Acoustics, Noise, Vibration and Air Quality Archives

Private Membership Club: State Liquor Authority Acoustical Due Diligence in a Landmark Urban Setting

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. provided comprehensive acoustical consulting services for a proposed private membership club at 656 6th Avenue, located at the corner of West 20th Street, in Manhattan’s Flatiron District. The project involved the adaptive reuse of a deconsecrated former church into a multi-level, high-end hospitality venue offering dining, social, cultural, and co-working spaces, along … Read more

Commercial Music / Noise Code Compliance

The Edge at Hudson Yards hosts an event venue perched atop Manhattan’s skyline that holds commercial music events. In response to noise complaints from neighboring residential units, GZA was engaged to conduct a comprehensive noise study. Challenge The project faced the challenge of measuring and mitigating noise transmission between a bustling commercial venue and … Read more

Mixed Use Development Acoustic Study

GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. provided comprehensive acoustical consulting services for a proposed Mixed-Use Development on a parcel of land located along Highland Avenue in Cheshire, Connecticut. The proposed mixed use development is slated to include a sit-down restaurant, two light industrial buildings, a supportive housing building, a cold storage building, associated parking, and a wooded area … Read more

Solar Energy Site Noise Modeling & Compliance

GZA was engaged to conduct a comprehensive noise study, including ambient monitoring, acoustic modeling, and regulatory analysis for a proposed solar development in Suffolk, VA. Challenge Suffolk, VA’s noise ordinance requires solar facilities to keep noise levels below 45 dB(A) at residential property lines within 500 feet of any equipment, with additional penalties applied for … Read more

Berry Street Battery Energy Storage System Special Permit

Background Con Edison’s Water Street Network in Brooklyn is among its oldest electrical distribution networks. It has become stressed by the increasing electrical demands of robust real estate development and is increasingly impacted by extreme weather and coastal flooding events. To bolster the network’s reliability and resiliency, a private micro-utility, with approval from the New … Read more

Bruckner Boulevard School Facility Noise Study

Background During redevelopment of this turn of the century ice factory into a charter school facility, a noise E-Designation was required as part of New York City’s CEQR process. Challenge The property is situated on a busy section of heavily traveled Bruckner Boulevard and is adjacent to an active aggregate storage yard, surroundings with … Read more

CREATE Program Environmental Analysis, and Train Noise and Vibration Analysis

Background The Chicago Regional Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) program improvements are intended to reduce congestion experienced by freight and passenger rail lines throughout the Chicago area. GZA has evaluated noise, vibration, special waste, and natural resource impacts for more than 15 individual CREATE projects. The involvement of multiple regulatory bodies adds complexity: projects are … Read more

IDOT High Speed Rail Project – Chicago to St. Louis Tier 1 and 2 EIS and Environmental Services

Background GZA contributed to the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT’s) Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 284-mile-long Intercity High Speed Rail (HSR) Project between Chicago and St. Louis and Tier 2 EIS for related regional rail projects. Improvements to existing rail corridors and stations are being completed to accommodate the high-speed trains. … Read more

I-290/Eisenhower Expressway Improvements, EIS and Noise Studies

Challenge The Interstate 290 (I-290) Eisenhower Expressway improvement project, involving reconstruction and/or upgrades for the congested, 50-year-old multi-modal corridor, has a long history and has proceeded in phases commensurate with available funding. Public scrutiny of the project is high, particularly for the traffic noise. The high-profile nature of the project, dense urban development through which … Read more

Whitestone Residential Development Noise Study

GZA completed a comprehensive noise study during a rezoning process that amended a manufacturing district to a residential district. Several New York City public policies supported the rezoning, including initiatives that promoted affordable housing, equity, economic development, and sustainability. Challenge The property, housing a one-story structure, is adjacent to the heavily traveled Whitestone Expressway and … Read more