turn lane had not been provided in response to RCHD’s request to use a
single main entrance off Firemen’s Memorial Drive. That entrance is expected to be used
for VIP and player and staff entrances as well as for truck deliveries. If it is now required,
it can be added. The potential exists to counter the design of having a single main
entrance by featuring this entrance more prominently.
Item 10: The plans submitted should outline the construction sequence, improvements,
and maintenance responsibilities.
Response: Agreed. The entry road will be built first, followed by grading and drainage
structures, foundations, building structures and parking lots. A complete phasing plan
will be provided including off site improvements once those plans have been
conceptually approved by the reviewing agencies.
Item 11: We are recommending that no parking be allowed along County Roads at the
proposed development area.
Response: Agreed.
Item 12: The applicant should address the pedestrian access, bus shelters, sidewalks and
walking path connections. Pedestrian crossing, sidewalks and push boxes with light
heads will all be required for the existing sidewalk at the intersection in compliance with
ADA requirements.
Response: Agreed. Sidewalks will be provided on the west side of Firemen’s Memorials
Drive, on the north side of Pomona Road from Route 45 around Station Road to the
American Legion property. All crossings will be ADA compliant with the primary
crossings being Route 45/Pomona Road and Pomona Road and Firemen’s Memorial
Drive.
Item 13: A drainage and soil and erosion control plan showing zero net increase in peak
rate of runoff together with water quality mitigation devices and temporary sediment
basins shall be submitted to this office for additional review and approval. The
interfacing scheme with the surrounding areas drainage system and other utility lines
should also be shown.
Response: Final soil erosion and control as well as drainage plans will be forwarded upon
completion fully compliant with zero net increase requirements and water quality
objectives
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Item 14: The proposed site is at a lower level than the street grade except the light poles
that are expected to rise above 100 feet or more from the play area base elevation. A
lighting plan will be required. Normally light intensity over 150 watts will need to be
shielded or recessed to prevent glare spilled over the street. For this case, lights are
expected to exceed 400 watts. Special lighting types to minimize glare should be
considered here.
Response: The architects are evaluating the latest improvements in lighting technology
including high efficiency lighting. The lights are directed downward and towards the
field to minimize glare. A lighting plan has been submitted for the site with the exception
of the field lights. Every effort is being made to contain the lights to the site and to
eliminate the escape of stray lighting. There are a number of nearby ball fields which
have lights which project beyond the immediate ball field area. The intent is to provide
the minimum impact necessary while meeting the minimum requirements for baseball.
The site lights are on very low poles (20 foot) which will be effectively shielded by the
surrounding landscape and topography.
Item 15: All site and road works shall comply with the NYS DOT applicable standards as
it pertains to County Roads
Response: Agreed
Item 16: The available stop and decision site distance should be provided on the
drawings together with available braking distance as needed. For the eastbound traffic
on Pomona Road ahead of the Station Road intersection before the sharp bend consider
installing warning signs or using speed reduction to prevent rear end collisions.
Response: This will be provided in the final site plans.
Item 17: A signal warrant study along with the new traffic signal plan shall be generated
at the proposed signal intersections.
Response: The signal warrant analysis has been prepared and will be discussed with the
County at the follow-on meeting.
Item 18: The majority of the events are expected to occur in the evening hours. Reflective
road signs and reflectorized pavement marking materials along the County Roads should
be used along the County Roads at the areas under consideration.
Response: Agreed.
Item 19: The proposed 60 unit Summit Carriage development at Summit Park Road
opposite Oakwood Terrace in New Hempstead should be included as one of the impacted
areas.
Response: It will be included in the traffic impact analysis.
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Item 20: The new signal timing and phasing should coordinate the flashing yellow signal
with emergency vehicle preemption and its similar matters.
Response: Agreed, see response to Item 2 above regarding inclusion of the Opticon
system.
Item 21: A temporary Traffic Signal Control Plan shall be provided and accepted by the
Town of Ramapo and RCHD.
Response: Agreed
Item 22: A maintenance and protection of traffic plan should also be provided.
Construction details for the proposed road widening and re-routing on the County Roads
needs to be indicated.
Response: Agreed
Item 23: Traffic Signal Design will require approval from the Town of Ramapo along
with specifying Maintenance Responsibilities. Cumulative impact of the signals using
Synchro or similar types of programs to optimize the signalized intersections should take
into proper consideration of the different stages of the surrounding improvement
conditions.
