ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
* A new meeting facility beneath West Executive Avenue would relieve some impacts on historic resources by offering alternative locations for meetings. Development would be adjacent to two national historic landmarks-the Old Executive Office Building and Lafayette Square. Any potential impacts would need to be mitigated through sensitive design.
* Cultural resource impacts related to onsite traffic, including motorcades and security vehicles, would be minimal, consisting of airborne pollutants and visual intrusions on the historic landscape. As described for the proposed plan and alternative 1, garage air and filtering systems in underground parking facilities would lessen the potential for some air pollution and airborne damage to stone and metallic resources.
* The placement of security equipment could continue to have effects on historic fabric within the White House and the cultural landscape. Mitigations for effects would be developed through a continuing dialogue between the National Park Service and the U.S. Secret Service.
Conclusion
Impacts on Fine and Decorative Arts
valuable pieces of the museum collection would be further protected from damage or loss. This facility would also allow some pieces to be kept onsite, reducing the potential for damage during shipment.
Natural Resources
Geotechnical Considerations: Subsoils and Groundwater
Impacts on Water Resources
Impacts on Vegetation and Soils
Analysis
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
Conclusion
Home and Office of the President
Impacts on Executive Residence Operations
Analysis
Impacts of Alternative 2: Home and Office of the President
working spaces, would help make operations more efficient and eliminate safety hazards.
Conclusion
Impacts on Executive Office Support Services
Analysis
surface, as needed, in addition to underground operations. Adequate space would be available for vehicles and drivers waiting for diplomats and other official visitors.
Impacts of Alternative 2: Visitor Experience
visitors as they enter President's Park would reduce the time
spent by personnel at the gatehouses answering questions.
Conclusion
Impacts on the News Media
Analysis
* Remodel the existing space on both levels of the west colonnade. This option would not solve problems related to insufficient space as described under the no-action alternative. Very crowded conditions for work spaces and equipment storage would remain, resulting in continued safety concerns and a greater possibility of equipment being damaged. It would be difficult to provide infrastructure to support state-of-the-art equipment by remodeling existing spaces,
or * Remodel the first floor of the west colonnade and construct a new facility under West Wing Drive. This option would add 9,700 square feet of space, eliminating current crowded work and storage functions and providing up-to-date infrastructure. A continued presence in the west colonnade would support the desire of media representatives to have immediate access to the press secretary. The lower level of the west colonnade would be returned to Executive Residence use.
Conclusion
Visitor Experience
Impacts on Diplomatic and Business Visitors
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
experience, other than an improvement to the ambience as a result of the consistent use of design elements throughout the site and the absence of vehicles being parked on the surface. Visitors could continue to enter the West Wing on the surface, while their vehicles would be parked underground. An underground entrance on West Executive Avenue could be used as an optional entry/ exit point, primarily by business visitors and persons attending meetings
Impacts on Public Visitors
Analysis
Impacts of Alternative 2: Visitor Experience
Conclusion
Impacts on Pedestrians
Impacts on Local Residents
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
Noise Impacts
Analysis
Conclusion
Special Events
Impacts on Public Events
Analysis
Impacts of Alternative 2: Transportation
events and allow participants unobstructed access throughout the site.
Conclusion
Impacts on White House Events
Transportation
Impacts on Access and Circulation
Analysis
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
* A maximum street grade of 6.0% was assumed for tunnel approaches, and vertical curves were based on a design speed of 30 mph. The profile is further constrained by matching existing grades at the intersections of 18th Street and 14th Street. Along with a minimum vertical clearance of 16.5', these factors would combine to limit the length of tunnel to approximately 1,880', with a west portal about 150' west of 17th Street and an east portal just east of 15th Street.
* Four travel lanes, with 5' emergency walkways on each side, would be provided within the 60' tunnel width. Tunnel construction would likely be of rigid frame concrete design.
* Existing westbound right turns from E Street onto 15th Street would be retained through a dedicated surface lane immediately adjacent to the tunnel approach. The remainder of this section through the 1400 block of E Street is sufficiently wide for a planter strip.
* Mechanical equipment for ventilating the tunnel and a pump station for stormwater drainage, as well as a lighting system, would be required.
* There would be no White House drive by experience on E Street.
