APPENDIX S Visual Impact Study - NYSDOT Home · 2019. 12. 6. · corridor and pedestrians and cyclists along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13). Motorists on the LIE North and South C-D Roads

APPENDIX S

Visual Impact Study

PIN 0229.48

Long Island Expressway (I-495) at Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) Operational Improvements

Towns of Islip and Smithtown Suffolk County

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VISUAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

PIN 0229.48 HIGHWAY PROJECT: OPERATIONAL

IMPROVEMENTS LONG ISLAND

EXPRESSWAY (I-495) AT CROOKED HILL

ROAD (CR 13)

TOWNS OF ISLIP and SMITHTOWN

SUFFOLK COUNTY, N.Y.

NOVEMBER 2019

PTRANSPORPR

oTATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section Title Page No.

Project Location and Project Information 3

I. Introduction, Background, Scope and 4

Methodology

II. Project Description and Alternatives 6

III. Existing Visual Conditions 6

IV. Impacts on Visual Resources 15

V. Recommended Measures to 28

Mitigate Adverse Visual Impacts

VI. Unavoidable Visual Impacts 29

VII. Glossary of Terms 30

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PROJECT LOCATION

PROJECT INFORMATION

1. Route Number: I-495

2. Route Name: Long Island Expressway (LIE), Long Island Expressway Collector Distributor (C-D)

Roadways and Sagtikos State Parkway

3. SH (State Highway) Number: 60-2, 906A/B and SGSP 51-1

4. BIN (Bridge Identification Number) and Feature Crossed: Ramp ‘B’ over Ramp ‘CEB’ and

Ramp Q over Ramp ‘CEB’ (BIN numbers TBD)

5. City/Village/Township: Towns of Islip and Smithtown

6. County: Suffolk

7. Length: Long Island Expressway (I-495) from Commack Road to Wicks Road (approximately

1.8 miles) and Sagtikos Parkway from College Road to Ramp Q (approximately 1.2 miles)

8. Long Island Expressway (I-495) from Reference Marker (RM) 495 07031082 to (RM) 495

07031095 Sagtikos Parkway from (RM) 908 K07011046 to (RM) 908 K07011033

9. Functional Classification: Urban Principal Arterial Interstate for Sagtikos Parkway, Long Island

Expressway (I-495), Long Island Expressway South C-D Road - 906A and LIE North C-D Road

(906B), Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) – Urban Minor Arterial

10. Long Island Expressway (I-495) and Collector-Distributor Roads are on the National Highway

System (NHS)

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APPENDIX S: Visual Impact Assessment

I. Introduction, Background, Scope, and Methodology

A Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) was conducted according to the scope established for this EA

and the FHWA’s Guidelines for the Visual Assessment of Highway Projects (2015) guidelines.

Information was collected through desktop review and site visits. The VIA components included:

1. Establish the existing visual environment by defining and identifying the study area, its visual

character, key visual resources, the key viewers and their sensitivities to their context and

adjacent areas.

2. Identify the key views and the range of significant visual resources for each viewer group.

3. Identify historic sites, buildings and other resources within the visual study area and evaluate

the potential for impact by the project alternatives on views.

4. Prepare visual simulations to depict existing conditions and compare them to the design

alternatives as seen from key viewpoints at the completion of the project.

5. Assess the visual impacts of the preferred design alternative including changes to significant

visual resources and probable viewer response to these changes.

Based on a review of area mapping and project documentation, several primary points were

identified where the existing viewers and viewer groups and their current visual environments could

potentially be affected by the proposed project alternatives. These locations include:

• views looking north and south along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) toward the location of where

the new Ramp ‘BC” and Ramp ‘CEB’ intersects with Crooked Hill Road (CR 13);

• views of the intersection of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) and Pilgrim Center Road where the

new Ramp ‘QC’ intersects Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) opposite Pilgrim Center Road;

• views on the southbound Sagitkos Parkway near the enlarged ramp from the eastbound LIE

Service Road;

• views within the LIE/Sagtikos interchange with changes to Ramp ‘B’, Ramp ‘C”, Ramp ‘D’,

Ramp ‘E’, and Ramp ’Q’ and;

• views of the proposed improvements from the Family Services League building.

The limits of the VIA analysis are depicted in Figure S.1. Affected viewer groups in these areas will

primarily include local road and highway motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists and office and

commercial property workers and visitors.