Response: The Town provides maintenance for all signals. The Synchro model presented
covers optimization of the signals for your review.
Item 24: For signal poles, manufacturer’s shop drawings and calculations must be
submitted to the Town and RCHD for review and approval.
Response: Agreed
Item 25: A Rockland County Work Permit will be required for the proposed construction
and must be secured prior to the start of any construction or excavation on site.
Response: Agreed
Item 26: Separate additional Rockland County Highway Department Road Opening
Permits will be required for the improvements and/or upgrades which involved
disruption of the paved surface within any county road. Please add this on the Approval,
Reviews and Permits section on the DEIS Description and on the drawings
Response: Agreed
Rockland County Department of Planning Review Letter
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Response to Rockland County Department of Planning Comments:
This is the response to comments made by the Rockland County Department of Planning
in their letter of May 19th, 2010.
The first comment requested changing the list of interested and involved parties in the
FEIS. The FEIS will reflect this request including:
1. Involved Agencies:
a. United States Army Corp of Engineers
b. United States Environmental Protection Agency
c. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
d. New York State Department of Transportation
e. Rockland County Sewer District No.1
f. Rockland County Department of Health
g. Rockland County Highway Department
2. Interested Agencies:
a. Rockland County Department of Planning
b. Rockland County Division of Environmental Resources
c. Rockland County Office of Fire and Emergency Services
d. Rockland County Drainage Agency
e. Palisades Interstate Park Commission
f. Village of New Hempstead
The second comment referenced all of the involved and interested agency review letters
requesting that each of the comments be addressed. This has been completed and each of
the review letters has a corresponding individual response in the correspondence section
of the FEIS. All comments have been satisfactorily addressed in these individual
response letters.
The following address the Rockland County Department of Planning individual
comments:
Comment: A discrepancy was cited between “approximately 500 feet of vegetation
between the proposed stadium… with another section noting 400 feet from the boundary.
The Department’s letter cites 370 feet to the rear property line. This must be corrected.
Response: The text use the term “Approximately” 500 feet of vegetation includes the 35
foot setback on the ball field where vegetation will remain and the 100 feet beyond the
residential property line measured off current aerials to the closest residence, not the
property line – with most residences being further away. If the comment is addressing the
difference between 370 feet to 400 feet to the property line, that text will be modified.
Comment: The map on page 16 should include the zoning classifications for New
Hempstead
Response: Map will be modified for FEIS
95
Rockland County Fire and Emergency Services Review Letter
This is the response to the comments received from the office of Fire an Emergency
Services review letter of May 17th, 2010. Each issue has been responded to in direct
response to the issue raised.
Comment: Will Opticon be provided for those (emergency) vehicles to get through
traffic lights?
Response: Opticon will be provided as the new traffic signals are brought on line.
Comment: Will emergency personnel be able to get to the fire training facility without
red lights while in their private vehicles?
Response: The private vehicles will benefit from the number of traffic related
improvements which are designed to facilitate access as the project becomes operational.
The particular details of the emergency plan will be worked out with the Fire Training
Center and Town personnel, but the availability of additional lanes, signalization
coordination and free right turn movements will provide enhanced access to and from the
site. The emergency plan can be utilized to stop all non-emergency movements to
facilitate the arrival or departure of emergency response workers,
Comment: Parking and Access concerns were evaluated by KLD Engineering, P.C.
Response: A separate response was prepared for KLD Engineering P.C. comments
regarding the numbers of patrons and access issues.
Comment: Helicopter review – no issues
Response: No response required
Comment: Danger during construction
Response: Agreed; Contractors will be advised of the serious impacts for any disruption
and perhaps contingency plans should be addressed. The possibility of providing a
backup power supply or a second feed should be investigated. This is surprising for an
emergency management facility and should be addressed separately by the Office of Fire
and Emergency Services
Comment: Presence of High Pressure Gas Main
Response: Location noted; this will be highlighted on construction plans
Comment: Operational Concerns – Training Prop to replace live burns
Response: The Town will consider assisting in obtaining the training prop, although this
appears to be a significant means of lowering the Fire Training Facility’s environmental
impact regardless of the ball field.
Comment: The officers of the Hillcrest Fire Department and the Spring Hill Ambulance
Corporation should be consulted regarding emergency access during events, fire hydrant
locations, sprinkler systems and other fire protection EMS and safety issues.
Response: The Town would be happy to review plans with Hillcrest and Spring Hill
units.
