[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27021]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 1, 1994]


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POSTAL SERVICE

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

 

U.S. Court Facilities in Brooklyn and Reuse of General Post 
Office Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCIES: Postal Service, General Services Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service and the United States General 
Services Administration are issuing this notice to advise the public 
that an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared and considered 
for proposed Federal Court Facilities and reuse of the General Post 
Office in Brooklyn, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Leon Levine, Environmental Specialist, United States Postal 
Service, P.O. Box 40591, Philadelphia, PA 19197-0591
Mr. Peter A. Sneed, Director, Planning Staff, Public Buildings Service, 
U.S. General Services Administration, 26 Federal Plaza--Room 1609, New 
York, NY 10278

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The United States Postal Service (USPS) and 
the United States General Services Administration (GSA) will prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Federal Court 
project. The project will entail reuse and modernization as well as 
partial infill construction of the Brooklyn General Post Office 
building; demolition of the existing Celler Federal Office Building and 
construction of a new, larger court building in its place; and 
modernization of the existing Courthouse. The General Post Office 
Building, located at 271 Cadman Plaza East, across Tillary Street from 
the Emanuel Celler Federal Office Building and Courthouse at 225 Cadman 
Plaza East, is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic 
Places, and is a designated New York City Landmark. The two parcels 
total approximately 4 acres and the three existing buildings contain 
approximately 1,011,000 gross square feet. As proposed, the project 
would provide approximately 1,531,000 gross square feet, and would 
provide space for the Federal Courts, the U.S. Attorney, the U.S. 
Marshals Service, and various support functions. A portion of the 
ground floor of the General Post Office Building would continue to 
house a retail postal facility. The proposed project is being 
undertaken to serve the dual needs of USPS, which seeks an appropriate 
reuse for the General Post Office building, now that its mail-
processing functions have been relocated to a new facility in the 
Spring Creek area of Brooklyn, and GSA, which needs to accommodate the 
projected space requirements of the Federal Courts and related 
agencies.
    The EIS will evaluate alternative sites and designs for the 
proposed court facilities and reuse of the General Post Office as well 
as the No Build alternative. The EIS will assess impacts on the 
affected environment, including the following resource areas: land use 
and community facilities, historic resources, visual character, 
economics, traffic and transportation, air quality, noise, hazardous 
materials, and utilities. Construction impacts will also be assessed.
    The EIS is being prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its implementing regulations and 
procedures as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the 
USPS Facilities Environmental Handbook, and the GSA PBS Handbook 
Preparation of Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact 
Statements. To ensure that the full range of issues and alternatives 
relating to the proposed project are addressed, comments and 
suggestions are being solicited. To facilitate the receipt of comments, 
a public scoping meeting will be held on November 15, 1994, from 2 PM 
to 4 PM and 7 PM to 9 PM in the Dibner Library Auditorium, Polytechnic 
University, CATT Building, 5 Metrotech Center, Brooklyn, NY. Written 
comments may be mailed to either of the informational contact persons 
identified above no later than December 2, 1994.

    Dated: October 24, 1994.
Dennis E. Wamsley,
USPS Realty Asset Management.

    Dated: October 26, 1994.
Karen R. Adler,
Regional Administrator, GSA.
[FR Doc. 94-27021 Filed 10-31-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-23-M