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Figure S.1: Limits of Visual Impact Assessment Area

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II. Project Description and Alternatives

As a result of the planning study for the Sagtikos Parkway Corridor completed in March 2017, several

short-term (early action) alternatives were identified for Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) access

improvements. Several conceptual Long Island Expressway (I-495) and Sagtikos interchange build

alternatives were identified and screened for their ability to address this project’s objectives.

No-Build Alternative

A No-Build Alternative was evaluated for comparison with any build alternative. The No-Build

Alternative is not considered to be a viable alternative since it does not meet the project objectives

and goals to improve overall traffic and safety operations. The No-Build Alternative does serve as a

baseline basis of comparison against any feasible build alternative.

Preferred Alternative

The Preferred Alternative would provide a new westbound off-ramp from the Long Island

Expressway (I-495) North C-D Road to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) via Ramp Q and a new eastbound

off-ramp from the LIE South C-D Road (906A) to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) via Ramp B. Additionally,

the Preferred Alternative would include a connection from Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) (near

Recharge Basin #99) to the Long Island Expressway C-D Road in the eastbound by merging with

Ramp C. The Preferred Alternative would require an underpass to be built underneath Ramps Q

and ‘B’ (Ramp CEB). A connection (Ramp CEB) would be built to merge with existing loop Ramp C

and provide eastbound access to the LIE South C-D Road (906A). Existing Ramp D is proposed to be

modified to provide the same weave distance along the Long Island Expressway (I-495) South C-D

Road between Ramp C and D. The distance between the merge with Ramp ‘CEB’ / Ramp C and

Ramp C / LIE South C-D Road (906A) as well as the shoulder width along Sagtikos Parkway is

nonconforming.

III. Existing Visual Conditions

Visual Character of the Project Area

The visual character of the Project area consists of a mix of an interstate highway and a limited-

access parkway crossing a county road through a semi-wooded area typology that is largely

commercial in usage. There are no residents in this area of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13). Commercial

uses on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) include the Family Services League social services office building,

a landscape nursery’s materials yard and several one and two-story commercial buildings

supporting public storage facilities, a legal office, an equipment supply business and a 24-hour adult

emporium. The other large land uses immediately adjacent to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) are the

Michael J. Grant Campus of Suffolk County Community College and the campus of Pilgrim

Psychiatric Center. Existing views typical of the project area as indicated in Figure S-1 follow:

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Figure S.2: Location #1 - Ramp ‘Q’ connection from westbound LIE North C-D Road (906B) to

southbound Sagtikos Parkway

Figure S.3: Location #2 - Ramp ‘Q’ connection from eastbound and westbound Long Island

Expressway C-D Roads to southbound Sagtikos Parkway

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Figure S.4: Location #3 - Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at the Pilgrim State Hospital exit/entrance

ramps

Figure S.5: Location #4 - Northbound Sagtikos Parkway approaching Ramp “E” to the eastbound LIE

South C-D Road (906A)

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Figure S.6: Location #5 - Ramp ‘C’ connection to eastbound LIE South C-D Road (906A)

Figure S.7: Location #6 - Eastbound LIE South C-D Road (906A) at Ramp ‘D’ connection to northbound

Sagtikos Parkway

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Figure S.8: Location #7 – Eastbound LIE South C-D Road (906A) at Ramp ‘B’ connection to


Figure S.9: Location #8 – Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) looking southeast

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Figure S.10: Location #9 - Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) looking southeast at Pilgrim State Hospital exit

and entrance drives

Figure S.11: Location #10 - Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at merge with Ramp ‘Q’ from Long Island

Expressway

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Visual Quality of Project Area

Because of the low visual quality of the adjacent commercial land use, the overall existing visual

quality of the project area along the Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) corridor is only fair. The wooded

sections of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) add some rural character to the area, but this is quickly

interrupted by land uses of unremarkable visual value. Similarly, the visual quality along the South C-

D Road of the Long Island Expressway is equally unexceptional mostly due to the very large scale of

the expressway and its expansiveness. The visual quality along the Sagtikos Parkway on the other

hand is much higher as it is a fully landscape, limited access, cars-only, historic parkway planned

and constructed with directed view sheds and vistas of bucolic interest.