96
Response to KLD consulting comments for RCF&E Services
Comment Letter from Mel Cook
May 12, 2010
Michael L. Klein, Esq.
Ramapo Town Attorney
Town of Ramapo
237 Rt 59
Suffern, NY 10901
Dear Mr. Klein:
Relevant to the proposed Ramapo baseball stadium is a March 2010 audit report by
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on a sports stadium built with a $19
million state grant in the City of Rochester. In it is the comment that various (state
and local) agencies "did not conduct due diligence activities to ensure that a
proposed investment of public funds would provide taxpayers with measurable
economic benefit."
The stadium (was Rhinos Stadium, now Marina Auto Stadium) was built in 2006 and
funded by New York State, the City of Rochester and the Rhinos, a soccer team. In
2007, the team defaulted on its loan payments to the bank. This resulted in default
under the lease agreement with the City and the Owners' loss of the team
franchise. The City took possession of the stadium in March 2008.. (During this same
period, two other sport team tenants of the stadium went bankrupt.) A new team
named the Rochester Rhinos is now using the stadium.
The situation is a financial disaster for the city and state. Also included in the state
audit report was the statement, "taxpayers may never see a return on their $19M
investment… and the likely conclusion that a cost-benefit analysis or any other
activities would have reached - had they been performed." Apparently no one
bothered to do the math or did the math and ignored the results.
Failure by the Ramapo Administration to exercise due diligence for a project
involving $25 million in taxpayer money may be a violation of the law.
I plan to bring the issue to the attention of various officials at the federal and state
level, including the New York State Comptroller and Attorney General as well as any
other government (ie. HUD) or private agency that may be asked to provide financial
support.
It is important that they be aware that essential due diligence has not been exercised
and there exists legitimate questions as to payback and economic benefits to
taxpayers.
Respectfully,
Mel Cook (scanned signature)
97
Response to Mel Cook
Response to issue’s raised in Mel Cook letter:
Comment 1: Mr. Cook’s letter of May 12, 2010 notes a 2010 audit report on a stadium
built in Rochester with a $19M state grant which did not “conduct due diligence to insure
that there would be measurable economic benefit noting that “The situation is a financial
disaster for the City and State.”
Response: Comments are noted. While it is not possible to provide a side by side
comparison of these stadia or the economic conditions of both cities, it is noted that the
adopted DEIS scope did not include the potential economic impacts, only the
environmental impacts. Economic impacts were limited to the impact to town services. A
separate economic study is underway to establish the economic viability of the project. It
should be noted that the environmental review is independent from the results of the
feasibility study.
Comment Letter from Julie H.Banach
Response to issue’s raised in Julie Banach letter:
Comment 1: Most people supporting the ball field live far from it.
Response: Comment is acknowledged, but several people living less than a mile from the
facility spoke in favor or the ball park at the May 6th Public Hearing
Comment 2: Try using Levy Park where a ball field already exists for the Can Am
League
Response: The proposed ball field is a multi-use facility designed around the needs of the
Town and the proposed team’s requirements. It provides a wealth of additional amenities
not available at Levy Park. A quick review of the space available surrounding the main
ball filed reveals that the adjoining field is located too close to permit construction of the
ball field without eliminating the second field as well. In addition, the visual impacts to
the Palisades Parkway would be significant since it is approximately 250 feet from the
parkway and is at a much higher elevation than the proposed ball park. (See aerial photo
below)
98
Comment 3: Need to build sidewalks up Pomona Road to the facility
Response: Sidewalks are part of the plan along Pomona Road, Station Road and
Firemen’s Memorial Drive. Please review the revised site plan for pedestrian sidewalks.
Comment 4: No parking signs should be placed on Carole Lane, Lori Court and David
Drive:
Response: If parking on local streets becomes a problem, no parking areas can be added
in the future on these streets. With ample space provided for parking on site, and with
potential combined ticketing for parking and admission, it is hoped that patrons will park
on site instead of on local streets.
Comment 5: Elevated Noise Levels from fireworks
Response: There is no mitigation to fireworks other than limiting the scheduled number
of firework events and their duration. Certainly fireworks on holidays such as Memorial
Day, July 4th and Labor Day are generally acceptable and recently even college
graduations have begun featuring fireworks. Despite the statement of the commenter that
“There is no reason for fireworks” there are generally accepted times for fireworks. The
DEIS states that fireworks will be limited to eight (8) occasions. Facilities including the
99
Renegades Baseball (Dutchess Stadium) facility in Fishkill, New York use fireworks over
the season as an added draw to the games without complaint.
