[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 211 (Tuesday, November 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67389-67391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27682]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5408-N-02]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Yesler Terrace Redevelopment Project

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gives 
notice to the public, agencies, and Indian tribes that the Seattle 
Housing Authority and the City of Seattle Human Services Department 
(Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Administration Unit) have 
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Yesler 
Terrace Redevelopment Project, located in the City of Seattle, King 
County, WA. The project proponent is the Seattle Housing Authority. The 
City of Seattle Human Services Department and the Seattle Housing 
Authority, acting jointly as lead agencies, have prepared the DEIS 
under the authority of the City of Seattle Human Services Department as 
the Responsible Entity for compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1437x and HUD 
regulations at 24 CFR 58.4, and under the Seattle Housing Authority's 
role as lead agency in accordance with the Washington State 
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The DEIS is a joint NEPA and SEPA 
document. The DEIS satisfies requirements of SEPA (RCW 43.21C) and the 
SEPA Rules (WAC 197-11) which require that all state and local 
government agencies consider the environmental consequences of projects 
over which they have discretionary authority before acting on those 
projects. The proposed action is subject to compliance with NEPA, 
because funds from the public housing programs under Title I of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (HOPE VI, Capital Funds, Demolition/
Disposition) will be used for this project (24 CFR 58.1(b)(6)(i)). 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 also 
invited to comment on the DEIS. If you are an agency with jurisdiction 
by law over natural or other public resources affected by the project, 
the Seattle Housing Authority and the City of Seattle Human Services 
Department need to know what environmental information germane to your 
statutory responsibilities should be included in the DEIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments relating to the DEIS are requested and will be 
accepted by the contact persons listed below until December 13, 2010. 
Any person or agency interested in receiving a notice and wishing to 
make comment on the DEIS should contact the persons listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Van Dyke, Development 
Director of the Seattle Housing Authority, 
[email protected], P.O. Box 19028, Seattle, WA 98109-
1028, (f) 206-615-3539 (SEPA) and Kristen Larson, Project Funding and 
Agreements Coordinator, City of Seattle Human Services Department, CDBG 
Administration Unit, [email protected], P.O. Box 34215, 
Seattle, WA 98124-4215, (f) 206-621-5003 (NEPA).
    For additional background information on the project proposal, 
please see the Seattle Housing Authority Web site: http://www.seattlehousing.org/redevelopment/yesler-terrace/.
    Public Participation: A public hearing on the DEIS will be held for 
the public to provide verbal or written comment on the DEIS. At the 
meeting, the public will be able to view graphics illustrating 
preliminary redevelopment concepts associated with the proposed actions 
and speak with staff of the Seattle Housing Authority, the City of 
Seattle and members of the consultant team providing technical analyses 
in support of the project. Written comments may be mailed, sent via fax 
or e-mailed to the Seattle Housing Authority contact listed above or 
submitted at the public hearing on the DEIS.
    The public hearing will be held at the Yesler Community Center (835 
Yesler Way, Seattle, WA 98122) on November 30, 2010 at 6 p.m. For 
accommodations and translation services in conjunction

[[Page 67390]]

with the public hearing, please contact Collette Frazier, (p) (206) 
615-3556.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Name and Description