Viewer Groups and Viewer Exposure

Two major viewer group types have been identified based on observations of land use, access and

circulation. While some of these viewer groups share similar if not identical views, the groups differ in

their degree of sensitivity to the surrounding views due to the viewer’s activity, awareness and

duration of viewing time. These viewer groups include:

• Motorists, including cars, trucks and buses, on the Long Island Expressway North and South C-

D Roads and Ramps and Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) and the cars-only mororists on the

Sagtikos Parkway and;

• Workers in and visitors to the office and commercial properties immediately adjacent to the

corridor and pedestrians and cyclists along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13).

Motorists on the LIE North and South C-D Roads and Ramps and Crooked Hill Road (CR 13)

With an annualized average volume of 24,000 ADT vehicles using the LIE South C-D Road and

Ramps and 13,700 ADT vehicles on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) on a daily basis, Cars, truck and buses

traveling to, adjacent, and through the project site make up the project’s largest viewer group and

have the greatest viewer exposure to the project’s effects.

Summary: Motorists on the LIE South C-D Road (906A) and Ramps, and Crooked Hill Road (CR 13)

Sensitivity Low to Medium

Duration of View Generally short, varies with travel speeds

Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway and Ramps

The Sagtikos Parkway and Ramps have an annualized average volume of 90,000 ADT vehicles on a

daily basis, motorists traveling to, adjacent, and through the project site. Their visual quality and

travel experience is slightly different that those motorists on the LIE system and along Crooked Hill

Road (CR 13). Because of the planned nature of the parkway driving context.

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Summary: Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway

Sensitivity Medium

Duration of View Generally short, varies with travel speeds

Commercial Workers and Visitors and Pedestrians and Cyclists

Workers and visitors to the commercial properties along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) s immediately

adjacent to the project corridor looking towards the new ramp improvements view the project

corridor only on a sporadic basis as they walk to and from their vehicles into and out of the

commercial establishment they are visiting. Workers in the higher floors of the Family Services

League building could have longer duration views. The few pedestrians found along Crooked Hill

Road (CR 13) may have sustained views of the project improvement based on their travel rate,

location and purpose.

Summary: Workers, Visitors, and Pedestrians and Cyclists

Sensitivity Workers and Visitors: Low

Pedestrians and Cyclists: Medium to High

Duration of View Workers and Visitors: Short and Intermittent

Pedestrians and Cyclists: Medium to Long

Visual Environment of Landscape Units

FHWA guidelines define a Landscape Units as “: Defined areas within the [Area of Visual Effect] that

have similar visual features and homogeneous visual character and frequently, a single viewshed.

An “outdoor room.” Typically, the spatial unit used for assessing visual impacts.” This VIA identifies

four landscape units:

• The LIE North and South C-D Roads and Ramps;

• Crooked Hill Road (CR 13);

• The Sagtikos Parkway and Ramps, and;

• Commercial and Pedestrian and Cyclist Areas within the Project Limits.

This section provides an analysis of each of the three landscape units, including for each unit:

• a general description of the unit;

• the viewer group(s) considered;

• the viewer’s perspectives (viewer position);

• the features viewed by each group; and

• comments on the quality of the view.

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Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE North and South C-D Road and Ramps

Viewer Group: Motorists traveling on either the Long Island Expressway North and South C-D Road or

their ramps predominately see a typical limited access expressway road and its usual

appurtenances (light poles, signs, guide rail, bridges etc.), its immediate edges such as travel lanes

or grassy shoulders and clear zones and the occasional treed landscape outside the right-of-way.

Views from both the LIE North and South C-D Roads and the LIE Ramps are intermittently wooded

and the landscape character is semi-rural.

Perspective: All views are from inside a moving motor vehicle (car, truck, or bus), either as the driver

or observing as a passenger.

Features: Both the LIE North and South C-D Roads and its ramps are high speed, high capacity

highways with multiple lanes and large horizontal and vertical curves. All facilities are in generally

good condition.

View Quality: The view quality is generally good. While there are no notable landscape views, vistas

or features found within the study area, the overall visual quality is not unpleasant.

Landscape Unit #2: Motorists on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13)

Viewer Group: Motorists traveling along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), a county road with two travel

lanes north of Pilgrim Center Road and four travel lanes south of there, see a mix of visual conditions.

