Facilities plan
1. Background
2. Treatment

3. Alternative sites
4. Approaches
5. Evaluation
6. Optimized plan
7. Schedule
Appendices

Env info document

Clinton Street CSO Abatement Project Facility Plan (Nov 2005)
by Environmental Engineering Associates, LLP
for Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection

3. Alternative site analysis

Quick reference
— 3.1 Introduction
— 3.2 Preliminary identification of potential sites
— 3.3 Non-cost evaluation of potential sites
— 3.4 Preferential sites for CSO abatement facilities

3.1 Introduction

The purpose of this section is to identify and assess potential sites for abatement facilities (i.e., regional storage or regional treatment with disinfection - including the associated conveyance and facility storage) for the Clinton Street CSO service area. To accomplish this goal in a manner that minimizes impacts to local businesses and residents, alternative sites were identified and evaluated in relation to key criteria.

3.2 Preliminary identification of potential sites

The Clinton Street CSO service area is located in the highly urban downtown Syracuse area. Initial efforts to identify potential sites for regional treatment included review of existing aerial photography, tax mapping, discussions with City of Syracuse and County personnel, and field reconnaissance. In order to facilitate the identification of potential sites, the following guidelines were established to identify those sites that are most applicable for regional storage or storage and treatment with disinfection:

Potential sites must be in close proximity (less than 1,500 feet) to Onondaga Creek and the existing CSO outfalls due to hydraulic considerations (i.e., intercepting CSO outfall discharges and returning flows to the Main Interceptor Sewer (MIS)).
Potential sites must either currently be greater than 50% non-park open space (including undeveloped lots and parking lots) or unoccupied building lots that are not currently proposed for building development.
Potential sites must be greater than 2 acres in size to provide full service area abatement facilities, as smaller sites may not provide enough space or buffer to adjacent properties for construction and operation of the abatement facilities.

Figure 3-1. Potential CSO abatement facility site locations

Figure 3-1. Potential CSO abatement facility site locations

Based on these guidelines, seven potential sites were identified as being applicable for Clinton Street CSO service area abatement facilities. The seven potential sites are shown on Figure 3-1 and include the following:

Clinton Station

This site consists of an approximately 5-acre parking lot (Trolley Lot) located on the east side of Onondaga Creek between the elevated railway and the creek. This site is owned by the City of Syracuse and currently serves as a commercial parking lot.

Tully Street

This site consists of an approximately 2-acre parking area and open space located on the west side of Onondaga Creek. The site is bordered by Tully Street, Fabius Street, West Street Arterial, and Onondaga Creek, and is currently owned and used for employee parking by the G.C. Hanford Corporation.

West Onondaga Street

This approximately 2-acre site, partially occupied and currently owned by the Rescue Mission, is located on the west side of Onondaga Creek between West Onondaga and Gifford Streets. A former Rescue Mission building has recently been demolished and the site is awaiting redevelopment. The site also includes the Rescue Mission Emergency Shelter, several commercial buildings, and a residential complex on the site's west side.

West Washington Street

This site includes two privately owned parking lots on either side of West Washington Street, west of Franklin Street. Approximately 2.5 acres of parking area exists between these two commercial parking lots.

Wyoming Street

This approximately 4-acre area includes two large and several smaller industrial/commercial buildings, in addition to open space, a demolished building/parking area, and a portion of Otisco Street from east of the intersection with Wyoming Street to its terminus west of West Street Arterial. The area is bounded by Wyoming Street, Marcellus Street, West Street Arterial, and Tully Street.

Gifford Street

This approximately 4.5-acre site includes several commercial/industrial buildings, single- and multiple-family residences, church properties, open space, and Gifford Street from east of the intersection with West Street Arterial to west of the intersection with Granger Street. The site is bordered by West Street Arterial, McCormick Avenue, Granger Street, and Seymour Street.