Impacts of Alternative 2: Transportation
for foreign heads of state, as many as 23 buses have double parked along E Street to provide personnel for the ceremonies. tender this alternative these buses could either continue to park on the pedestrian pathways on the Ellipse or move to Constitution Avenue during the event. The loss of traffic lanes on Constitution Avenue under the latter option would create traffic problems on this street.
Conclusion
Impacts on Public Parking
Impacts on Public Transit
Impacts on Tour Buses
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
Impacts on the Tourmobile
Impacts on Bicyclists
Socioeconomic Environment
Impacts on D.C. Revenues
Analysis
PROJECTED D.C. PROPERTY TAX LOSSES ALTERNATIVE 2 |
|
Size | 253,000 sq. ft. |
Value | $100-$120/sq. ft. |
Tax Rate | $2.15/$100 |
Annual Tax Loss | $543,950-$652,740 |
SOURCE: BRW |
Impacts Alternative 2: Socioeconomic Environment
the plan (the same as for the proposed plan and alternative 1).
Conclusion
Impacts on Vendors
Impacts on Local Businesses
Analysis
Conclusion
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
would result in minor inconvenience to adjacent businesses, as well as local residents and visitors using these spaces during evenings and weekends. The long-term lease of 850 parking spaces near President's Park (19% of the public parking spaces within one to two blocks of the study area) could affect businesses and office buildings relying on these spaces for customers and tenants. Alternatively, a new federal parking structure would not affect the leased parking supply.
Construction and Operation Impacts
Analysis
Construction Impacts Alternative 2 |
||||||||
. |
PHASE 1 (YEARS 1-5) |
PHASE 2 (YEARS 6-10) |
PHASE 3 (YEARS 11-15) |
PHASE 4 (YEARS 16-20) |
||||
Jobs | Earnings* | Jobs | Earnings* | Jobs | Earnings* | Jobs | Earnings* | |
Metro Area | ||||||||
Direct Jobs | 159 | $4.0 | 394 | $10.0 | 133 | $3.4 | 50 | $1.3 |
Indirect Jobs | 192 | 5.4 | 476 | 10.3 | 161 | 3.5 | 61 | 1.3 |
Total Jobs | 351 | $8.2 | 870 | $20.3 | 294 | $6.9 | 111 | $2.6 |
District | ||||||||
Direct Jobs | 56 | $1.4 | 138 | $3.5 | 47 | $1.2 | 18 | $0.4 |
Indirect Jobs | 13 | 0.4 | 33 | 1.1 | 11 | 0.4 | 4 | 0.1 |
Total Jobs | 69 | $1.8 | 171 | $4.6 | 58 | $1.6 | 22 | $0.5 |
Total Construction Value per Phase** | $58.7 | $145.4 | $49.1 | $18.7 | ||||
Total Construction Value per Year | $11.7 | $29.1 | $9.8 | $3.7 | ||||
NOTES: | Metro Area | D.C. | ||||||
. | Overall employment: | 30.0 per million dollars | 5.9 per million dollars | |||||
Employment multipliers: | 2.21 | 1.24 | ||||||
Overall earnings: | 0.70 x construction value | 0.156 x construction value | ||||||
Earnings multipliers: | 2.03 | 1.31 | ||||||
* Earnings shown in millions of dollars. | ||||||||
** Total estimated construction = $271.8 million (With upgraded and newly constructed news media facilities; does not include a new offsite parking garage; See appendix E). |
Impacts of Alternative 2. Site Management and Operations
Conclusion
Site Management and Operations
Impacts on Operations
Impacts on Maintenance
Impacts on Utilities
Analysis
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
were drawn for underground structures, utility lines would be precisely located through surveys so remedial actions could be incorporated in the designs. Discussions with utility owners and the District of Columbia would also be initiated to determine relocation plans and costs.
(1) Reroute the sewer around the tunnel- This would require the installation of a new sewer facility along the upstream (north) side of the tunnel and paralleling E Street to 18th Street and then south to intercept the existing sewer at H Street.
(2) Upgrade other sewer facilities in the area to compensate for any lost capacity if the sewer was abandoned-This scenario would require the addition of several lateral service lines to carry flows from the President's Park area. The separation of storm and sanitary effluent would be required under either option 1 or 2.
(3) Lower the sewer under the E Street tunnel and install a pumping lift station on the downstream side to elevate the effluent back to existing sewer grades.
Conclusion