[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 119 (Tuesday, June 22, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 33274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15796]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Hearing and Extension of the Public Comment
Period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Disposal
and Reuse of Surplus Navy Property Identified in the Guam Land Use Plan
(GLUP '94)
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the DEIS for Disposal
and Reuse of Surplus Navy Property Identified in the Guam Land Use Plan
(GLUP '94). Navy announced locally that a public hearing would be held
on June 24, 1999 at the Guam Hilton for the purpose of receiving oral
and written comments on the DEIS. This notice announces to the public
that Navy is extending the public comment period for the DEIS until
July 30, 1999 and rescheduling the public hearing that was previously
announced locally in Territory of Guam Newspapers and direct mailings.
Federal and Government of Guam agencies, interested individuals, and
organizations are invited to be present or represented at the public
meeting that is hereby rescheduled as show below.
DATES: The public meeting will be held on July 15, 1999 at 7:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Guam Hilton, Marianas Ballroom, 202 Pale San Vitores Road,
Tumon, Guam 96931.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gerald Gibbons (PLN231GG), Pacific
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 258 Makalapa Drive,
Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134, telephone (808) 471-9338,
facsimile (808) 474-5909.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by Council on
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Navy
has prepared and filed with the EPA the DEIS for Disposal and Reuse of
Surplus Navy Property Identified in the GLUP '94. A Notice of Intent
(NOI) to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal Register on April
10, 1998. A public scoping meeting announcement was published on April
18, 19, and 20, 1998, in the Pacific Daily News on Guam. A public
scoping meeting was held on May 7, 1998 at the Chamorro Village Main
Pavilion, Paseo Complex, Agana, Guam. The notice of availability of the
DEIS was published in the Federal Register on May 21, 1999.
The proposed action is the disposal of approximately 2,798 acres of
surplus Navy property in the Territory of Guam in a manner consistent
with the reuse identified by the local redevelopment authority, the
Guam Economic Development Authority (GEDA), in its Reuse Plan for GLUP
'94 Navy Surplus Properties. The property covered in the EIS has been
divided into 20 parcels located in Dededo, Tiyan, Tamuning, Barrigada,
Nimitz Hill, Apra Heights, Naval Station, Piti, and Santa Rita.
Nineteen parcels were identified as releasable in the GLUP '94. One
parcel, the Officers Housing site at Naval Air Station (NAS) Agana, was
not considered in the GLUP '94 but was recommended for disposal as part
of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision. This parcel
was included in GEDA's Reuse Plan and is included in the scope of this
EIS.
The DEIS evaluates three reuse alternatives and a ``No Action''
Alternative. The reuse alternatives are based upon conceptual land use
plans documented in GEDA's Reuse Plan and approved by Governor Carl
T.C. Gutierrez of Guam. Each reuse alternative proposes various land
uses, e.g., residential, commercial, etc., as well as roadway
improvements. The ``No Action'' Alternative assumes Navy's retention of
the parcels in caretaker status and continuation of existing leases
according to their terms.
The Preferred Alternative recommended by GEDA consists of the
following elements: retention of open space for recreation and
conservation, single-family affordable housing, a golf resort,
commercial centers, warehouse and light industrial space, and
agricultural activities. The EIS also evaluates reuse alternatives with
lower and higher intensities of development. The Lower Intensity
Alternative would retain more open space and involve renovation rather
than expansion of certain facilities and less new construction. The
Higher Intensity Alternative would provide more new construction, and
development densities would approach the maximum allowed under local
zoning.
Except for traffic and air quality impacts at one intersection,
potentially significant impacts under all of the reuse alternatives can
be mitigated to nonsignificant levels. The impacts which can be
mitigated by the local reuse authority to nonsignificant levels include
infrequent exceedance of air quality standards during peak-hour traffic
at intersections, incompatible land uses and noise, effects on cultural
resources, traffic congestion at key intersections, increases in school
enrollment in three districts due to new housing development, and
cumulative impacts on health care, police, fire, and civil defense
services. Unacceptable traffic conditions at the intersection of Route
1 and Route 16 would occur with or without the proposed reuse.
Mitigation would compensate for the reuse component of traffic at this
intersection, but it would still remain above capacity. The following
potentially significant but mitigable impacts are identified for the
Higher Intensity Alternative: inadequate capacity of the Agana
wastewater treatment plant during peak flow conditions, cumulative
solid waste impacts, and impacts of the proposed power plant at Rizal/
Aflleje beach on the marine environment. The ``No Action'' Alternative
has the least potential for environmental impacts and demands on Guam's
infrastructure.
The DEIS has been distributed to agencies and other interested
parties. Copies may be reviewed at the Agana, Barrigada, Dededo,
Merizo, and Yona public libraries. A limited number of single copies
are available upon request from the contact listed above. A public
hearing will be held on July 15, 1999 at the Guam Hilton to inform the
public of the DEIS findings and to solicit and receive oral and written
comments. Government agencies and interested parties are invited to be
present at the hearing. Oral comments will be heard and transcribed by
a court recorder; written comments are also requested to ensure
accuracy of the record. All comments, both oral and written, will
become part of the official record. In the interest of available time,
each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to three minutes.
Longer comments should be summarized at the public hearing and
submitted in writing either at the hearing or mailed to Mr. Gerald
Gibbons at the address given above. Comments must be postmarked no
later than July 30, 1999 to be considered in the Final EIS.
Dated: June 19, 1999.
Ralph W. Corey,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Alternate Federal
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-15796 Filed 6-21-99; 8:45 am]
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