Portions of the two-lane Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), mostly north of the Family Services League office

building, are flanked with wooded lands that constrict lateral views. This changes quickly to a

variety of commercial uses with one and two-story building of unremarkable characteristics

exhibiting a low visual value as the viewer get closer to the Long Island Expressway. South of Pilgrim

Center Entrance Road, a four-lane roadway section is more open along its sides and suburban in

character, especially when it passes over the Sagtikos Parkway and in the vicinity of College Road

south of the Sagtikos.

Perspective: All views are from inside a motor vehicle (car, truck, or bus), moving or stationary,

either as the driver or observing as a passenger.

Features: The roadway is relatively flat and is flanked on one or both sides with wooden utility poles,

has narrow shoulders with a pavement that is in generally good condition. Commercial driveways

are intermittent.

View Quality: The view quality is fair as there are no notable landscape views, vistas or features

found within the study area. It is an unremarkable Suffolk County urban minor arterial facility without

unique visual features or attributes.

Landscape Unit #3: Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway and Ramps

Viewer Group: Motorists traveling on either Sagtikos Parkway or its ramps predominately see a

landscaped parkway with a thickly planted center median and a limited-access road with its usual

appurtenances. The light poles, signs, guide rails and historic bridges aid in creating the character

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and context through which the motorist travels. The Parkway’s immediate edges are grassy

shoulder and clear zones and a treed landscape of mixed pines, oaks and maples beyond the right-

of-way. Views from the Sagtikos Parkway are predominately wooded, and the landscape

character is one that is planned and predominately rural.

Perspective: All views are from inside a moving motor vehicle (cars only), either as the driver or

observing as a passenger.

Features: The Sagtikos Parkway and its connecting ramps are components of a high speed, high

capacity highway system with multiple lanes in each direction and large horizontal and vertical

curves. All facilities are in generally good condition.

View Quality: The view quality is generally good. While there are no notable landscape views, vistas

or features found within the study area, the overall visual quality is pleasant.

Landscape Unit #4: Commercial Workers and Visitors, Pedestrians and Bicyclists within the Project

Limits

Viewer Group: Workers in and visitors to the commercial properties immediately adjacent to the

corridor and Pedestrians along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13).

Perspective: Viewers in the upper floors of the Family Service League building have a view of

Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), LIE Ramps ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘Q’, and the Sagtikos Parkway. Viewers from the

uppermost floors of Pilgrim Psychiatric Center hospital building #25 facing east have slightly similar

views but more distant and filtered. Due to the presence of the Family Service League and bus

stops along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), there is more pedestrian traffic on this road than one would

anticipate in such a semi-rural setting with no residential neighborhoods as the one this project is in.

This section of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) is a designated bicycle route within Suffolk County, so

cyclists are occasionally present as well. The occasional pedestrian and bicyclist viewer along

Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) have views of the road and the immediate adjacent areas that are

location dependent.

Features: The features in this landscape unit are the roads and driveways, one and two-story

commercial buildings along the west side of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) in its northern section and

the vegetation along both edges of the road where trees are present.

View Quality: The view quality from the commercial areas immediately surrounding the project site is

generally low. The view quality for pedestrians and cyclists is equally unimpressive.

IV. Impacts on Visual Resources

Proposed Conditions

The Preferred Alternative would provide a new westbound off-ramp from the Long Island

Expressway’s North C-D Road to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) via Ramp “QC” and a new eastbound

off-ramp from the Long Island Expressway’s South C-D Road to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) via Ramp

“BC”.

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The Preferred Alternative would also include a connection from Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) just west

of the nursery materials yard to the Long Island Expressway’s South C-D Road eastbound via new

Ramp “CEB”. This new connection would require an underpass to be built underneath Ramps ‘Q’

and ‘B’. A new connection (Ramp “CEB”) would be built to merge with existing loop Ramp ‘C’ and

provide eastbound access to the Long Island Expressway’s South C-D Road. A second new

connection to Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) would be made from Ramp ‘Q’ via new Ramp “QC”.

Existing Ramp ‘D’ is proposed to be modified to provide the same weave distance along the Long

Island Expressway’s South Service Road between Ramps ‘C’ and ‘D’ while still providing the same

connection it does currently.

Visual Impacts

Five key viewpoints within the project limits were selected for illustration and analysis of potential

impacts from the No-Build and Preferred alternatives to various landscape units. The viewpoints are

representative of views from certain key viewer locations within the project limits. The locations of

these viewpoints are shown on the existing views map in Figure S.2. They are:

• Location #1 – View on Ramp ‘Q’ connection from westbound LIE North C-D Road (906B) to


➢ Impacted Landscape Units:

Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE North C-D Road and Ramps


• Location #3 – View on the Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at the Pilgrim State Hospital

exit/entrance ramps.