    The Seattle Housing Authority and the City of Seattle Human 
Services Department will consider a proposal for a phased redevelopment 
of the existing Yesler Terrace residential community to a mixed-use 
residential community on a 28-acre site on the southern slope of First 
Hill in Seattle, WA. The proposed project is generally bounded by 
Interstate 5 on the west, Alder Street and Fir Street on the north, 
12th Avenue on the east, and Washington Street on the south.
    The proposed project would include development of a mix of 
affordable and market-rate housing, office and retail uses, as well as 
parks and open space, enhanced landscaping, improved streets and a 
system of pedestrian and bike improvements. All existing residential 
structures on the site would be demolished under the Proposed Action; 
other structures on the site may also be demolished. The existing 
Yesler Terrace community center would be retained. It is anticipated 
that the redevelopment of Yesler Terrace will take approximately 15 to 
20 years to complete.
    The proposed actions may involve the following: Comprehensive Plan 
Amendment, text amendment to the Land Use Code to allow a new zone for 
Yesler Terrace, street vacation, preliminary and final plat approval, 
adoption of a Planned Action Ordinance, Development Agreement approval, 
other construction and building permits and other federal, state and 
local approvals for redevelopment of the Yesler Terrace community.
    The EIS is also intended to fulfill SEPA requirements for a Planned 
Action environmental review for the portion of the site west of Boren 
Avenue, per RCW 43.21C.031, SMC 25.05.164 [et seq.], and SHA Resolution 
4945. According to SEPA, a ``Planned Action'' is a designation for a 
project or elements of a project that shifts environmental review from 
the time a permit application is made to an earlier phase in the 
process, such as at the Comprehensive Plan amendment and/or rezone 
phase. The intent of this designation is to provide a more streamlined 
environmental process by using an existing EIS prepared at this earlier 
stage for SEPA compliance for long-term actions.
    This is to be a combined document--an EIS under the State of 
Washington State Environmental Policy Act (RCW 43.21C and WAC 197-11) 
and an EIS under NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321) and implementing regulations of 
the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and HUD 
(24 CFR Part 58).
    Alternatives: SHA proposes to redevelop the Yesler Terrace site 
into a mixed use, mixed income community. The six following 
alternatives are evaluated in the DEIS, in no order of preference:
    Alternative 1 (Lower Density Mixed Use): This alternative 
represents the lower range of potential mixed use redevelopment of the 
site, which could include approximately 3,000 housing units; 800,000 
square feet (SF) of office use (a portion of which could be hotel use); 
40,000 SF of neighborhood commercial; 50,000 SF of neighborhood 
services (including the Yesler Community Center); 6.0 acres of public 
open space; 7.3 acres of semi-private and private open space; and 3,900 
parking spaces within or under buildings.
    Alternative 1A (Lower Density Mixed Use with Less Office): 
Alternative 1A represents a variation of Alternative 1 wherein most 
proposed land uses would be similar to Alternative 1. This alternative 
could include approximately 3,000 housing units; 400,000 square feet 
(SF) of office use; 40,000 SF of neighborhood commercial; 50,000 SF of 
neighborhood services (including the Yesler Community Center); 6.0 
acres of public open space; 7.8 acres of semi-private and private open 
space; and 3,300 parking spaces within or under buildings.
    Alternative 2 (Medium Density Mixed Use): Alternative 2 represents 
the middle range of potential mixed use redevelopment of the site, 
which could include approximately: 4,000 dwelling units; 1,000,000 
million SF of office (a portion of which could be hotel use); 60,000 SF 
of neighborhood commercial; 50,000 SF of neighborhood services 
(including the Yesler Community Center); 6.5 acres of public open 
space, 9.4 acres of private and semi-private open space; and 5,100 
parking spaces within or under buildings.
    Alternative 3 (Higher Density Mixed Use): Alternative 3 represents 
the higher range of potential mixed use redevelopment of the site, 
which could include approximately: 5,000 dwelling units; 1,200,000 SF 
of office (a portion of which could be hotel use); 88,000 SF of 
neighborhood commercial; 50,000 SF of neighborhood services (including 
the Yesler Community Center); 6.9 acres of public open space; 9.2 acres 
of private and semi-private open space; and 6,300 parking spaces within 
or under buildings.
    Alternative 4 (Existing/L-3 Zoning): Alternative 4 represents the 
lowest amount of residential development among the redevelopment 
alternatives, and does not include office or hotel uses. The proposed 
new Lowrise-3 (L3) zoning designation would govern future redevelopment 
of West of Boren sectors. Redevelopment in the East of Boren sector 
would occur under existing zoning (MR and NC3). Redevelopment under 
this alternative would include approximately: 1,523 dwelling units, 
10,000 SF of neighborhood commercial (located east of Boren Avenue 
only); 5.2 acres of public open space; 7.9 acres of private and semi-
private open space; and 1,840 parking spaces either within/under 
buildings and/or located as surface parking stalls (approximately 50 
percent of each type).
    No-Action Alternative: The no-action alternative represents a 
continuation of the site in its present condition. As under Alternative 
4, the existing City of Seattle Lowrise-3 zoning designations would 
govern potential replacement of existing buildings west of Boren Avenue 
and the MR and NC3 zoning designations would govern replacement of 
existing buildings east of Boren Avenue.
    Probable Environmental Effects: The following subject areas will be 
analyzed in the combined EIS for probable environmental effects: Earth; 
air quality; water; plants and animals; climate change and greenhouse 
gas emissions; environmental health; noise; land use; relationship to 
plans and policies; aesthetics, light and glare, and shadows; historic 
resources; cultural resources; transportation; utilities; public 
services; socioeconomics; and environmental justice.
    Lead Agencies: As a lead agency, the City of Seattle, through its 
Human Services Department, is the responsible entity (RE) for this 
project in accordance with 24 CFR part 58, ``Environmental Review 
Procedures for Entities Assuming HUD Environmental Responsibilities.'' 
As a RE, the City of Seattle Human Services Department assumes the 
responsibility for environmental review, decision-making, and action 
that would otherwise apply to HUD under NEPA. In addition, the Seattle 
Housing Authority is the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) lead 
agency responsible for preparing an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).
    Questions may be directed to the individuals named in this notice 
under the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.


[[Page 67391]]


    Dated: October 27, 2010.
Mercedes M. M[aacute]rquez,
Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 2010-27682 Filed 11-1-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P