Comment 6: The commenter noted that “this piece of property was supposed to be
parkland and open space for Town residents.”
Response: It is noted that the ball park is a “park” and will include about one third of the
property as open space.
Comment 7: The commenter noted that another excellent site for the ball park would be
adjacent to the Joseph P. St. Lawrence Recreation Center. The commenter added that the
land is already “blighted and it is near Route 17 and Interstate 287 – no traffic difficulties
and no homes nearby.
Responses: There is insufficient land available for the ball field at that location.
:
100
Comments and Responses to KLD Engineering Letter Dated May 17, 2010
1.
Comment – The average vehicle occupancy of 3.0 seems plausible, particularly
given the citation of a comparable facility in Yonkers NY. Still given the importance
of this number, it would be good to have data from such a comparable site.
Response – The Traffic Study completed for the proposed Ball Field was based on
an average occupancy of 3.0 and referenced the Traffic Study prepared for a similar
facility in Yonkers, New York. Use of an average vehicle occupancy of 3.0 is also
based on references to the Institute of Transportation Engineers and other similar
sources.
2.
Comment – The numbers used in the Study are sometimes internally inconsistent.
For instance
•
The first paragraphs of the Executive Summary indicate that the plans
provide parking for 900 cars. 25 more than needed by zoning, and notes that
another 350 vehicles can be accommodated on the grass (1,250 total parking
spaces). But the rendering of the site in Figure 31 shows some 1,300 parking
spaces, all in marked locations (see attached).
•
The arrival traffic is based upon 5,000 attendees, with an average occupancy
of 3.0, which leads to 1,667 vehicles, as used in the Report for arrivals. But
this significantly exceeds any of the parking numbers just cited.
•
The departing traffic is based upon 1,200 vehicles, not 1,667 vehicles. While
one can argue that the exiting flows are spread over more than one hour, that
is not likely to happen unless congestion leads to that result.
Response – The Ball Park will provide for 900 paved parking spaces and an
additional 350 unpaved parking spaces. To be consistent, the Traffic Study is based
on 5,000 attendees, with an average vehicle occupancy of 3.0. This was the basis for
use of 1,667 vehicles arriving to an event. This number does exceed the number
available parking spaces; however, was based on a very conservative approach to
future events at the Ball Park, with 5,000 attendees.
The traffic analysis for exiting the facility is based on 1,200 vehicles and not the
1,667 vehicles. The 1,200 vehicle departing analysis is based on the 1,200 parking
spaces and is only for analytical purposes. It is very likely that the Ball Park will be
fully occupied will 5,000 people. Furthermore, with any event, and especially a
baseball game, many patrons leave before the end of the game. Therefore, the
exiting traffic would unlikely be 1,667 vehicles during a one hour period.
3.
Comment – Some traffic elements are not cited – players for two teams, media,
coaching, event staff, and suppliers. While these may not affect traffic volume in the
periods analyzed, they do affect availability of parking.
Response – Traffic related to baseball players, media, coaching, events staff, and
suppliers are not included in the peak hour condition of the analysis since it is
assumed that this activity will occur hours before the beginning of the game and
likely an hour or two at a minimum after a game ends. Separate parking will be
provided for players, coaching and staff.
4.
Comment – The aspect of the Study that deserves the most attention in the review and
comment period is the set of assumptions that (a) 1,200 departing vehicles are the
relevant number, not 1,667, (b) 80% of the departing vehicles travel south on
Fireman’s Memorial Drive and all of them turn left at the intersection with Pomona
road, (c) 20% of the departing vehicles travel south on Station Road and all of them
turn right at the intersection with Pomona Road.
This set of assumptions is the foundation for the level of service (LOS) and delay
analyses, and for the mitigation plan. LOS is discussed on pages 14 through 16 of
the final report for the study; LOS is designated “A” through “F” and is dependent
on the delay time per vehicle at the intersection. The Study includes an assessment
that levels of service with mitigation are comparable to the future no build. But
•
If one looks at the relative parking lot sizes in Figure 31 (attached for
reference), in proximity to the two exits, it is much more plausible the traffic
will exit 50% on Fireman’s Memorial Drive and 50% on Station Road (or
even the exit from the centermost lot be opened, creating a 3rd intersection for
flow control purposes).