• Location #7 – View on the LIE South C-D Road (906A) at Ramp ‘B’ to southbound Sagtikos

Parkway


Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE South C-D Road and Ramps

• Location #8 – View on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) looking southeast



Landscape Unit #4: Commercial Workers and Visitors, Pedestrians and Bicyclists within

the Project Limits

• Location #10 - Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at merge with Ramp “QB” from Long Island

Expressway



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Figure S.2: Proposed Visualization Locations

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Impacts of Project on Viewpoints and Viewer Groups within the Landscape Units

As stated in the Proposed Conditions narrative above, the Preferred Alternative provides three new

ramp connections to and from Crooked Hill Road (CR 13). New Ramp ‘BC’ and Ramp ‘CEB’ will go

through an area between Recharge Basin #99 and the landscape nursery materials yard that is

presently mostly wooded. The removal of all the vegetation in this area to construct those new

ramps will be a major visual change. Similarly, where new Ramp ‘QC’ diverges from the existing

Ramp ‘Q’, it too will be located in an area that is currently wooded and the removal of the

vegetation necessary to construct the ramp will be extensive. Where these new ramps create new

signalized intersections with Crooked Hill Road (CR 13), major physical and visual changes to the

current visual character of Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) will occur. The widening of the southbound

Sagitkos Parkway to construct a widened acceleration lane will also alter the existing visual

character of the Sagtikos Parkway. The shifting/realignment of LIE Ramps ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ will have

an inconsequential visual impact to the visual character of the Long Island Expressway.

The potential impacts of the project upon viewers within the four Landscape Units described and

the five selected viewpoints are anticipated to vary with sensitivity to the view and the extent that

the view would be modified. Included in this section are illustrations which depict the effects of the

project on each viewpoint.

Photo Simulations

The following photo simulations depict the potential visual impact of the proposed project on the

existing visual condition:

Location #1 – View on Ramp ‘Q’ connection from westbound LIE North C-D Road (906B) to


Impacted Landscape Units:

Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE North C-D Road and Ramps


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Location #1 - Existing View on Ramp “Q”

Location #1 – Perspective Showing Preferred Alternative Improvements

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Location #1 – Aerial Showing Preferred Alternative Improvements

Figure S.12: Location #1 – Existing and Proposed Views

Location #3 – View on the Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at the Pilgrim State Hospital exit/entrance

ramps.



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Location #3 – Existing View on Southbound Sagtikos Parkway


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Location #7 – View on the LIE South C-D Road (906A) at Ramp ‘B’ to southbound Sagtikos Parkway


Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE South C-D Road and Ramps

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Location #7 – Existing View on LIE South C-D Road Approaching Ramp ‘B’


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Location #8 – View on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) looking southeast



Landscape Unit #4: Commercial Workers and Visitors, Pedestrians and Bicyclists within the Project

Limits

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Location #8 – Existing View on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) Looking Southeast


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Location #10 - Southbound Sagtikos Parkway at merge with Ramp “QB” from Long Island

Expressway (I-495)



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Location #10 – Existing View on southbound Sagtikos Parkway


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Visual Impacts Summary

This summary is based on the visual impacts determined by an analysis of the key views, the

identification the key viewer groups and their exposure and sensitivity to their existing visual context,

the changes proposed to the existing visual context and, of the visual simulations presented above.

The following visual impacts have been identified:

• The extensive removal of the existing vegetation north of Recharge Basin #99 where new

Ramp ‘BC’ diverges from the existing Ramp ‘B’ will be a negative visual impact to the visual

character of existing Ramp ‘B’, (Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE Ramps and,

Landscape Unit #3: Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway);

• Similarly, the extensive removal of existing vegetation to construct new Ramps ‘BC’, ‘CEB’

and ‘QC’ where they intersect with Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) too will be a major change

and a negative visual impact to the visual character of those portions of Crooked Hill Road

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(CR 13), (Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE Ramps and the Sagtikos Parkway and,

Landscape Unit #3: Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway).

