George E. Morris Sailing Pavilion

Transcription

1 Executive Summary Draft Environmental Impact Report George E. Morris Sailing Pavilion Submitted by: Boston University Trustees of Boston University 147 Bay State Road Boston, MA Prepared by: Epsilon Associates, Inc. 150 Main Street, PO Box 700 Maynard, Massachusetts EOEA #12520

2 Executive Summary Draft Environmental Impact Report George E. Morris Sailing Pavilion EOEA Submitted by: BOSTON UNIVERSITY Trustees of Boston University 147 Bay State Road Boston, MA Prepared by: EPSILON ASSOCIATES 150 Main Street, PO Box 700 Maynard, MA DECEMBER 2001

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Trustees of Boston University (BU) propose to construct and operate a new sailing pavilion along the Charles River in Boston. The proposed sailing pavilion will be an attractive, low-profiled facility and will replace BU s outdated existing facility, which will be demolished. BU has evaluated a range of sites, on both sides of the Charles River, and has concluded that one of two alternative riverside locations, near the pedestrian footbridge of Sherborn Street in Boston, can meet the programmatic needs of the facility and provide important amenities for the parkland and the public. These two sites, described below, differ from those previously presented in the Environmental Notification Form (ENF) of May 15, Because the alternative sites are on Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) parkland, BU is seeking appropriate legislation to enable a 25-year lease from the Commonwealth. BU s detailed study and conclusions are presented in a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) that was was submitted to the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs on November 15, An extended comment period on the DEIR will end January 7, This Executive Summary presents the key findings of the DEIR. Project Objectives and Benefits BU s sailing program is a true public amenity. The BU pavilion now serves 1400 members, of whom the majority 850 persons are not affiliated with BU. These include high school sailing teams, summer camp programs, and recreational sailors from the neighborhood, who for a small annual fee can use BU equipment sailboats, canoes, kayaks the dock, and instruction. The remaining 550 members are from the BU community, who may enroll in sailing courses, or participate in BU s nationally-ranked men s and women s sailing team, a source of Olympians and America s Cup contestants. Along with the Community Boating facility downstream from the Harvard Bridge, the BU sailing program provides the only way for the public at large to gain access to the lower Charles River Basin for sailing and recreation. Most other sailing pavilions are reserved for student use, and are not open to the public. Hence, a new, improved pavilion will enhance recreational opportunities for the entire region. BU s existing sailing structure is located immediately downstream of the BU Bridge, at a site that is dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists (the footpath must take a sharp Z-bend around the facility) and for sailors (boat traffic beneath the bridge must pass immediately adjacent to the BU dock, and winds are affected and unpredictable due to the bridge. The far extent of the basin, down by the Harvard Bridge, is partly out of view from the dock, imperiling capsized sailors who require rescue. As a result of these problems, BU and the MDC have for years sought the relocation of the pavilion. Unlike the existing facility, the new pavilion will have running water, adequate heat, sanitary facilities, and appropriate instructional and boat storage areas. The new 71201/Draft EIR/ExecSum.doc ES-1 Executive Summary Epsilon Associates, Inc.

4 pavilion will also result in improved access to the facility, improved water sheet safety, improved pedestrian paths and safety, and enhanced public use of the parkland. BU s proposal provides important amenities for the public. In addition to the overall provision of sailing facilities to the public, the pavilion will provide public restrooms (there are none on the Reservation between the Harvard and BU Bridges), drinking water fountains, a pay phone, a security phone and rapid response services, and a concession stand as requested by the MDC. In addition, BU will install a new, state-of-the-art outdoor exercise facility, in place of the outmoded and dilapidated facility in the parkland near the Sherborn Street overpass. BU also will restore and landscape the site of the existing sailing structure, and will landscape and maintain the vicinity of the proposed pavilion. BU s preferred central location, near the Sherborn Street footbridge, means that these facilities will be accessible to the full range of parkland users, including parents with young children, the elderly, and the handicapped. Recent Changes in the Project During preparation of the DEIR, BU made important changes to its earlier proposal, which was reviewed last summer: Five separate sites have been evaluated. See Figure 1. Of these, either of two sites Site 2 or Site 4 has been determined to be suitable. As modified, these will require no relocations of existing pathways. In fact, the facility plans allow 25 to 30 feet to the pathways. Please see Figures 2 and 3. The earlier proposal to build a new exercise facility adjacent to the pavilion has been altered. The facility will be reconstructed in its present site. BU previously sought a leasehold of the area beneath and surrounding the pavilion and exercise facility. The leasehold request has been scaled back, to cover only the footprint of the facility and dock a nearly five-fold reduction, from 1.45 acres to 0.32 acres. As before, the leasehold will be limited to 25 years, as provided by statute. Proposed Building Design The facility will be a low, one-story structure with a hip roof, designed to blend into its surroundings and be compatible with other boathouses on the river. Figures 4, 5 and 6 present sample views of the facility at Site 2 and Site 4. Alternative Sites Analyzed For the DEIR, BU evaluated each of the five alternative sites in terms of how it met the following criteria: 71201/Draft EIR/ExecSum.doc ES-2 Executive Summary Epsilon Associates, Inc.

