News

Massport Files Environmental Notification Form for the Southwest Service Area Redevelopment Program at Boston-Logan International Airport

November 21, 2007

The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) today announced that it has filed an Environmental Notification Form (ENF) for the redevelopment of the Southwest Service Area (SWSA) at Boston Logan International Airport. The Southwest Service Area currently supports a variety of essential ground transportation services and facilities including the airport's taxi pool, six separate rental car businesses, the bus/limousine pool, and a flight kitchen.

Click here to view the ENF in PDF format, (requires Acrobat Reader).

As described in its annual Environmental Status and Planning Reports (ESPRs) and Environmental Data Reports (EDRs) dating back to 1993, Massport has been engaged in ongoing feasibility studies to replace and upgrade existing car rental and ground transportation facilities in the SWSA. In early 2006, Massport initiated a feasibility study for a consolidated rental car facility to be located in the SWSA. The study examined site layout and access alternatives, financing options, order of magnitude costs, and environmental benefits. The proposed SWSA Redevelopment Program is a continuation of Massport's ongoing commitment to create customer efficient facilities at Logan Airport and to accommodate increased demand in an environmentally responsible manner while reducing impacts to the community.

The purpose of the proposed SWSA Redevelopment Program is to consolidate on-airport rental car operations and facilities into one integrated facility in order to better serve the tenants and the traveling public, reduce ground transportation and air quality impacts on-airport and in the surrounding neighborhoods, and to reduce associated off-airport impacts. The SWSA Redevelopment Program also includes a commercial parking component, which would better and more efficiently meet passenger parking demand and would serve to improve management of the parking supply on the airport. The proposed commercial parking will fully comply with the Logan Airport Parking Freeze.

The proposed SWSA Redevelopment Program includes the replacement of and upgrades to existing uses within the SWSA through the development of a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) certified, five-level approximately 2.8 million square foot garage, which includes consolidated rental car facilities and up to 3,000 commercial parking spaces. In addition, approximately 270,000 gross square feet of support facilities for the car rental operations (customer service center and quick turnaround areas), a common bus system, a reconfigured taxi pool, and roadway and intersection improvements are also proposed. These facilities would necessitate the relocation of some ground transportation airport businesses, including the bus/limousine pool and flight kitchen. The SWSA Redevelopment Program itself would implement improved environmental management techniques and provide landscaped edge buffers and appropriate noise mitigation for adjacent neighborhoods.

The ENF is the first step in the permitting process for the SWSA Redevelopment Program and will be followed by the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR). The Secretary's ENF Certificate and Scope will outline the analysis and studies for the DEIR. Chapter 3 of the ENF contains a proposed Scope for the DEIR for MEPA's consideration.

Massport anticipates that the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs will publish the notice of availability of the ENF for public review in the November 26, 2007 edition of The Environmental Monitor, commencing the public review period. Massport requests that the 20-day ENF public review period be extended to 59 days (public comments due by January 23, 2008) to allow state agencies, local government departments and the public adequate time to review the ENF. A MEPA site visit will be held on January 9, 2008 at the Logan Office Center from 1:00-4:00 PM.

Pursuant to MEPA Regulations, a copy of this ENF will be made available in the local public libraries and additional copies will be made available upon request. Requests for copies of the ENF should be directed to Tom Ennis at 617-568-3546 or via e-mail at tennis@massport.com.