Dickerson Street

Following identification of the initial six potential sites referenced above that met the site location guidelines, the County was advised by the owners of the Ward Supply Company, a business located in close proximity to Onondaga Creek and on the west side of the creek, that they were in the process of relocating their business. The owners further advised the County that the Ward Supply Company property was available for sale. Although the Ward Supply Company property equals only 1.3 acres, less than the minimum established guideline of 2 acres, additional property is located directly adjacent to the Ward Supply Company property. The combined acreage of these properties meets the minimum established guideline of 2 acres.

For description purposes, the Dickerson Street Site consists of approximately 2.6 acres. The Ward Supply Company property is flanked on one side (to the east) by the Rescue Mission Recreation Center and on the other side (to the west) by commercial properties. The project could be constructed utilizing the Rescue Mission property to the east or utilizing the commercial property to the west. The site is located west of Onondaga Creek and bordered by Dickerson Street, properties immediately west of Granger Street, Fabius Street, and Onondaga Creek.

3.3 Non-cost evaluation of potential sites

The seven potential sites for abatement facilities were evaluated based on a series of non-cost criteria to identify the two most preferential sites for abatement facilities within the service area. (Note: Two preferential sites were selected to provide for an alternate site assessment based upon cost factors [See Section 5], while limiting the total number of sites that would be subject to the subsequent cost evaluations.) These criteria are listed in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1. Alternative site evaluation criteria

Criteria Criteria components

Resident Proximity Number of residents impacted by project Alternative, and distance to closest impacted residence

Business Proximity Number of businesses impacted by project Alternative, and distance to closest impacted business

Public Facilities, Sensitive Receptors Open Space, Recreational Facilities, Public Parking, Sensitive Receptors

Community Enhancement Provides potential for supplemental community enhancement as part of Alternative development

Site Ownership/Land Use Property Ownership, Resident Displacement, Property Acquisition, Existing Land Use

Engineering Considerations and Constructability Subsurface Characteristics, Hydraulics, Topography, Existing Utilities, Existing Structures

Historical and Cultural Resources Adverse Historical and Cultural Impacts in Accordance with NEPA, SEQRA, and SHPO

Construction Related Impacts Traffic, Business, Local Resident Impacts (noise, dust, access, safety)

Operability Site access for operation and maintenance activities

ACJ Compliance Schedule, Objectives

Restoration/Mitigation Restoration and/or mitigation requirements

NEPA = National Environmental Protection Act
SEQRA = State Environmental Quality Review Act
SHPO = State Historic Preservation Office

The non-cost criteria evaluation summary for the seven potential sites is presented in matrix format in Table 3-2.

