[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33145-33146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11242]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION


Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: General Services Administration (GSA), National Capital Region.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) , 42 U.S.C. Sec.  4321-4347, the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500--1508), GSA Order 
PBS P 1095.1F (Environmental considerations in decision-making, dated 
October 19, 1999), and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk 
Guide, GSA plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 
the proposed Master Plan for the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths 
(St. Es) West Campus in Southeast Washington, DC. GSA has initiated 
consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act, 16 U.S.C. Sec.  470f, for the proposed Master Plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Denise Decker, NEPA Lead, General 
Services Administration, National Capital Region, at (202) 205-5821. 
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 Proposed Master Plan for the Redevelopment of the St. 
Elizabeths West Campus in Southeast Washington, DC
    The General Services Administration intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze the potential impacts 
resulting from adoption and implementation of a Master Plan to 
redevelop the St. Elizabeths (St. Es) West Campus in Southeast 
Washington, DC. GSA's primary purpose for this proposed action is to 
develop secure office space in the District of Columbia to accommodate 
substantial Federal operations.

Background

    The St. Es West Campus, formerly a mental health facility, consists 
of 176 acres and 61 buildings constructed between the 1850s and the 
1960s. The buildings contain approximately 1.1 million gross square 
feet of space. The entire site, including the brick wall running along 
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, is a National Historic Landmark. The St. 
Es West Campus also contains a Civil War cemetery. From 1953 to 
December 2004, St. Es West Campus was controlled by the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS).
    GSA has identified a need to redevelop the West Campus because (i) 
there is an immediate need for secure Federal office space in the 
National Capital Region; (ii) the site is within the District of 
Columbia boundary and proximate to the Central Employment Area (CEA); 
and (iii) the existing site is currently underutilized.
    To implement this redevelopment, GSA is preparing a Master Plan 
that will guide the long-term use and redevelopment of the St. Es West 
Campus.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    GSA will analyze a range of Master Plan alternatives for the St. Es 
West Campus. In addition, as required by NEPA, GSA will study the no 
action alternative under which a Master Plan will not be adopted and 
the site will remain in its current state. As part of the EIS, GSA will 
study the impacts of each alternative on the human environment.

Scoping Process

    In accordance with NEPA, a scoping process will be conducted to (i) 
aid in determining the alternatives to be considered and the scope of 
issues to be addressed, and (ii) identify the significant issues 
related to the proposed Master Plan for the redevelopment of the St. Es 
West Campus. Scoping will be accomplished through a public scoping 
meeting, direct mail correspondence to potentially interested persons, 
agencies, and organizations, and meetings with agencies having an 
interest in the proposed Master Plan. 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.
    GSA is also using the NEPA scoping process to facilitate 
consultation with the public under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (36 CFR Part 800 [Protection of Historic Properties]). 
GSA welcomes comments from the public to ensure that it takes into 
account the effects of its action on historic and cultural resources.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 14, 2005, 
from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Birney Elementary School (Auditorium), 
located at 2501 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in Southeast Washington, 
DC. The meeting will be an informal open house, where visitors may 
come, receive information, and give comments. GSA will publish notices 
in the Washington Post, Washington Times, and a local community 
newspaper announcing this meeting approximately two weeks prior to the 
meeting. GSA will prepare a scoping report, available to the public 
that will summarize the comments received for incorporation into the 
EIS and Section 106 processes.
    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

[[Page 33146]]

the environmental analysis for the redevelopment of the St. Es West 
Campus must be postmarked no later than July 5, 2005, and sent to the 
following address: General Services Administration, National Capital 
Region, Attention: Denise Decker, NEPA Lead, 301 7th Street, SW, Room 
7600, Washington, DC 20407. Fax (202) 708--7671. [email protected].

    Dated: May 31, 2005.
Patricia T. Ralston,
Acting Director, Portfolio Management.
[FR Doc. 05-11242 Filed 6-6-05; 8:45 am]
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