18 - Unavoidable Adverse ImpactsDEIS 18-1 9/12/2018
Chapter 18: Unavoidable Adverse Impacts
As required by the adopted Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Scoping Outline (see Appendix A-1), this Chapter “identif[ies] those adverse environmental impacts that cannot be avoided or adequately mitigated if the Proposed Action is implemented.”
18.1. CONSTRUCTION PERIOD NOISE IMPACTS
As described more thoroughly in Chapter 16, “Construction,” construction of the Proposed Project would be expected to result in elevated noise levels at nearby receptors and noise due to construction would at times be noticeable and highly objectionable. However, at receptors other than those directly adjacent to the Project Site, noise from construction would be intermittent and of limited duration, and estimated construction noise levels would not exceed New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) noise screening thresholds. Consequently, noise associated with the construction of the Proposed Project would not rise to the level of a significant adverse noise impact at receptors not directly adjacent to the Proposed Project in the Applicant’s opinion.
At receptors immediately adjacent to the Project Site, construction of the Proposed Project would result in large noise level increases and high noise levels during the most noise-intensive construction activities at the adjacent work areas. These noise levels would have the potential to
occur for approximately 21 months. Therefore, in the Applicant’s opinion, construction noise at these receptors would rise to the level of significant, but temporary, adverse impact.
These temporary noise impacts would only occur during the daytime hours, Monday through
Saturday, as allowed by the Village of Rye Brook (the “Village”) Noise Code. It is expected that construction would not regularly occur during evening and overnight hours or on Sundays, leaving the surrounding receptors unaffected by noise associated with construction of the Proposed Project at these times during which residences are most sensitive to noise. Finally, as noted in Chapter 17, “Alternatives,” the nature and magnitude of this temporary impact would be similar in all studied alternatives to the Proposed Project, save the No Action alternative.
In order to minimize these temporary adverse impacts, the following noise control measures would be implemented during the construction of the Proposed Project and have the potential to reduce potential noise effects on the surrounding receptors. These measures would include a variety of source and path controls. Implementation of all the noise reduction measures would result in approximately 7 to 10 A-weighted decibel (dBA) noise level reduction at construction
noise receptors.
In terms of source controls (i.e., reducing noise levels at the source or during the most sensitive time periods), the following measures would be implemented:
• As early in the construction period as logistics would allow (likely by the start of the superstructure phase of construction pending service provisions from Con Edison), diesel- or
gas-powered equipment would be replaced with electrical-powered equipment such as
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welders, water pumps, bench saws, and table saws (i.e., early electrification) to the extent feasible and practicable;
• Where feasible and practicable, the construction site would be configured to minimize back-up alarm noise. In addition, all trucks would not be allowed to idle more than 3 minutes at
the construction site; and
• Contractors and subcontractors would be required to properly maintain their equipment and
mufflers.
In terms of path controls (e.g., placement of equipment, implementation of barriers or enclosures between equipment and sensitive receptors), the following measures for construction would be
implemented to the extent feasible and practicable:
• Where logistics allow, noisy equipment, such as cranes, concrete pumps, concrete trucks, and delivery trucks, would be located away from and shielded from sensitive receptor locations; and
• Noise barriers constructed from plywood or other materials surrounding the construction site
would be utilized to provide shielding. The barriers would be at least 12 feet tall. Where logistics allow, truck deliveries would take place behind these barriers.
The feasibility and potential effectiveness of these measures will be evaluated to determine whether noise levels at surrounding receptors resulting from construction of the Proposed Project could be substantially reduced.
18.2. CONSTRUCTION WORKER PEAK ARRIVAL HOUR
The Blind Brook Middle School and Blind Brook High School have a start time of 7:45 AM and a dismissal time of 2:40 PM. Dismissal occurs prior to the typical end of the construction day. As such, the afternoon peak construction hour would occur after the peak school dismissal traffic hour. With respect to the morning, the peak school arrival time is assumed to be between 7:00 AM and 7:45 AM. As stated above, the Village’s Noise Code (Chapter 154) restricts construction noise audible beyond the property line until after 8:00 AM. The Applicant notes that 8:00 AM is not typical of construction start times in the region and is out of sync with the larger construction industry’s typical schedule. In general, construction workers arrive on-Site prior to the beginning of the regional commuter rush, which typically begins in earnest around 7:00 AM. In typical scenarios, therefore, construction worker trips generally peak between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM and therefore occur outside of the morning peak hour and do not coincide with school start times.
Strict adherence to the Village’s existing noise code could create the situation where, during times of predominantly exterior construction that is not allowed to start prior to 8:00 AM, construction workers would be arriving at the Project Site at the same time as the peak school
arrival time. As a potential mitigation measure, the Applicant proposes that the Village allow for a waiver of the 8:00 AM start time by no more than 1 hour (i.e., allow a start time of 7:00 AM) in cases where the Village Board finds that such a waiver could reduce potential traffic impacts
at sensitive locations within the Village, such as the Project Site.