Table 3-2. Non-cost criteria evaluation summary
Resident proximity
Clinton Station
   -Located adjacent to high-rise residential complex on South Clinton Street, separated by elevated railway
   -Located near Center Armory residential complex
Tully Street
   -Located 0.15 miles from residential units located west of Wyoming Street, separated by West Street Arterial
   -Located near residential units located on Granger Street
   -Located 0.15 miles from high-rise residential complex on South Clinton Street, separated by Onondaga Creek and elevated railway
West Onondaga Street
   -Location near Rescue Mission residence
West Washington Street
   -Located near Hogan Block and Labor Temple
Wyoming Street
   -Adjacent to residential units along Wyoming Street
Gifford Street
   -Residential properties located on site
   -Located adjacent to residential properties on McCormick Avenue
   -Located adjacent to residential units and apartment complex on Seymour Street
   -Located near Rescue Mission residence
Dickerson Street
   -2-3 residential units located adjacent to Dickerson and Granger Streets
   -Located near Rescue Mission Residential Services Building
Business proximity
Clinton Station
   -Buffered from businesses by elevated railway and Onondaga Creek
   -Not located in City of Syracuse Empire Zone Tully Street
   -Located adjacent to several existing businesses and Rescue Mission headquarters
   -Restricts G.C. Hanford expansion
   -Located in City of Syracuse Economic Development Zone
West Onondaga Street
   -Located adjacent to existing businesses and Rescue Mission headquarters
   -Would require relocation of Rescue Mission headquarters to accommodate full-service area regional storage or treatment facility West Washington Street
   -Located adjacent to several existing small businesses
Wyoming Street
   -Businesses located on site
   -Located adjacent to several businesses
Gifford Street
   -Businesses located on site
   -Located adjacent to Rescue Mission headquarters
   -Located adjacent to several businesses
Dickerson Street
   -Located approximately 1/4 mile from G. C. Hanford Co.
Public facilities, sensitive receptors
Clinton Station
   -Located near the MOST and Armory Square and adjacent to OnTrack Center
Tully Street
   -Located 0.15 miles from Armory Square, separated by Onondaga Creek
   -Located near City of Syracuse Fire Station located on Fabius Street
West Onondaga Street
   -Impacts to Rescue Mission residential center occupants
West Washington Street
   -Located 0.25 miles from renovated Clinton Square park area
   -Located in Armory Square
   -Located in midst of heavy pedestrian traffic
   -Would require closing a portion of West Washington Street
Wyoming Street
   -Located 0.10 miles from the MOST and Armory Square, separated by Onondaga Creek
   -Would require closing a portion of Otisco Street
Gifford Street
   -Potential impacts to Rescue Mission Center occupants
   -Would require closing a portion of Granger Street
Dickerson Street
   -Located near City of Syracuse fire station
   -Located near the Rescue Mission
Community enhancement
Clinton Station
   -Improvements to public parking and access to MOST
   -Creekwalk/Creek overlooks
Tully Street
   -Creekwalk/Creek overlooks
   -Pedestrian link from site to Clinton Station/Armory Square Area
West Onondaga Street
   -Creekwalk/Creek overlook
   -Streetscape improvements on West Onondaga and Gifford Streets
West Washington Street
   -Public parking improvements
   -Streetscape improvements on South Franklin, West Washington, and West Fayette Streets
Wyoming Street
   -Streetscape improvements to Wyoming Street
Gifford Street
   -Streetscape improvements to West Onondaga Street, Gifford Street, and West Street Arterial.
Dickerson Street
   -Streetscape improvements to Dickerson and Granger streets
Site ownership/land use
Clinton Station
   -Property owned by City of Syracuse
Tully Street
   -Private ownership, one owner
   -Land planned for expansion of Owner?s facilities
West Onondaga Street
   -Private ownership, multiple owners
   -Rescue Mission Shelter
West Washington Street
   -Private multiple ownership
Wyoming Street
   -Private ownership, multiple owners
   -Several tax delinquent properties
Gifford Street
   -Private ownership, multiple owners
   -Residential, small business
Dickerson Street
   -Private ownership, 3 owners
   -Current land use is primarily commercial/industrial
Engineering considerations/constructability
Clinton Station
   -Located central to existing CSOs
   -Located on east side of Onondaga Creek
Tully Street
   -Located central to existing CSOs
   -Located on west side of Onondaga Creek
West Onondaga Street
   -Located adjacent to existing CSOs—would require more extensive conveyance facilities in relationship to Clinton Station and Tully Street sites
   -Site size may limit constructability
   -Located adjacent to Onondaga Creek bridge and retaining wall
   -Located on westside of Onondaga Creek
West Washington Street
   -Located adjacent to existing CSOs - would require more extensive conveyance facilities in relationship to Clinton Station and Tully Street sites
   -Requires potential 36" diameter water main relocation
   -Located on east side of Onondaga Creek
Wyoming Street
   -Would require more extensive conveyance facilities in relationship to Clinton Station and Tully Street sites
   -Would require demolition of several commercial/industrial buildings and converted residential buildings
   -Located on west side of Onondaga Creek
Gifford Street
   -Would require more extensive conveyance facilities in relationship to Clinton Station and Tully Street sites
   -Would require demolition of several commercial/industrial buildings and residential buildings
