[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 85 (Monday, May 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24570-24571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11716]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Fort Baker Comprehensive Plan, Golden Gate National Recreation 
Area, Marin County, California; Notice of Intent To Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area is undertaking a conservation planning and impact 
analysis process to identify and assess potential impacts of alternate 
management concepts for future activities at the Fort Baker area. 
Notice is hereby given that the National Park Service will prepare a 
draft environmental impact statement and comprehensive plan.

Background

    Fort Baker is within the boundary of Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area (GGNRA), a unit of the National Park System comprised 
of coastal lands in Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, 
California. Fort Baker (just north of the Golden Gate Bridge) is a 
historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. It has 
over one and one-half miles of San Francisco Bay shoreline, and habitat 
for the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly is found on hillsides above 
developed portions of the site. More than 170,000 visitors annually use 
the Bay Area Discovery Museum (a Fort Baker educational opportunity 
created within several rehabilitated historic buildings which were 
transferred to the National Park Service in 1986). Portions of the site 
still under the jurisdiction of the

[[Page 24571]]

Army, including over 70 acres of land and 50 historic buildings, will 
be transferred to the NPS by 2001. Also included in the transfer will 
be over 180 acres of San Francisco Bay tidelands.
    The conservation planning and impact analysis process will focus 
primarily on lands and buildings to be transferred by the Army to the 
National Park Service (NPS), with consideration of the site as a whole. 
Concepts for the use and development of this site were approved in the 
1980 General Management Plan (1980 GMP) for GGNRA, including the use of 
historic buildings for a conference center, restoration of a natural 
beach and waterfront, and general site improvements to better 
accommodate park visitors.

Proposal Alternatives Developed to Date

    The proposed activities currently include the following: 
Rehabilitation of historic buildings, possible use of non-historic 
buildings and potential limited new construction to accommodate an 
education and retreat center; restoration of the beach and waterfront 
to enhance natural values and improve visitor access; modification of 
the marina and boat house to accommodate public uses; protection of 
sensitive natural resources; expansion to accommodate the needs of the 
existing Bay Area Discovery Museum and the Coast Guard Station; and 
improvements to vehicle and pedestrian access and circulation.
    Other alternatives currently being evaluated include the following: 
for use of the historic buildings--an emphasis on park-partner 
programs, residential academy of environmental sciences and arts for 
school-aged youth, and general residential uses; for the waterfront--
retaining the bulkhead, protecting the filled former beach with rip-
rap, and including a more urban landscape treatment of the waterfront; 
for the marina--retaining the current marina development as a public 
facility and converting its use to accommodate only short-term moorings 
for park visitors; for the non-historic residences--removal or 
retention and rehabilitation to support the use of historic structures; 
for the Coast Guard Station and Bay Area Discovery Museum--retaining 
them at their current size with no expansion.
    Specific outcomes of this conservation planning and impact analysis 
process are a comprehensive plan for Fort Baker, including a building 
re-use plan, a developed area plan and a waterfront design. The plan 
will amend the 1980 GMP. Additional information about Fort Baker can be 
found on the Internet at http://www.nps.gov/goga/fortbaker/
fortbaker.htm.

Scoping To Date/Decision Process

    A Federal Register notice, published August 19, 1997 to initiate 
the scoping process for environmental analysis, indicated no decision 
had been made about whether to prepare an Environmental Assessment or 
Environmental Impact Statement. Scoping activities were undertaken in 
fall 1997. These included tours of Fort Baker, a public workshop, and 
planning presentations (including the scoping document and proposed 
alternatives) made at GGNRA Advisory Commission meetings in winter 
1997-1998. A brochure describing the planning process and preliminary 
alternatives and issues was also distributed to the public. Upon 
consideration of public responses obtained through this scoping effort, 
it has been determined that an Environmental Impact Statement will be 
prepared.
    All comments received during the initial scoping phase have been 
documented and will be considered during EIS preparation. Interested 
individuals, organizations and agencies wishing to provide additional 
comments or suggestions, or wishing to now be added to the project 
mailing list, should respond to: Fort Baker EIS; Attn: Nancy Hornor, 
Fort Mason; Golden Gate National Recreation Area; San Francisco, CA 
94123. Any new comments must be postmarked no later than thirty (30) 
days following publication of this notice (or if via e-mail, 
transmitted no later than this date to [email protected]).
    Availability of the Draft EIS (DEIS) for review and written comment 
will be announced by formal Notice, via local and regional news media, 
and direct mailing. At this time the DEIS is anticipated to be 
available for public review during summer 1998, and that subsequently a 
Final EIS (FEIS) will be completed in fall/winter 1998. To afford an 
additional comment opportunity on the DEIS, public meetings will be 
held through the GGNRA Advisory Commission (full details on dates and 
locations for these sessions may be obtained from the project contact 
noted above). Notice of the Record of Decision will be published in the 
Federal Register not sooner than thirty (30) days after the FEIS is 
distributed. The official responsible for the decision is the Regional 
Director, Pacific West Region, National Park Service; the official 
responsible for implementation will be the Superintendent, Golden Gate 
National Recreation Area. A solicitation, evaluation, and selection 
process will follow completion of the above process to select a partner 
to implement the selected plan for the historic buildings and possible 
other elements of the plan.

    Dated: April 15, 1998.
Patricia L. Neubacher,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West.
[FR Doc. 98-11716 Filed 5-1-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-70-P