[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 13, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68872-68874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28838]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: General Services Administration; National Capital Region.

ACTION: Notice

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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration (GSA), National Capital

[[Page 68873]]

Region, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
the Development of the Southeast Federal Center, Washington, DC.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to enhance the value of the 
SEFC to the United States by realizing the Southeast Federal Center's 
potential and putting the site into productive reuse. Development is 
anticipated to be by transfer to the private sector in accordance with 
the SEFC Act. GSA envisions the development of a vibrant, urban, mixed-
used waterfront destination, offering a combination of uses--
commercial, residential, retail, and cultural--that will attract office 
workers, residents, and visitors from across the District and beyond.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Daniels, Project Executive, 
General Services Administration, National Capital Region at (202) 205-
5857. Please also call this number if special assistance is needed to 
attend and participate in the scoping meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The notice of intent is as follows:

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Development of the Southeast Federal Center, Washington, DC

    Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations 
(40 CFR part 1500-1508), and GSA Order PBS P1095.1F (Environmental 
Considerations in Decision Making, dated October 19, 1999), GSA 
proposes to prepare an EIS for the development of the Southeast Federal 
Center (SEFC)--a 44-acre underdeveloped, urban waterfront site in 
Washington, DC--in response to the Southeast Federal Center Public-
Private Development Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-407, hereafter ``the 
SEFC Act''). Not included in the 44 acres and not a part of this 
proposed action are 11 acres being developed separately as the site of 
the new U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Headquarters. The need 
for the proposed action arises because the SEFC--once an industrial 
area within the Washington Navy Yard--is underutilized. Its size and 
location in the heart of a neighborhood currently undergoing social and 
economic revitalization clearly indicate that it has great potential to 
become a unique waterfront destination with natural beauty, historic 
character (the site is eligible for historic district status), and 
quality architecture and urban design.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to enhance the value of the 
SEFC to the United States by realizing the SEFC's potential and putting 
the site into productive reuse. Development is anticipated to be by 
transfer to the private sector in accordance with the SEFC Act. GSA 
envisions the development of a vibrant, urban, mixed-used waterfront 
destination, offering a combination of uses--commercial, residential, 
retail, and cultural--that will attract office workers, residents, and 
visitors from across the District and beyond.
    In accordance with the SEFC Act, GSA intends to work with the 
private sector to develop a visionary, yet achievable, long-term 
development strategy for the site. To this end, GSA developed a Draft 
Illustrative Plan to provide a framework for the creation of a land use 
strategy for the SEFC. GSA issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) 
from developers interested in developing the site using the Draft 
Illustrative Plan as a guide. GSA did not seek specific development 
proposals in response to the RFQ. The agency's primary objective at 
that stage was to assess the quality and capabilities of potential 
developers. The FRQ will be followed by the issuance of a Request for 
Proposals (RFP) that will seek detailed proposals by qualified 
developers.
    GSA will integrate NEPA compliance with the development and 
procurement processes during the preparation of the EIS. The draft EIS 
will be prepared using the combination of the Draft Illustrative Plan, 
developers' responses to the RFQ, and the NEPA public scoping process 
to determine the reasonable range of alternatives.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    A preliminary group of development alternatives for the SEFC site 
that would be evaluated in the EIS has been developed by GSA, pending 
comment received during scoping and responses to the RFQ from potential 
developers. The alternatives generally follow a logical location 
preference of commercial/retail development on M Street and the west 
side of the site and residential/cultural development along the 
Anacostia River and the east side of the site:
    Alternative 1. Maximum commercial and retail with minimum 
residential and cultural land uses. The potential buildout would be 1.8 
million square feet (SF) commercial, 1,700 residential units (1.8 
million SF), 350,000 SF retail, and 20,000 SF cultural.
    Alternative 2. Maximum residential and cultural with minimum 
commercial and retail land uses. The potential build out would be 1.2 
million SF commercial, 2,700 residential units (2.9 million SF), 
160,000 SF retail, and 100,000 SF cultural
    Alternative 3. Maximum commercial and retail uses with minimum 
residential and cultural land uses, but arrayed differently on the site 
than under Alternative 1. The potential build out would be 1.8 million 
SF commercial, 1,700 residential units (1.8 million SF), 350,000 SF 
retail, and 20,000 SF cultural.
    Alternative 4. Maximum residential and cultural with minimum 
commercial and retail land uses, but arrayed differently on the site 
than under Alternative 2. The potential build out would be 1.2 million 
SF commercial, 2,700 residential units (2.9 million SF), 160,000 SF 
retail, and 100,000 SF cultural.
    Alternative 5. Maximum square footage of all four land uses: 1.8 
million SF commercial, 2,700 residential units (2.9 million SF), 
350,000 SF retail, and 100,000 SF cultural.
    No Build Alternative. No development under this proposed action 
with new commercial, retail, residential, or cultural land uses would 
occur on the 44-acre portion of the SEFC.
    GSA anticipates that the following categories of impacts will be 
addressed in the EIS: Land use, economic, community, environmental 
justice, transportation system, air quality, noise, hazardous waste, 
cultural resources, and natural systems. The EIS will also address 
methods to mitigate any significant impacts. GSA will comply with its 
obligations under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
to identify potential impacts to cultural resources on the SEFC site. 
Comments received during scoping may result in consideration of 
additional issues.

Scoping Process

    In accordance with NEPA, a scoping process will be conducted to aid 
in determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying 
the significant issues related to development of the SEFC. Scoping will 
be accomplished through a public scoping meeting, direct mail 
correspondence to potentially interested persons, agencies, and 
organizations, and meetings with agencies with an interest in the 
development of the SEFC. It is important that federal, regional, state, 
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.

[[Page 68874]]

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be held at Van Ness Elementary 
School, 1150 5th St., SE., Washington, DC on December 3, 2002, from 6 
to 8:30 pm. The meeting will be an informal open house, where visitors 
may come, receive information, discuss the proposal with study team 
members, give their comments, and leave anytime during the meeting 
period. GSA will publish notices announcing this meeting approximately 
two weeks prior to the meeting in the Washington Post, the Washington 
Times, and appropriate neighborhood newspapers, and through direct 
mailing to local and community organizations. GSA will prepare a 
scoping report, available to the public, that will summarize the 
comments received and facilitate their incorporation into the EIS 
process.
    Throughout the EIS process, information on the project and its 
progress may be found on the GSA website: http://www.gsa.gov/southeastfederalcenter
    Written Comments: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide 
written comments on the scoping issues in addition to or in lieu of 
giving their comments at the public scoping meeting. Written comments 
regarding the environmental analysis for the development of the SEFC 
must be postmarked no later than December 17, 2002 and sent to the 
following address: General Services Administration, Attention: Patricia 
Daniels, Project Executive, 7th & D Streets, SW., Suite 2002, 
Washington, DC 20407.

Scoping Meeting Place

    The meeting will be held at the following address: Van Ness 
Elementary School, 1150 5th St., SE., Washington, DC.
    Date: December 3, 2002.
    Time: 6 pm to 8:30 pm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Daniels, Project Executive, 
General Services Administration, National Capital Region, (202) 205-
5857. Please also call this number if special assistance is needed to 
participate in the scoping meeting.

    Dated: November 5, 2002.
Donald C. Williams,
Regional Administrator, National Capital Region, General Services 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-28838 Filed 11-12-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-23-M