   -Located on west side of Onondaga Creek
Dickerson Street
   -Would require more extensive conveyance facilities in relationship to Clinton Station site
   -Would require demolition of several commercial/industrial buildings
   -Located on west side of Onondaga Creek
   -Size of site may require off-site staging of construction materials
Historical and cultural resources
Clinton Station
   -Located adjacent to Armory Square Historic District
   -Previous land uses included Mill Pond and railway yard
   -Area suspected to be highly sensitive to 19th century industrial artifacts, however, impacts are expected to be minimized through the use of planning
Tully Street
   -Previous land uses included creek bed, salt sheds, and residential units
   -Suspected to have a high sensitivity for the presence of archeological deposits
West Onondaga Street
   -Previous land uses include creek bed and residential and industrial building lots
   -Suspected high sensitivity for archeological deposits
West Washington Street
   -Previous land uses included Mill Pond, village cemetery, railroad depot, commercial building lots
   -Located adjacent to Armory Square Historic District
   -High sensitivity for human archeological artifacts in northern section of site
Wyoming Street
   -Previous land use includes salt sheds and residential, industrial, and commercial building units
   -Suspected high sensitivity for archeological deposits related to late 19th century industries
Gifford Street
   -Previous land use includes residential and commercial building units
   -Suspected to have a high sensitivity for archeological deposits from the 19th century
Dickerson Street
   -Previous land use includes residential, industrial, and commercial building units
   -Suspected high sensitivity for archeological deposits related to late 19th century industries
Construction-related impacts
Clinton Station
   -Potential impacts to elevated railway
   -Impacts to public parking
   -Requires potential water main relocation
   -Site access is severely restricted, may require improvements to provide construction equipment accessibility from West Street Arterial/Fabius Street.
Tully Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to businesses located along West Street Arterial between Tully and Fabius Streets
   -Impacts to G.C. Hanford employee parking
West Onondaga Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to businesses located along Onondaga Street
   -Impacts to Rescue Mission residents
West Washington Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to areas located along South Franklin and West Washington Streets
   -Impacts to public parking
   -Adjacent to major Centro bus routes and main City thoroughfares
Wyoming Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to residents along Wyoming Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to businesses located along West Street Arterial, Marcellus Street, Otisco Street, and Tully Street
   -Adjacent to main City thoroughfares
Gifford Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to Rescue Mission residents and occupants, residents along Seymour Street and McCormick Street
   -Adjacent to main City thoroughfares
Dickerson Street
   -Potential construction-related impacts to Rescue Mission residents
   -Potential construction-related impacts to City of Syracuse fire station
Operability
Clinton Station
   -Accessibility from the West Street Arterial may be necessary
Tully Street
   -Readily accessible from West Street Arterial
West Onondaga Street
   -Readily accessible from West Onondaga Street
   -Limited site area may inhibit facility operations
West Washington Street
   -Readily accessible from South Franklin Street
Wyoming Street
   -Readily accessible from West Street Arterial, Marcellus Street, Otisco Street, Wyoming Street, and Tully Street
Gifford Street
   -Readily accessible from West Street Arterial, Seymour Street, and Gifford Street
Dickerson Street
   -Readily accessible from West Street Arterial
ACJ Compliance
Clinton Station
   -Anticipated to provide most expedient design and construction period due to central location and one property owner
Tully Street
   -Anticipated to provide expedient design and construction period due to central location
   -Potential property ownership issues
West Onondaga Street
   -Anticipated to provide longer design and construction period due to length of conveyances and property ownership issues
West Washington Street
   -Anticipated to provide longer design and construction period due to length of conveyances and property ownership issues
Wyoming Street
   -Anticipated to provide longer design and construction period due to length of conveyances and property ownership issues
Gifford Street
   -Anticipated to provide longer design and construction period due to length of conveyances and property ownership issues
Dickerson Street
   -Would provide for expedited design and construction
Restoration/mitigation
Clinton Station
   -Will require replacement public parking
Tully Street
   -Will require replacement employee parking
West Onondaga Street
   -Restoration of Onondaga Creek retaining wall
   -Will require mitigation measures for Rescue Mission loss of property
West Washington Street
   -Will require replacement public parking
   -Will require additional accommodations for pedestrian traffic
Wyoming Street
   -Will require mitigation measures for loss of commercial/industrial properties
Gifford Street
   -Will require mitigation for loss of commercial/industrial and residential properties
Dickerson Street
   -Will require mitigation measures for loss of commercial/industrial properties
   -May require noise mitigation during construction based on proximity to Rescue Mission.

