Chapter 24 - Community Impacts

• 23 USC 109(h)
• NEPA
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 42 United States Code §§ 12101 et seq
• CEQ Regulations Section 1508.14
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970

• CEQA

• Community Impact Assessment, A Quick Reference for Transportation
• FHWA Technical Advisory 6640.8A
• Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment
• Caltrans Standard Environmental Reference, Chapter 3: Public Involvement
• FHWA Community Impact Assessment web site

Policy Memos

• Title VI Policy Statement
• Deputy Directive 64 (DD-64) Complete Streets - Integrating the Transportation System
• Caltrans Director's Policy (DP-28): Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Related Statutes
• Relocation Impact Document Survey Processes Vernon V. Rhinehart (February 26, 2003)
• Context Sensitive Solutions Implementation Plan Rick Knapp (October 3, 2002)

For most transportation projects, with no discernible effect on the local economy, discussion on this topic should be brief and largely extrapolated from existing documentation. However, some of the larger projects may well have important effects on the local economy of a neighborhood or community.

• Can it be anticipated that the project will create or eliminate jobs in the local area?
• Can it be anticipated that the local tax base be affected?
• Can it be anticipated that the project will affect local businesses? (Relocation, access, visibility, etc.)
• Will the project have economic impacts outside the immediate area?

For further information, please refer to the Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment.

• Is there evidence that community cohesion exists? Will the proposed project affect interaction among persons and groups?
• Will the project cause a change in social values?
• Will community landmarks or social gathering places be affected by the project?
• Will the project cause redistribution of the population or an influx or loss of population?
• Will certain people be separated or set apart from others?
• What is the perceived impact on quality of life?

For further information, please refer to the Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment.

• Will the project require the relocation of housing and commercial, industrial, non-profit businesses?
• Are there available sites to accommodate those displaced?

For further information, please refer to the Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment.

• Does the project area contain emergency service facilities such as fire stations, police facilities, hospitals/medical facilities; or community services such as schools, libraries, or post offices? Will the project require the relocation of any such facilities or services?
• Are similar facilities or services provided elsewhere in the vicinity?
• Are response times for the emergency services or access for the community services significantly affected by the project?

For further information, please refer to the Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment.

Information used in identifying community related impacts should be documented in the Environmental Impact Report prepared for the Regional Transportation Plan and serve as a building block in subsequent decision making and analysis.

A Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) requires the preparation of a CEQA environmental document, normally a program or master Environmental Impact Report. Caltrans encourages the MPO/RTPAs to include the following information, as appropriate, in the environmental document for the plan:

• Characterization of the types of businesses in the corridor or study area;
• A general profile of the types of housing in the corridor or study area;
• A general profile of the population characteristics in the corridor or study area;
• Identification of areas of high concentrations of low-income and minority populations in the corridor or study area (for environmental justice and social equity issues);
• Existing urban land uses in corridor or subarea;
• Map of community and public facilities in the corridor or study area (fire, police, hospitals, community centers, schools, places of worship, libraries, etc.).

For more information on Regional Transportation Plans go to RTP Guidelines.

The “Guidelines for the Preparation of Project Study Reports” dated November 3, 1999, stipulate that PSRs and project study report equivalents contain an “inventory of environmental resources, identification of potential environmental issues and anticipated environmental processing type. Potential mitigation requirements and associated costs should also be identified.

For projects on the State Highway System, the following level of information should be included in the Preliminary Environmental Analysis Report (PEAR) prepared as part of the Project Initiation Document (PID):

• Identification of any potential residential or commercial relocations in the project area;
• Identification of potential economic impacts in the project area including employment impacts, disruptions to existing businesses, and changes to the tax base;
• Identification of distinct neighborhoods in the project area;
• General demographic data on the project area;
• Specific community and public facilities and emergency services including their service areas in the project area;
• Any concerns or issues identified through public involvement efforts.

This information should be presented in the draft environmental document or used as supporting documentation for a categorical exemption/exclusion, as appropriate.

• Verification of all information from RTP stage & PID stage;
• Number and types of businesses potentially affected by the project;
• Number of employees potentially affected by possible business relocations;
• Identification of short-term (during construction) and long-term changes in traffic access to businesses in the study area;
• Impacts on individual businesses and possible mitigation measures;
• Social impacts on neighborhoods;
• Significant safety impacts on neighborhoods in the project area
• Possible mitigation measures for significant adverse neighborhood impacts;
• Estimated number of potentially displaced households in the project area, including demographic information as appropriate;
• Environmental justice analysis for the project area
• Potential replacement housing meeting the needs of the displaced households;
• Discussion of the measures to be taken if replacement housing is not sufficient;
• Summary of the Draft Relocation Impact Report, if prepared by Caltrans right of way, or a summary of relocation information prepared by local agency right of way or consultants
• Statement that acquisition and relocation program will conform with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended.

For more information see the Caltrans Environmental Handbook, Volume 4: Community Impact Assessment.

This information should be presented in the final environmental document:

• Verification of all information from previous stages;
• Summary of identified community impacts from the draft environmental document;
• Mitigation measures for identified community impacts;
• Summary of the Final Relocation Impact Statement if prepared by Caltrans Right of Way, or summary of relocation information prepared by local agency right of way or consultants.
• Statement that acquisition and relocation program will conform with Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended.

No permits are required

Any environmental commitment recommended in the final environmental document designed to reduce construction related temporary community impacts may occur during the construction phase of the project.