Proposed Reconstruction and Expansion of Jamaica Bus Depot Draft EIS

Draft Environmental Impact Statement

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority/New York City Transit (MTA NYCT) has completed a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), Article 8 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law, and will be holding a Public Hearing on the proposed Reconstruction and Expansion of the Jamaica Bus Depot (JBD). The Proposed Action is located at 165-18 Tuskegee Airmen Way in Jamaica, Queens, New York 11433.

Description of Alternatives

The Proposed Action considered fifteen (15) design concepts which were originally identified in the Draft Scoping Document issued to the public in May 2016.  The design concepts considered the potential bus flow and circulation configurations (e.g., bus wash, maintenance and fueling) and resulted in identifying seven (7) Potential Alternatives that met the future requirements for depot maintenance, operations and bus storage capacity. These Potential Alternatives were further evaluated in the Final Scoping Document issued in March 2019 and narrowed down to three (3) Candidate Alternatives.  These Candidate Alternatives are further evaluated in the DEIS. 

The distinguishing aspects among the three (3) Candidate Alternatives are as follows:

• CANDIDATE ALTERNATIVE A is referenced in the DEIS as PRINCIPALLY OPEN PARKING (all bus parking would be outdoors on the roof and in an unenclosed paved area);
• CANDIDATE ALTERNATIVE B is referenced in the DEIS as PARTIALLY OPEN PARKING (some bus parking would be outdoors on the roof, with the remainder of the bus parking indoors within an enclosed and climate-controlled area of the depot); and,
• CANDIDATE ALTERNATIVE D is referenced in the DEIS as PRINCIPALLY ENCLOSED PARKING (all bus parking would be indoors within an enclosed and climate-controlled area of the depot facility).

The three (3) Candidate Alternatives allow for a reasonable range of proposed alternatives to be considered for comparative engineering, economic, and environmental evaluation in the DEIS. Specifically, a range of bus storage capacity, capital and annual operational energy costs, and potential environmental effects are preliminarily represented by the extent of indoor/outdoor bus parking among the Candidate Alternatives.

A Public Hearing will be held to allow the public to comment on the DEIS.

Date, Time and Place of the Hearing

Thursday, June 27, 2019
Hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. (Registration is from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning
161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432

Directions

By Subway: E or J/Z  subway line to Jamaica Center-Parson Blvd./Archer Avenue.  Walk ½ block North to Jamaica Avenue and one block east on Jamaica Avenue.
F subway line to Parson Blvd: On Hillside Avenue, walk approximately three blocks south on Parsons Blvd. to Jamaica Avenue, then turn left on Jamaica Avenue.  The Arts Center is one block to the East of Parsons Blvd. & Jamaica Avenue.

By Bus: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q8, Q9, Q20A, Q20B, Q24, Q25, Q30 Q31, Q34, Q36, Q41, Q42, Q44SBS, Q54, Q56, Q65, Q76, Q77, Q83, Q84, Q85, Q110, Q111, Q112, Q113, Q114, N4, N4X, N6, N22, N24.

Use TripPlanner+ at www.mta.info for specific directions.

Repository locations:

• Queens Community Board 12 - 9028 161st Street, Jamaica, NY 11432
• Queens Central Library - 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11432
• South Jamaica Library - 10841 Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11433

For More Information, to Pre-Register to Speak, or to Submit Comments

Those wishing to be heard must register in advance either via telephone by calling 646-252-6777, on the MTA website, or in person at the hearing.  Verbal presentations will be limited to three (3) minutes.  You may present verbal testimony or submit written statements in lieu of, or to supplement, oral testimony concerning the Proposed Reconstruction and Expansion of the Jamaica Bus Depot.  Submit online comments here.  Comments may also be submitted via postal mail to:

All written and online comments must be received by 5:00 PM, Friday, July 19, 2019. Comments received after this date and time will not be considered.

Accessibility and Interpreter Services

This hearing has been scheduled at a location that is accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Interpreter and American Sign Language services will be available upon request in advance of registration no later than June 14, 2019, by calling the Public Hearing Hotline at 646-252-6777. Representatives are available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Customers who are hard of hearing or have speech disabilities should dial 711 for relay services and then ask to be connected to the Public Hearing Hotline to communicate with an agent to request a sign language interpreter.