[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 197 (Friday, October 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61299-61300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24286]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Disposal and Reuse of Former Naval Weapons Station 
Seal Beach, Detachment Concord, Concord, California

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 (Pub. L. 91-190, 42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321-4347), as 
implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-
1508), the Department of the Navy (DoN) has prepared and filed the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential 
environmental consequences associated with the disposal of the former 
Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach, Detachment Concord, Concord, 
California (NWS Concord), and its subsequent reuse by the local 
community. The DoN is initiating a 45-day public comment period to 
provide the community an opportunity to comment on the Draft EIS. 
Federal, state, and local elected officials and agencies and the public 
are encouraged to provide written comments. A public meeting will also 
be held to provide information and receive written comments on the 
Draft EIS.
    Dates and Addresses: An open house public meeting will be held at 
the location listed below and will allow individuals to review and 
comment on the information presented in the Draft EIS. DoN 
representatives will be available during the open house to clarify 
information presented in the Draft EIS as necessary. There will not be 
a formal presentation.

Thursday, November 13, 2014 (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.), Concord Senior 
Citizens Center (Wisteria Room), 2727 Parkside Circle, Concord, 
California 94519.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, NAVFAC BRAC PMO West, Attn: 
Ms. Erica Spinelli, NEPA Project Manager, 1455 Frazee Road, Suite 900, 
San Diego, California 92108-4310, telephone: 619-532-0980, fax: 619-
532-0995; email: [email protected].
    For more information on the NWS Concord EIS, visit the Navy BRAC 
PMO Web site (http://www.bracpmo.navy.mil/).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN has prepared the Draft EIS for the 
Disposal and Reuse of the Former NWS Concord in accordance with the 
requirements of NEPA (42 U.S.C. Sections 4321-4347) and its 
implementing regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508). A Notice of Intent 
(NOI) to prepare this Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register 
on March 14, 2013 (Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 50/Friday, March 14, 
2013/Notices). The DoN is the lead agency for the proposed action, with 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers serving as a cooperating agency for 
the preparation of this EIS.
    The DoN closed the former NWS Concord on September 30, 2008, in 
accordance with Public Law (Pub. L.) 101-510, the Defense Base Closure 
and Realignment Act (DBCRA) of 1990, as amended in 2005. The DBCRA 
exempts the decision-making process of the Defense Base Closure and 
Realignment Commission from the requirements of NEPA. The DBCRA also 
relieves the DoN from the NEPA requirements to consider the need for 
closing, realigning, or transferring functions and from looking at 
alternative installations to close or realign. However, in accordance 
with NEPA, before disposing of any real property, the DoN must analyze 
the environmental effects of the disposal.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to dispose of surplus 
property at the former NWS Concord for subsequent reuse in a manner 
consistent with the policies adopted by the City of Concord during 
reuse planning that took place between 2008 and 2012. The need for the 
proposed action is to provide the local community the opportunity for 
economic development and job creation.
    The Draft EIS has considered two redevelopment alternatives for the 
disposal and reuse of NWS Concord. Both redevelopment alternatives 
would be generally consistent with the policies developed by the City 
of Concord during the reuse planning process that took place between 
2008 and 2012. Both alternatives focus on the preservation of a 
significant amount of open space and conservation areas, and 
sustainable development characterized by walkable neighborhoods, 
transit-oriented development, and ``complete streets'' that balance 
multiple types of transportation. Under both alternatives, most 
installation facilities would be demolished, and the western side of 
the property would be developed as a series of mixed-use ``development 
districts,'' with a higher concentration of development at the north 
end, near State Route 4 and the North Concord/Martinez Bay Area Rapid 
Transit Station. Redevelopment under either alternative would include 
parks and open spaces, best management practices for stormwater 
management, and green and sustainable design and planning principles. 
Full build-out under either alternative would be implemented over a 25-
year period. A No Action alternative was also considered, as required 
by NEPA and to provide a point of comparison for assessing impacts of 
the redevelopment alternatives.
    Alternative 1 includes the disposal of the former NWS Concord by 
the DoN and its reuse in a manner consistent with the adopted Concord 
Reuse Project (CRP) Area Plan. This alternative has been identified as 
the Preferred Alternative by the DoN. Under this alternative, 
redevelopment of approximately 2,500 acres of the former installation 
property would take place and would include a mix of land use types and 
densities. This alternative would also result in the preservation of a 
significant area of open space and conservation areas. The 
redevelopment would include approximately 6.1 million square feet of 
commercial floor space and up to 12,272 residential housing units.
    Alternative 2 provides for the disposal of the former installation 
property by the DoN and its reuse in a manner similar to the Area Plan 
but with a higher density of residential development than under 
Alternative 1 and within a smaller footprint. Under this alternative, 
redevelopment of approximately 2,200 acres of the former installation 
property with a mix of land use types and densities would take place. 
This alternative would also include the preservation of a significant 
amount of open space and conservation areas. The alternative calls for 
approximately 6.1 million square feet of

