[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 61 (Wednesday, March 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17752-17753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7435]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC) 
Institutional Master Plan

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.), the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Requirements of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), VA's Implementing 
Regulations (38 CFR part 26), as well as the settlement agreement 
resulting from Planning Association for Richmond, et al v. U.S. 
Department of Veterans Affairs, C-06-02321-SBA (filed 6 June 2008), VA 
intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 
proposed implementation of the SFVAMC Institutional Master Plan (IMP) 
in San Francisco, California. The SFVAMC IMP involves development and 
construction of patient care buildings, research buildings, business 
occupancy buildings, and parking structures, as well as retrofitting 
seismically deficient buildings. The EIS will address environmental 
issues associated with 945,000 square feet of new construction and 
approximately 500,000 square feet of retrofitted development to upgrade 
the SFVAMC for purposes of meeting the needs of Veterans of the North 
Coast and San Francisco Bay Area over the next 20 years.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 29, 2011 to ensure full consideration during the scoping process.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to John Pechman, Facility 
Planner, San Francisco VA Medical Center (001), 4150 Clement Street, 
San Francisco, California 94121, or sent electronically to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Pechman, Facility Planner, SFVAMC 
at the address above or by telephone, (415) 221-4810. The SFVAMC IMP is 
available for viewing on the SFVAMC Web site: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/visitors/noi.asp.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA operates the SFVAMC, located at Fort 
Miley in San Francisco, California. It is the only VA medical center in 
the City and County of San Francisco and is considered an aging 
facility with need for retrofitting and expansion. The SFVAMC has 
identified a need for retrofitting existing buildings to the most 
recent seismic safety requirements and for an additional 945,000 square 
feet of medical facility space (in addition to the existing 1.02 
million square feet of medical facility space) to meet the needs of San 
Francisco Bay Area and northern California coast Veterans over the next 
20 years.
    VA has identified four reasonable alternatives for evaluation in 
the EIS:
    Alternative 1 involves the existing SFVAMC site, which is a 29-acre 
site located at Fort Miley in the northwestern portion of the City of 
San Francisco. The site is bounded by Clement Street on the south, 
Lincoln Park on the north and east, and the National Park Service on 
the west. Implementation of the SFVAMC Institutional Master Plan 
Alternative 1 at this site would include approximately 939,200 square 
feet of new and/or retrofitted development. This alternative would 
involve development or retrofitting of buildings for patient care, 
research, business occupancy, residential and parking structures.
    Alternative 2 involves a combination of new development and 
renovation of existing buildings within the existing SFVAMC campus, and 
relocation of some aspects of the medical center to an alternate site 
within the City of San Francisco. This alternative may involve retrofit 
and development of clinical, research, and administrative buildings at 
the existing SFVAMC site and the construction of a new clinical 
ambulatory care center, medical research buildings, and parking 
structures at the new alternate site.
    Alternative 3 involves construction and relocation of the entire 
medical center campus to an alternate site within the City of San 
Francisco. This alternative would include construction of approximately 
1.9 million square feet of new health care, clinical, research, and 
administrative facilities, including a new ambulatory care center, 
inpatient and outpatient care, research, business

[[Page 17753]]

occupancy buildings, and parking structures.
    In addition to the three aforementioned action alternatives, the 
EIS will evaluate potential environmental effects associated with the 
no action alternative (Alternative 4). Potential issues to be addressed 
in the EIS include, but are not limited to biological resources, 
historic and archaeological resources, geology and soils, hazards, 
hydrology and water quality, air quality, and transportation. Relevant 
and reasonable measures that could alleviate environmental effects will 
be considered.
    VA will undertake necessary consultations with regulatory entities 
pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, National 
Historic Preservation Act, and any other applicable law or regulation. 
Consultation will include but is not limited to the following Federal, 
state, and local agencies: State Historic Preservation Officer; U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and 
the National Park Service.
    Information related to the EIS process, including notices of public 
meetings, will be available for viewing on the SFVAMC Web site: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/.

    Approved: March 18, 2011.
John R. Gingrich,
Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-7435 Filed 3-29-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P