[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 73 (Monday, April 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20160-20161]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-1809]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4912-N-13]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
a Scoping Meeting for the Ashburton Avenue Urban Renewal Plan and 
Master Plan, Yonkers, Westchester County, NY

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: HUD gives notice to the public, agencies, and Indian tribes 
that the City of Yonkers, NY, intends to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the preparation of an Urban Renewal Area and 
Master Plan for approximately 44-acres in downtown Yonkers, Westchester 
County, NY. The EIS will cover the redevelopment of the Mulford Gardens 
public housing complex and eight sites on nearby blocks financed, in 
part, by a HOPE VI grant awarded to the Municipal Housing Authority for 
the City of Yonkers. The City of Yonkers, NY, acting as the lead agency 
will prepare the EIS acting under its

[[Page 20161]]

authority as the responsible entity for compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1437x 
and HUD regulations at 24 CFR 58.4, and under its authority as lead 
agency in accordance with the New York State Environmental Quality 
Review Act (SEQRA).
    The EIS will be a joint NEPA and SEQRA document. The EIS will 
satisfy requirements of SEQRA 6NYCRR part 617, which requires that all 
State and local government agencies consider the environmental 
consequences of projects over which they have discretionary authority 
before acting on those projects. Because Federal HOPE VI funds would be 
used, the proposed action is also subject to NEPA. The EIS and NEPA 
process will also be used to address historic preservation and cultural 
resource issues under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act, 16 U.S.C. 470f. This notice is given in accordance with the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. 
All interested Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, 
groups, and the public are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS. 
Federal agencies with jurisdiction by law, special expertise, or other 
special interest should report their willingness to participate in the 
EIS process as a Cooperating Agency.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Inquiries concerning the Proposed 
Action and this notice should be made to the Lead Agency care of Steven 
Whetstone, Commissioner of Planning and Development, City of Yonkers, 
87 Nepperhan Avenue, 3rd Floor, Yonkers NY 10701-3874, (914) 377-6565 
([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action consists of two parts: 
(1) An Urban Renewal Plan and Master Plan for the entire Ashburton 
Avenue Urban Renewal Area (URA) and (2) the redevelopment of Mulford 
Gardens and related development sites located within the URA, financed, 
in part, by a HOPE VI grant to the Municipal Housing Authority for the 
City of Yonkers.
    The URA is located on the west side of Yonkers, north of the 
downtown and west of the Saw Mill River Parkway. The area encompasses 
approximately 44 acres with approximately 600 parcels along and near 
Ashburton Avenue, between Warburton Avenue and Yonkers Avenue.
    The area was selected by the City as a potential URA to tie into 
the redevelopment of Mulford Gardens, the City's oldest public housing 
complex, which is located on 12 acres within the boundaries of the 
proposed URA. Due to its age and substandard housing condition of its 
552 units, Mulford Gardens is slated for demolition. The City's 
Municipal Housing Authority was awarded a HOPE VI grant to demolish and 
reconstruct housing on and around the existing Mulford Gardens site. 
Proposed HOPE VI residential development will occur on the existing 12 
acre Mulford Gardens site, with additional residential, community 
facility and retail development to occur on eight surrounding sites 
within the Ashburton Avenue URA.
    The Urban Renewal Plan will be used as a revitalization strategy to 
improve the residential character of the area, expand business 
opportunities and improve the transportation network. The Master Plan 
for the URA will include: the provision of a range of housing 
opportunities; mixed use development along Ashburton Avenue; and 
transportation improvements, including street widenings along Ashburton 
Avenue, to improve east-west access between the Saw Mill River Parkway 
and the Downtown Waterfront District, allow on-street parking, reduce 
traffic congestion and allow for an upgraded sidewalk and streetscape 
plan.
    Alternatives: The alternatives to be considered by the Lead Agency 
will include a no action alternative and may include: alternatives with 
selected roadway improvements that would not require widening Ashburton 
Avenue; an alternative that assumes the Ashburton Avenue parking garage 
is not demolished; residential development alternatives including 
different building types and/or densities. Alternatives to be examined 
in the EIS will be finalized after the scoping meeting.
    Need for the EIS: Insofar as the Proposed Action includes a 
residential component, it is subject to the Yonkers Affordable Housing 
Ordinance, Article XV of the Code of the City of Yonkers. The Decision 
of the United States District Court in D'Agnillo v. United States 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1999 WL 350870 (S.D.N.Y. 
1999), requires environmental review under NEPA of all housing projects 
which are subject to the Affordable Housing Ordinance. The City of 
Yonkers has determined that the Proposed Action constitutes an action 
which has the potential to affect the quality of the human environment 
and therefore requires the preparation of an EIS in accordance with 
NEPA.
    Scoping: A public EIS scoping meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on 
Thursday, May 12, 2005, at the Riverfront Library, 2nd Floor Community 
Room, 1 Larkin Center, Yonkers, NY 10701. The public is invited to 
attend and identify the issues that should be addressed in the EIS. The 
public will have the opportunity to comment on the scope of the EIS 
orally and in writing. A written comment period during which additional 
written comments will be accepted by the Lead Agency will be extended 
through and including June 13, 2005. A scoping document that explains 
in greater detail the Proposed Action and alternatives identified at 
this time will be sent to the known interested parties in advance of 
the public scoping meeting. For a copy of the draft Scoping Document 
contact: Steven Whetstone, Commissioner of Planning and Development, 
City of Yonkers, 87 Nepperhan Avenue, 3rd Floor, Yonkers NY 10701-3874. 
Telephone: (914) 377-6565. A copy of the draft scoping document can 
also be viewed at www.cityofyonkers.com.
    Questions may be directed to the individuals named in this notice 
under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: April 7, 2005.
Nelson R. Breg[oacute]n,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development.
[FR Doc. E5-1809 Filed 4-15-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P