• Where the new ramps create new signalized intersections with Crooked Hill Road (CR 13),

major physical and visual changes to the current visual character of Crooked Hill Road (CR

13) will occur, (Landscape Unit #2: Motorists on Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) and, Landscape

Unit #4: Commercial Workers and Visitors, Pedestrians and Bicyclists within the Project Limits);

• The extensive removal of existing vegetation to construct new Ramp ‘QC’ will be seen by the

workers and visitors to the Family Service League building and to a lesser extent, workers and

visitors to the hospital building at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center. Additionally, the removal of the

buffer vegetation along the southbound Sagtikos Parkway for the construction of new Ramp

‘QC’ will be seen and this cumulative change to the existing visual condition would be

considered a negative visual impact (Landscape Unit #1: Motorists on the LIE Ramps,

Landscape Unit #3: Motorists on the Sagtikos Parkway and, Landscape Unit #4: Commercial

Workers and Visitors, Pedestrians and Bicyclists within the Project Limits).

V. Recommended Measures to Mitigate Adverse Visual Impacts

Potential mitigation measures for the visual impacts described above could include:

• Take all practical measures to minimize the limits of disturbance and grading for new Ramps

‘BC’, ‘CEB’ and ‘QC’ to minimize the amount of tree and vegetation removal necessary;

• Provide additional major deciduous and evergreen trees and other landscape planting to

reestablish the existing vegetated buffer areas along the new ramps. Install street trees

along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13) where practical for better edge definition.

• Because the new bridges and retaining walls necessary to create the new Ramp ‘B’ and

Ramp ‘Q’ underpass over the new Ramp “CEB” would be perceived as a component of the

Sagtikos Parkway system, appropriate architectural treatment of the bridges and wall will be

necessary. This would include using stone formliners and concrete stains that are visually

compatible with the typical architectural treatments found on the bridges along the

Sagtikos.

VI. Unavoidable Visual Impacts

If the Preferred Alternative is implemented, some unavoidable visual impacts will occur within these

areas along the LIE South C-D Road (906A), the Sagtikos Parkway and Crooked Hill Road (CR 13).

These negative impacts are generally associated with any development or man-made construction

within a naturalistic setting. Highway system and community sensitive design and construction will

help minimize these negative.

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VII. Glossary of Terms

BACKGROUND - A distance zone used to describe the approximate distance of visual resources from

an observer. The background includes visual resources from approximately 5 miles to the horizon. Only

the line and form of visual objects in the background view perceptible.

COLOR - The third of the four basic elements of visual pattern; the hue (e.g. red or blue) and the value

(e.g. light or dark) of the light reflected or emitted by an object.

DISTANCE ZONES - Three conventional terms in painting --foreground, middle ground, background --

which can be helpful in describing distance relationships between observer and visual resources (See

Foreground, Middle Ground and Background for description).

DIVERSITY - The number of pattern elements as well as the variety among them, and edge relationships

between them.

DOMINANCE - Dominance of components or specific features in a scene may be dominant because

of prominent positioning, contrast, extent, or importance of pattern elements.

FOREGROUND - A distance zone used to describe the approximate distance of visual resources from

an observer. The foreground includes visual resources immediately in front of the viewer to a distance

of approximately 1/4 mile. All visual patterns in the foreground view (line, form, color and texture) are

easily seen and perceived.

FORM - One of the four basic elements of visual pattern (usually the strongest); the mass or shape of

an object.

INTACTNESS - The integrity of visual order in the nature and man-built landscape, and the extent to

which the landscape is free from visual encroachment.

LANDSCAPE FORM (LANDSCAPE SUBUNIT)- A landform or landcover mass composed of

heterogeneous visual elements, but distinguished from surrounding areas by overall [form, pattern,

and edge. Landscape forms have physical dimensions and a specific location.

LANDSCAPE UNIT (LANDSCAPE DISTRICT) - (a) An area or volume of distinct landscape character

which forms a spatially enclosed unit at ground level; it may include more than one landscape type;

(b) The extent of a single landscape type which is not spatially enclosed at ground level.

LINE - Geometrically, a point that has been extended, or the intersection of two planes,

e.g. a silhouette, or a boundary between patterns in the landscape. It’s the second strongest of the

four basic visual pattern elements.

LOCAL VALVES AND GOALS - The landscape setting and its visual resources may be valued by local

view groups for reasons not evident in an assessment based strictly on visual resources and not widely

known outside the community.

