[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 76 (Monday, April 21, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19322-19323]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-10244]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Notice of Public Meeting and Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement
AGENCY: General Services Administration, National Capital Region Patent
and Trademark Office.
ACTION: Proposed construction and operation of a consolidated Patent
and Trademark Office in northern Virginia.
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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration and the Patent and
Trademark Office announce their intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed new consolidated Patent and
Trademark Office in northern Virginia and to conduct two public
meetings to discuss the proposal pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the
Council of Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508),
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as
amended, and in accordance with the Environmental Policies and
Procedures implemented by General Services Administration.
This Notice of Intent (NOI) initiates the formal environmental
review/scoping process for this project. A comprehensive Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) is considered to be the appropriate
environmental document for this project and it is expected that
completion of an EIS will discharge all obligations under Federal
environmental laws. Two public meetings will be held to determine the
significant issues related to the construction and operation of the new
consolidated Patent and Trademark Office. One will be held in Arlington
County and one will be held in the City of Alexandria, Virginia. The
meetings will serve as part of the formal environmental review/scoping
process for the preparation of the EIS that is required for this
project. The public is encouraged to submit written comments on the
potential impacts of the proposed Patent and Trademark Office buildings
at the alternative sites under consideration. The comments and
[[Page 19323]]
responses received on the alternatives and potential impacts, as a
result of this NOI, will be considered for the environmental document.
The public is encouraged to provide additional comments once the Draft
EIS is released. The General Services Administration anticipates that
release date to be January 1998.
The proposed consolidated Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) will
include approximately 2 million square feet in up to eight buildings
and will require between 3,500 to 7,000 parking spaces. It is proposed
to be located in northern Virginia in either Arlington County or the
City of Alexandria and is scheduled to be gully occupied by the year
2004. The EIS will analyze the environmental impacts and mitigation
options associated with five alternatives for the construction and
operation of the proposed PTO. At present those alternatives may
include: (1) construction of the PTO in Arlington at Crystal City
between the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Route 1 with
20th Street as the northern boundary and the overpass connecting
Route 1 to National Airport as the southern boundary; (2) construction
of the PTO in Alexandria in the Potomac Yards/Potomac Greens between
the George Washington Memorial Parkway and U.S. Route 1 south of Four
Mile Run and north of the Monroe Avenue Bridge; (3) construction of the
PTO at the Carlyle site in Alexandria at Dulaney Street and Eisenhower
Avenue between Elizabeth Lane and Carlyle Street; (4) construction of
the PTO in Alexandria at 2111 Eisenhower Avenue at the Eisenhower
Avenue Metro station; and, (5) a No Action Alternative which would not
result in a consolidated Patent and Trademark Office in northern
Virginia. Topics for environmental analysis will include the short-term
impacts of construction; the long-term impacts of site operations and
maintenance on land use, historic resources, visual resources,
physical-biological resources, public transportation, traffic and
parking, public services and utilities, and socio-economic conditions
within the project areas; and, the cumulative impacts associated with
this and other projects in the future.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The public meetings will be held:
Wednesday, June 4, 1997, 7:00 p.m.
Aurora Hills Recreation Center, 735 18th Street, Arlington,
Virginia,
Thursday, June 5, 1997, 7:30 p.m.
Alexandria City Hall, 301 King Street, Room 2000, Alexandria,
Virginia
Public meetings will be advertised in local and regional
newspapers. Adequate signs will be posted to direct meeting
participants. A short formal presentation will precede the request for
public comments. General Services Administration and the Patent and
Trademark Office representatives will be available at this meeting to
receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern. It is
important that Federal, regional, and local agencies, and interested
individuals and groups take this opportunity to identify environmental
concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the Draft
EIS. In the interest of available time, each speaker will be asked to
limit oral comments to ten (10) minutes. A document summarizing the
written and oral comments received will be prepared.
An Informational Packet will be available for review at the public
meetings or upon request to the GSA contact identified below. Agencies
and the general public are invited and are encouraged to provide
written comments on the scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of
oral comments at the public meeting. To the most helpful, environmental
review/scoping comments would clearly describe specific issues or
topics which the community believes the EIS should address.
DATES: All written statements regarding environmental review of the
proposed Patent and Trademark Office must be postmarked no later than
May 19, 1997 to the following address: General Services Administration,
Attn: Carl W. Winters, Property Acquisition and Realty Services
(WPEMC), 7th and D Streets, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20407.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Carl W. Winters, General
Services Administration, (202) 401-1025. E-mail [email protected]
Dated: April 14, 1997.
Douglas G. Benton,
Director, Property Acquisition and Realty Services Division, National
Capital Region.
[FR Doc. 97-10244 Filed 4-18-97; 8:45 am]
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