[[Page 61300]]

commercial building space and up to 15,872 residential housing units. 
Alternative 2 as presented in the Draft EIS is different from 
Alternative 2 as presented in the NOI circulated during the public 
scoping period in March and April 2013. Alternative 2 was revised by 
the DoN in response to comments received during the public scoping 
period to be more consistent with the land use planning policies 
adopted by the City of Concord as well as known and foreseeable market 
conditions. Comments on Alternative 2 received during the scoping 
period addressed the smaller area designated for conservation and open 
space in this alternative, as well as concerns regarding higher levels 
of traffic, noise, and air impacts. Accordingly, the revised 
Alternative 2 is more similar to the adopted policies of the City of 
Concord as expressed in the CRP Area Plan, reflecting a similar but 
slightly smaller development footprint and representing a realistic 
reuse scenario.
    The No Action Alternative is also analyzed in the Draft EIS, as 
required by NEPA. Under this alternative, NWS Concord would be retained 
by the U.S. government in caretaker status. No reuse or redevelopment 
would occur.
    The Draft EIS addresses potential environmental impacts under each 
alternative associated with land use and zoning; socioeconomics and 
environmental justice; air quality and greenhouse gases; biological 
resources; cultural resources; topography, geology, and soils; hazards 
and hazardous substances; noise; public services; transportation, 
traffic, and circulation; utilities and infrastructure; visual 
resources and aesthetics; and water resources. The analysis addresses 
direct and indirect impacts, and accounts for cumulative impacts from 
other foreseeable federal, state, or local activities at and around the 
former NWS Concord property. The DoN conducted a scoping process to 
identify community concerns and local issues that should be addressed 
in the EIS. The DoN considered the comments provided, which identified 
specific issues or topics of environmental concern, in determining the 
scope of the EIS. The Draft EIS identifies significant adverse impacts 
to air quality and traffic, and significant beneficial impacts to 
socioeconomics and public services. The Draft EIS has been distributed 
to various federal, state, and local agencies, as well as other 
interested individuals and organizations.
    Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as interested members 
of the public, are invited and encouraged to review and comment on the 
Draft EIS. The Draft EIS is available for viewing at the following 
locations:

Concord Library, 2900 Salvio Street, Concord, CA 94519
Pittsburg Library, 80 Power Avenue, Pittsburg, CA 94565
Pleasant Hill Library, 1750 Oak Park Boulevard, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

    An electronic version of the Draft EIS can be viewed or downloaded 
at the following Web site: http://www.bracpmo.navy.mil. A limited 
number of hard copies are available by contacting the DoN's Base 
Realignment and Closure Program Management Office (BRAC PMO) at the 
address in this notice.
    Comments can be made in the following ways: (1) Written statements 
can be submitted to a DoN representative at the public meeting; (2) 
written comments can be mailed to Director, NAVFAC BRAC PMO West, Attn: 
Ms. Erica Spinelli, NEPA Project Manager, 1455 Frazee Road, Suite 900, 
San Diego, California 92108-4310; (3) written comments can be emailed 
to [email protected]; or (4) comments can be faxed to 619-532-
0995, Attn: Ms. Erica Spinelli. Comments may be submitted without 
attending the public meeting. All comments postmarked or emailed no 
later than midnight, November 25, 2014, will become part of the public 
record and will be responded to in the Final EIS.
    Requests for special assistance, sign language interpretation for 
the hearing impaired, language interpreters, or other auxiliary aids 
for the scheduled public meeting must be sent by mail or email to Ms. 
Jone Guerin, Ecology and Environment, Inc., 368 Pleasant View Drive, 
Lancaster, NY 14086, telephone: 716-684-8060, email: [email protected] no 
later than October 30, 2014.

    Dated: October 6, 2014.
N.A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal 
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-24286 Filed 10-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P