•
There being no stated basis for the traffic pre-sorting itself into lots based
upon arrivals, it is more plausible that the traffic at each exit point will turn
left 80% and right 20% when it arrives at Pomona Road.
•
The idea that traffic uses the internal circulation within the lots to achieve the
assumed 80-20 relative loads and 100% left at one place and 100% right at
the other does not seem plausible, given the layout of the parking areas and
the circuitous path for 80% of the traffic to reach Fireman’s Memorial Drive.
Response – The assignment of site traffic for the arrival or departure of any game or
event is based on an anticipated parking management plan, the location of parking
spaces and access points. Based on discussions with the County Department of
Public Works, it was determined that a majority of the baseball game traffic should
use Fireman’s Memorial Drive. Therefore, the analysis and the assumed parking
2
management plan were based on this requirement. Internal traffic control and
internal connections between the two access drives will permit patrons to split within
the parking areas to travel to the appropriate exit point. The assumption that traffic
will be split evenly between the two driveways is not appropriate for the assumed
parking management plan and the direction of site traffic, as based on discussions
with the Rockland County Department of Public Works. Furthermore, a traffic
management plan can be in place at the end of any event to direct traffic at these
intersections.
5.
Comment – If one adopts the 50% allocation to the two exits and the 80%-20% leftright turning percentages at each, while maintaining the 1,200 vph added traffic,
then:
•
The level of service at the intersection of Fireman’s Memorial Drive &
Pomona Road reaches LOS E and the volume-to-capacity (v/c) ratio reaches
1.1. The v/c ratio of 1.1 indicates that the demand is 110% of the capacity;
queuing and congestion will be significant, the average delay for a vehicle at
the intersection will be between 55 and 80 seconds. Some movements reach
LOS F.
•
The traffic load on Pomona Road between the two site exits becomes
significant, and may require further mitigation, such as additional lanes.
•
The queues on the southbound and eastbound legs of the Fireman’s Memorial
Drive & Pomona Road intersection will be extensive, and need modification
to the mitigation.
•
Background traffic will be affected by the above conditions, including
emergency responders to the Fire Training Center, which is also the
Emergency Operations Center cited in Item 12.
Response – To respond to these comments a separate analysis was completed based
on the suggested assumptions. The results of this analysis indicate that the
intersections will continue to operate at acceptable Levels of Service, no gridlock
and adequate vehicle storage. It also included a microscopic analysis to support
these conclusions. Table 9-III provides the results of this analysis.
6.
Comment – Should the departing flow be considered at 1,667 vph as added traffic
and Item #5 repeating, LOS F will be experienced, the v/c will reach 1.22 (demand is
122% of capacity, delay exceeds 80 seconds per vehicle), and queuing will be more
extensive. The queuing and congestion will adversely impact both those leaving the
ballpark and the background traffic, including emergency responders to/from the
Fire Training Center.
3
Response – It is unlikely that at the end of any event there will be 1,667 vehicles
exiting the site. Furthermore, this analysis was based on 5,000 attendees for arrivals
for a baseball field that will typically accommodate 3,500 people and an overflow of
an additional 1,500 people, if necessary. Most baseball games will not reach
capacity of 5,000 people and will be in the range of 3,500 people. Analyzing 1,667
vehicles leaving the site will only result in an over-design and extensive additional
mitigation, that may only be used a few times a year, if at all.
7.
Comment – Given the potential for problems raised in Items 4-6, one of two actions
is needed: (a) a very detailed explanation of why the set of assumptions in the Study
are suitable [e.g. Item #4], or (b) a re-evaluation with different assumptions [e.g.
Items #5-6].
Response – The analysis indicates that the mitigation plan will accommodate this
traffic pattern and maintain acceptable Levels of Service. Fireman’s Memorial Drive
has been designed to accommodate four lanes of traffic, plus shoulders. This design
will accommodate overflow or additional needs of the fire center activities, which
may or may not occur at the same time as the arrival to a baseball game or other
events. Furthermore, it is important to note that there will be at most 50 baseball
games a year at this location. Therefore, on many days and evenings the facility will
not be in operation or in full operation if an event is to occur.
8.
Comment – The Study indicates that reasonable levels of service can be achieved
with the recommended mitigation. But comparable facilities for the Long Island
Ducks and the Brooklyn Cyclones involve active police control – particularly of the
departing flows – and reversal of some lanes, to provide enough capacity for the
departing flows.