3.4 Preferential sites for CSO abatement facilities

A scoring system ranging from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most favorable rating was utilized in the non-cost evaluation of the seven sites. Sites determined to have equivalent levels of favorable or less-favorable characteristics were scored equally. For the purposes of scoring, a definition of what is considered to be a favorable characteristic(s) for each of the non-cost criteria was established. These favorable characteristics are presented in Table 3-3.

TABLE 3-3. FAVORABLE NON-COST CRITERIA CHARACTERISTICS

Criteria Favorable Characteristics

Resident Proximity Minimizes number and proximity of residents impacted

Business Proximity Minimizes number and proximity of businesses impacted

Public Facilities, Sensitive Receptors Preservation of open space, recreational facilities, and public parking, or enhancement of existing conditions. Minimizes impact to sensitive receptors

Community Enhancement Exhibits high degree of potential for supplemental community enhancement as part of Alternative development

Site Ownership/Land Use Facilities located on government owned property, with compatible existing land use, which displaces fewest residents, and requires minimal property acquisitions

Engineering Considerations and Constructability Close proximity to multiple service area CSOs and Onondaga Creek to minimize length of conveyances and pumping requirements

Historical and Cultural Resources Least adverse historical and cultural impacts if implemented according to SEQRA, NEPA, and SHPO

Construction Related Impacts Minimizes adverse construction related impacts

Operability Readily accessible to major thoroughfares and sufficient site area for operation and maintenance activities

ACJ Compliance Meets ACJ established milestones, minimizes potential penalty assessment, and meets the overall objectives of the ACJ

Restoration/Mitigation Minimizes extent of restoration/mitigation requirements

NEPA = National Environmental Policy Act
SEQRA = State Environmental Quality Review Act
SHPO = State Historic Preservation Office

In conjunction with County staff and the County's Lake Improvement Project Office Program Management consultants, each of the seven potential sites was scored for each of the non-cost criteria. The finalized site scoring is presented in Table 3-4.

Table 3-4. Alternative site scoring summary

Criteria Clinton Station Tully West Onon- daga West Wash- ington Wyom- ing Gifford Dicker- son

Resident proximity 5 4 2 3 1 3 3

Business proximity 4 1 3 2 2 3 4

Public facilities, Sensitive Receptors 3 4 1 2 4 3 1

Community enhancement 4 2 2 2 3 3 2

Site ownership/land use 5 1 2 3 3 3 5

Engineering considerations 5 4 3 2 1 2 3

Historical and cultural resources 4 3 3 1 3 3 4

Construction related Impacts 3 3 2 1 2 3 3

Operability 4 2 2 2 4 4 4

ACJ compliance 5 4 4 4 4 4 4

Restoration/mitigation 2 2 2 3 3 4 4

Total score 44 30 26 25 30 35 37

Notes:
Criteria scoring range: 1-5, with 5 most favorable. Scores in bold (44 and 37) represent more preferential sites.

As shown in Table 3-4, the Clinton Station and Dickerson Street sites are identified as being the two most preferential sites for Clinton Street CSO abatement facilities. These sites will, therefore, be used in the detailed evaluation of CSO abatement approaches. This detailed evaluation is presented in Section 5. As a result of this detailed evaluation, a single preferred site and technology will be recommended.