CEQA Notice of Intent to Adopt a Mitigated Negative Declaration
for the Lake County Interregional Transit Center Project.
The Lake Transit Authority (LTA) has prepared this notice to inform agencies and interested parties that it is releasing a CEQA Initial Study and Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the Lake County Interregional Transit Center Project.
The proposed Project would consist of construction of a new transit center, relocation of route services from the existing transfer hub to the new transit center, acquisition of four (4) hydrogen buses, improvements to the existing LTA maintenance and operations (M&O) facility to support the use of the new hydrogen buses, expansion of intercity transit service, and a future solar facility at the M&O site. Hydrogen buses are a type of zero emissions bus (ZEB) The new transit center, bus acquisition, and improvements to the M&O facility to support the new hydrogen buses would be implemented upon Project approval. The installation and operation of a future solar array facility would be constructed at a later date dependent on funding procurement. The fueling infrastructure would also allow LTA to purchase more ZEB in the future. The Project would provide a safer, more efficient rider experience and expand existing intercity routes using hydrogen fuel cell transit buses. An improved transit center is important in enhancing the overall transit program and ensuring that adequate capacity is available to accommodate future ridership growth. Additionally, the Project would assist LTA in complying with state requirements, including the Innovative Clean Transit Regulation that requires transit agencies to transition to ZEB. Construction of the Project is anticipated to begin in mid-2024 and would take approximately 10 months to complete.
A 30-day public review period will extend from August 8, 2022, to September 8, 2022. The IS/MND will be available for public review online at https://laketransit.org/. Please e-mail any comments on the IS/MND by 5 PM on September 8, 2022, to James Sookne at [email protected]. After the review period closes, Lake Transit Authority’s Board will consider adopting the IS/MND for the Project during a public meeting tentatively scheduled for September 14, 2022, at 10:30 AM. We encourage you to check LTA’s webpage to confirm the date, time, and location of the Board meeting at the following website address:
https://laketransit.org/who-we-are/meeting-agendas-and-minutes/
JAMES SOOKNE, Program Manager