Response – The mitigation plan has been developed to accommodate the arrival of
5,000 patrons to a game or event. The exiting analysis is based on 3,500 people
leaving during a one-hour period. The traffic signals will be designed to
accommodate over-riding mechanism for police to control traffic, as necessary. The
reversal of certain travel lanes the Fireman’s Memorial Drive is possible, if the Town
and County determine this will be needed for a special permit.
9.
Comment – The Study indicates that semi-actuated signals will suffice at the two
exits. But the eastbound flows probably need detectors for actuation, and so do the
southbound lefts – particularly for the departing traffic (unless pre-empted by police
control).
Response – The final design of the traffic signals will be determined by Rockland
County Department of Public Works. These signals can be fully actuated, if needed.
4
10.
Comment – The issue of collecting parking fees (if any) has not been addressed, nor
has the need to locate these facilities so that queues do not back onto the public
roads. Operational experience is that such queuing will occur, even without the
collection of fees.
Response – The mechanism to collect parking fees will be provided by part of the
parking management plan and by the operator.
11.
Comment – The Fire Training Center has 8 classrooms and a large auditorium
(capacity of 350 persons) and hosts many classes in the evening hours and on
weekends at approximately the same time that events would be occurring at the
proposed stadium. The level of this activity may not be fully reflected in the
background traffic.
Response – The traffic analysis is based on the highest traffic volumes for the Study
Area and reflects the peak hour commuter time periods of these roadways. Site
traffic has been added to these conditions, although the peaking characteristics of an
event at the ball park may not occur at the same time as the commuter peak hour
volumes. Therefore, the traffic volumes and the analyses are to be considered very
conservative and would account for fire training center activities that occur in the
evenings. The actual analysis, for example, 7:00 to 8:00 P.M. in the evening, would
result in lower traffic volumes than those used in the analysis. Therefore, the traffic
analysis actually does account for other activities that may occur at the Fire Training
Center.
12.
Comment – The functions of the fire Training Center need attention in the DEIS:
•
Portions of Rockland County are located within the 10-mile Emergency
Planning Zone (EPZ) for the Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) located in
Buchanan, NY. In the event of an incident at the IPEC that may result in
evacuation of the EPZ population, the Fire Training Center would serve as
the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) for the coordination of Rockland
County’s emergency response. As such, it is critical that emergency workers
and emergency responders can arrive at the Fire Training Center in an
expedient manner.
•
The Fire Training Center serves as the headquarters for the Helicopter
Emergency Lift Program (H.E.L.P.), the Hazardous Materials Response
Team and the Technical Rescue Team; all members of these teams need to
arrive at the Fire Training Center in an expedient manner.
Response – The Fire Training Center is an important part of planning for
emergencies in Rockland County or beyond the County limits; however, traffic
5
analysis specifically includes the redevelopment of Fireman’s Memorial Drive from
two lanes to four lanes, specifically for this purpose. Furthermore, emergency
vehicles will have access to a wider roadway and access through the ball park
parking areas and another access point to Station Road and Pomona Road. Today
the Fire Training Station only has access to Fireman’s Memorial Drive to Pomona
Road. If necessary, the new traffic signals and the traffic signals along New York
State Route 45 and Pomona Road can have a pre-emption mechanism installed to
accommodate emergency needs.
An agreement between the Town and County will address emergency traffic and
accommodate the needs of the Fire Training Center in case of emergency. It would
include possible closing of the driveways to and from the ball park and to permit
emergency vehicles to use Fireman’s Memorial Drive. Appropriate signing will be
installed on Fireman’s Memorial Drive to direct motorists to the ball field parking
lanes and the Fire Training Center.
Consideration to provide a special exit from the Palisades Interstate Parkway
southbound exit ramp to the northerly section of Fireman’s Memorial Drive can be
discussed with the New York State Department of Transportation and the Palisades
Interstate Parkway authorities at the appropriate time. However, it is unlikely that
this type of connection will be permitted.