5 Accessibility to the public, as well as BU students. Accessibility by foot, by school buses, and by mass transit. Accessibility by students within the class periods allowed. Accessibility of proposed amenities, and accessibility to the elderly and the handicapped. Pedestrian Safety resolve dangerous conditions created by the present pavilion. Avoid conflicts with pathways. Discourage dangerous crossings of Storrow or Memorial Drive. Water Sheet Safety avoid congested sailing conditions, proximity to bridges or conflicts with rowing lanes. Permit supervision of sailors from the dock or nearby land area. Parkland Impacts and Benefits avoid areas of high active and passive recreation. Avoid conflicts with pathways. Protect trees and views. Enhance parkland use by providing amenities (including public access to the water) where it will benefit the most users. Visual Impacts harmonize the facility with its parkland setting. Avoid blockage of special views from the parkland. Through the detailed alternatives analysis, three sites were determined by BU to be unacceptable for the proposed sailing pavilion: Site 1, Existing Site Site 1 is unacceptable. It is dangerous for pedestrians and at a bad location on the water for sailors / pavilion users. It is the most remote location from the Harvard Bridge, and the condition of missing boats cannot be discerned from the dock or nearby parkland. Site 5 Site 5 is too remote to meet the classroom function of the sailing facility. In addition, this location receives heavy use, both passive and active, and, because the site area is smaller, a pavilion at this location would have a greater impact on those users. It is a less desirable location for sanitary facilities that are particularly beneficial to the elderly, the young, and the handicapped as it is further from the Sherborn Street footbridge. Like Site 1, it is not centrally located, and the status and safety of missing boats cannot be discerned from the dock or nearby parkland. Cambridge Site The Cambridge Site is unacceptably hazardous due to its proximity to MIT boathouse access/departure lanes and crew racing lanes. It has poor accessibility for BU students, pedestrians, schoolbuses, and mass transit. Two sites emerged from the site consideration process as desirable alternatives for the proposed pavilion: Site 2 This site offers excellent accessibility and safety to users of the park and the pavilion. It remedies water sheet safety issues that plague the current site. It converts a space that is rarely used by visitors into an access point for water activities. In this particular area, a sailing pavilion will be well utilized due to the convenience of its location to a large user population. The pavilion will be located beyond the pathways 71201/Draft EIR/ExecSum.doc ES-3 Executive Summary Epsilon Associates, Inc.

6 Conclusion and exemplary trees, away from other activities of the Reservation, without being an isolated bulwark on the Charles River bank. In this way, the visual impacts of the building will be softened and set within a context of other physical fitness uses in this area. It meets the essential need of a site to facilitate a rapid census of sailboats and a speedy rescue of any capsized sailors. Site 4 Site 4 also offers excellent accessibility and safety to users of the park and the sailing facility. The site is within the 10-minute walking distance necessary for BU s sailing classes. It remedies water sheet safety issues that plague the current site. While it uses a location that receives heavier use than Site 2, this greater user population could conceivably translate into increased use of the facility by members of the general public. Moreover, many fine views of Boston are preserved. Finally, Site 4 spatially looks out onto the widest area of the river, and is an appropriate and natural location for supervising sailing activities in that area. Yet, it is centrally located, and from the dock or a short walk away, a census of any boats on the river may be conducted and necessary rescue steps can be put in motion. After the DEIR review is complete, BU will respond to comments in a Final EIR. Legislative action and state and local permitting should then follow. In the meantime, BU pledges to continue to work with its neighbors, other users of the river, elected representatives and all those who love the Charles River Basin, to ensure that the BU Sailing Pavilion fulfills its promise as a wonderful public amenity and enhances the use of the river for us all /Draft EIR/ExecSum.doc ES-4 Executive Summary Epsilon Associates, Inc.

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10 Site 2, Landside View of Sailing Pavilion from East Site 2, Landside View of Sailing Pavilion from West Figure 4

11 Site 4, Landside View of Sailing Pavilion from East Site 4, Landside View of Sailing Pavilion from West Figure 5

12 Sites 2 & 4, Comparative View from Cambridge, Autumnal Conditions Figure 6