MIDDLE GROUND - A distance zone used to describe the approximate distance of visual resources

from an observer. The middle ground includes visual resources from approximately 1/4 mile to 3 miles

away. Line, form and color are easily seen and perceived, but the texture of visual objects is not

perceptible.

OBSERVER POSITION - A term employed to describe the observer's elevational relationship between

himself and the landscape he sees. It is used to indicate if he is essentially below, essentially at the

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same level, or essentially above the visual objective. Three specific terms are used: 1) observer inferior,

view below object; 2) observer normal, view on level of object; 3) observer superior, viewer above

object.

OBSERVER VIEWPOINT - A point from which a select view is analyzed and/or evaluated.

PATTERN CHARACTER COMPATIBILITY - The degree to which the visual character of the highway blends

with that of the surrounding landscape, in terms of dominance, scale, diversity and continuity; related

to intactness and lack of encroachment.

PATTERN ELEMENT COMPATIBILITY (DISCORDANCE) - The degree to which the line, form, color, and

texture of the highway and related facilities conform, rather than contrast, to the basic visual pattern

of the landscape setting; related to the vividness of highway in its setting.

SCALE - Visual scale is the apparent size relationships between landscape components or features

and their surroundings.

SIGHTLINE - The unobstructed line of sight between an observer and viewed object.

TEXTURE - The visual or tactile surface characteristic of various elements in the landscape; often the

least dominant of the four visual pattern elements.

UNIQUENESS - A resource-oriented criterion: a visual resource, visual character, or visual quality which

is rare or uncommonly found at a regional or national scale.

UNITY - The degree to which the visual resources of the landscape join together to form

a coherent, harmonious visual pattern. Unity refers to the compositional harmony or intercompatibility

between landscape elements.

VIEW - A scene observed from a given vantage point.

VIEW CORRIDOR - A narrow, distant view of a visual resource confined and framed by visual objects.

An example would be the distant view of a mountain from a street lined with tall buildings.

VIEWER RESPONSE - Measures of viewer response to change in visual resources include view exposure,

viewer sensitivity, cultural significance and local values.

VIEWER EXPOSURE - The degree to which viewers are exposed to a view by their physical location,

numbers viewing and duration of the view.

VIEWER GROUPS - Classes of viewers differentiated by their visual response to the highway and its

setting; response is affected by viewer activity, awareness and values.

VIEWER SENSITIVITY - The viewer's variable receptivity to the elements within the environment that

he/she is viewing, affected by viewer activity and awareness. A person cannot readily notice every

object and all the attributes of the objects that compose the total visual environment.

VIEWSHED - I) All the surface areas visible from an observer's viewpoint; 2) Surface areas from which a

critical object or viewpoint is seen.

VISUAL CHARACTER - The visual character of a landscape is formed...by the order of the patterns

composing it. The elements of these patterns are the form, line, color and texture of the landscape's

visual resources. Their interrelationships can be objectively described in terms of dominance, diversity,

continuity and so on.

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(VISUAL) COGNITION - The process of recognizing visual relationships among objects and between

objects and their setting.

VISUAL COMPATIBILITY (DISCORDANCE) - The degree to which development with specific visual

characteristics is visually unified with its setting. Visual compatibility can be elevated with reference to

Pattern Elements and Pattern Character.

VISUAL IMPACT - The degree of change in visual resources and viewer responses to those resources

caused by highway development and operations.

VISUAL INFORMATION - Visual information in a landscape is: a) The identity of landscape components

or features such as mountains, valleys, rivers, forests, towns or highways; b) The message conveyed by

signs and symbols in verbal or graphic form.

VISUAL PATTERN ELEMENTS - Form, line, color, texture.

VISUAL QUALITY - While many factors contribute to a landscape's visual quality, they can ultimately

be grouped under three headings: Vividness, Intactness and Unity.

VISUAL RESOURCES - The appearance of the features that make up the visible landscape. This includes

land, water, vegetative, animal, and other features that are visible on all national resource lands.

VIVIDNESS (DISTINCTIVENESS) - The memorability of the visual impression received from contrasting

landscape elements as they combine to form a striking and distinctive visual pattern.

Documents

APPENDIX S Visual Impact Study - NYSDOT Home · 2019. 12. 6. · corridor and pedestrians and cyclists along Crooked Hill Road (CR 13). Motorists on the LIE North and South C-D Roads