q:\777.003 ramapo ballpark\comments and responses\ram10-000.mag.doc:ev:td
6
Notes:






2011 BUILD CONDITIONS WITH RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS
Saturday Midday
STORAGE/
Queue
LINK
PHYSICAL
CONTROL
Length
LOS/
V/C
LENGTH
UNITS
TYPE
(Feet)
Delay
Ratio
0.98
D/54.7
EB LT
1,050
Traffic Signal
285
13
0.15
A/1.5
R
285
7
0.01
A/3.6
WB LTR
100
61
0.36
D/46.4
NB L
200
307
0.66
D/54.4
TR
720
18
0.07
C/33.3
SB L
75
322
0.89
E/77.6
T
755
0
0.07
A/0.1
R
755
--D/48.4
Overall
-2
0.00
A/9.0
EB L
Traffic Signal
120
368
0.89
C/31.3
T
1,315
72
0.23
B/12.9
WB T
285
0
0.01
A/0.0
R
285
315
0.79
D/39.8
SB L
850
23
0.19
A/3.1
R
850
--C/29.7
Overall
-2
0.00
B/13.0
EB L
Traffic Signal
150
62
0.24
B/14.2
T
500
144
0.47
C/20.2
WB TR
1,315
0.74
B/18.9
SB LR
200
471
-------B/18.6
Overall
--
PROJECT IMPACTS
Saturday Midday
Project
Delay
Change
(Seconds)
in LOS
17.4
No
-8.0
No
-14.6
B–A
42.6
A–D
48.9
A–D
30.1
A–C
72.1
A–E
-0.9
No
39.2
A–D
9.0
No
------29.2
B–D
-7.5
B–A
--13.0
A–B
----9.3
A–B
-----
Synchro 6.0 is used for capacity analysis.
Level of Service determining parameter is called the service measure.
For Signalized Intersections: Level of Service/Average Total delay per vehicle (seconds/vehicle).
For Unsignalized Intersections: Level of Service/Average Control delay per vehicle (seconds/vehicle).
TWSC = Two-Way STOP Control.
ITE publication for Traffic Access and impact studies for site development "A Recommended Practice" indicated that overall Level of Service ratings of A to D are normally considered acceptable for signalized
intersections (Level C or better are considered desirable). Levels of Service E and F are normally undesirable.
Pomona Road at Station
Road East
Pomona Road at Fireman’s
Memorial Drive
INTERSECTION
NYS Route 45 at Pomona
Road
2011 NO-BUILD CONDITIONS WITH ANTICIPATED IMPROVEMENTS
Saturday Midday
STORAGE/
Queue
LINK
PHYSICAL
CONTROL
Length
LOS/
V/C
LENGTH
UNITS
TYPE
(Feet)
Delay
Ratio
89
0.51
D/37.3
EB LT
Traffic
285
27
0.19
A/9.5
R
Signal
125
16
0.05
B/18.2
WB LTR
100
15
0.06
A/3.8
NB L
200
95
0.17
A/5.5
TR
720
4
0.01
A/3.2
SB L
75
79
0.20
A/5.5
T
755
12
0.11
A/1.0
R
150
--A/9.2
Overall
-0
0.00
A/0.0
EB L
TWSC
1,315
---------------5
0.06
B/10.6
SB L
850
5
0.06
B/10.6
R
850
-----0
0.00
A/0.0
EB L
TWSC
500
----------0
0.00
A/9.6
SB L
200
0
0.00
A/9.6
R
200
------
Table 9-DII
Scenario 2 Departures
2011 FUTURE CONDITIONS WITH RECOMMENDED IMPROVEMENTS – MEASURE OF EFFECTIVENESS (MOE) AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT – SATURDAY PEAK HOURS
Project Grand Slam
Ramapo, New York
SB = Southbound
R = Right Turn
Q:\777.003 Ramapo Ballpark\Word Files\Scenario 2\mlb10-009DII.stc - Scenario 2.doc
Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc.
EB = Eastbound
T = Through
WB = Westbound
Physical Units consist of the following:
1. Lane Group and Intersection Overall for Traffic Signal Controlled Intersections; and
2. Movement for TWSC Intersections.
2
V/C ratio indicates the amount of congestion for each Lane Group or Movement. Any V/C ratio greater than or equal to one indicates that the Lane Group or Movement is operating at above capacity.
Synchro 6 Macroscopic model is used for storage/queue analysis.
The Queue Length rows show the 95th percentile maximum queue length in feet.
The Queue Length is for each lane. The total queue length is divided by the number of lanes and the lane utilization factor.
The 95th percentile queue is the maximum back of the queue with the 95th percentile traffic volumes.
Bolded 95th percentile queue exceeds the storage available.
NB = Northbound
L = Left Turn







Cont’d Table 9-DII

Final EIS for Project Grand Slam Ball Field 1

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