Need to address Traffic impacts
Detailed discussion of the traffic impacts associated with the Kendall Yards project is deferred to a “Traffic Impact Analysis” (TIA). The TIA in turn is to be conducted in phases connected to the phased development of the project. The Supplement Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) indicates that the project is proposed to be built in 6 stages. The first stage of development will occur in the easternmost section, adjacent to Monroe Street. After that, build-out will be random, “based on market conditions.”
While we appreciate that the City has directed the developer to provide additional detail concerning traffic in the TIA, it is not appropriate to remove consideration of impacts from the SEIS. The EIS must contain discussion of significant impacts on the environment and reasonable mitigation measures. WAC 197-11-440(6). By deferring discussion of traffic impacts to other documents at some unknown future time, the City deprives the citizens of Spokane of their opportunity (and right) to understand and comment on the full impacts of the project, along with proposed mitigation, that is afforded under the protective standards of the State Environmental Policy Act.
We are also concerned that phased review of traffic impacts will lead to a failure to collect baseline data for the West Central neighborhood. By the time data is collected, the Kendall Yards project will already be affecting traffic in the neighborhood. Current traffic patterns and numbers, from which impacts and appropriate mitigation can be measured, must be collected before the project begins. SEPA requires agencies to collect essential information about a project’s impacts as part of the EIS process. WAC-197-11-080(1). The proposal to defer traffic analysis is inappropriate.
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