[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 30 (Friday, February 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8094-8096]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02993]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Bethesda Campus Master Plan Record of Decision

SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services, the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH), has decided, after completion of a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and a thorough consideration of 
the public comments on the Draft EIS, to implement the Proposed Action, 
referred to as the Proposed Action in the Final EIS. This action is for 
a long-range physical Master Plan for National Institutes of Health 
Bethesda Campus (NIH) located in Bethesda, Maryland. This alternative 
accounts for potential growth in NIH personnel, new construction, 
additions, renovations, demolitions, and upgrades in site utilities.
    Responsible Official: Daniel G. Wheeland, Director, Office of 
Research Facilities (ORF) Development and Operations, NIH.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Nottingham, Deputy Director, 
DEP, ORF, NIH, Building 13, Room 2S11, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, 
MD 20892, Phone 301-496-7775, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Decision

    After careful review of the environmental consequences in the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Master Plan, National Institutes 
of Health Bethesda Campus, and consideration of public comment 
throughout the NEPA process, the NIH has decided to implement the 
Proposed Action described below as the Selected Alternative.

Selected Alternative

    The Selected Alternative is intended to be a strategic tool for the 
efficient allocation of campus resources, the orderly accommodation of 
future growth, and the creation of an environment that is both 
functionally and aesthetically conducive to accomplishing the NIH 
mission. The Selected Alternative will provide a guide for the reasoned 
and orderly development of the NIH campus, one that values and builds 
on existing resources, corrects current deficiencies and meets changing 
needs through new construction or renovation. The plan sets forth 
implementation priorities and a logical sequencing of planned 
development.
    The Selected Alternative is for a long-range physical Master Plan 
for NIH. This alternative covers a 20-year planning period, with 
reviews every 5 years to ensure that the plan continues to address 
issues affecting the campus. The alternative addresses the future 
development of the NIH site, including placement of future 
construction; vehicular and pedestrian circulation on and off-campus; 
parking within the property boundaries; open space in and around the 
campus; required setbacks; historic properties; natural and scenic 
resources; noise; and lighting. This alternative accounts for potential 
growth in NIH personnel, and consequent construction of space over the 
planning period. Future construction on the site could include such 
facilities as new animal holding, research laboratories, and support 
facilities.
    NIH will continue to develop the Bethesda campus to accommodate 
NIH's research needs and required programmatic needs consistent with 
the commitment to maintain the ``campus'' character of the site. The 
Selected Alternative advances this objective by programming and 
locating future NIH growth so that new development would tie into the 
existing utility services and utilities are available to support 
growth, and establishing development guidelines for future changes to 
the site that ensure that as the campus grows new development would be 
responsive to the context of adjacent neighborhoods or developments. 
Under the Selected Alternative, the total NIH population on the campus 
is anticipated to grow in the next twenty years to a total of 
approximately 23,594, which is an increase of approximately 3,000 
employees. The primary growth at the campus would be in intramural 
research personnel and the administrative and facility staff to support 
them. The majority, if not all, of the employees would be coming from 
off-site facilities and are already employees, or contractors, of NIH.

Alternatives Considered

    The Proposed Action Alternative, the Redevelopment Alternative and 
No Action Alternative were the three alternatives analyzed in the Final 
EIS.

[[Page 8095]]

The Master Plan covers a 20-year planning period, but will be reviewed 
every 5 years to ensure that the plan continues to remain current and 
relevant to the key issues affecting the campus. The alternatives 
addressed the future development of the NIH site, including placement 
of future construction; vehicular and pedestrian circulation on and 
off-campus; parking within the property boundaries; open space in and 
around the campus; required setbacks; historic properties; natural and 
scenic resources; noise; and lighting. The alternatives account for 
potential growth in NIH personnel, and consequent construction of space 
over the planning period. Future construction on the site could include 
such facilities as new animal holding, research laboratories, and 
support facilities.

Factors Involved in the Decision

    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requires that NIH 
facilities have a Master Plan and, the previous Master Plan for the NIH 
campus was outdated. In addition, factors such as the aging of 
facilities that were designed only to accommodate temporary use, animal 
housing facilities that do not provide adequate space for projected 
increases in animal populations, and research support facilities not 
being adequate to sustain current and projected programs. The Master 
Plan contains information, analysis, and recommendations to guide 
development of individual projects. It also serves as a means of 
informing city and county officials and utilities of future NIH 
development plans so they can anticipate and plan for the potential 
effects of NIH proposals on their systems.

Resources Impacted

    The Final EIS describes potential environmental effects of the 
Selected Alternative. These potential effects are documented in Chapter 
3 of the Final EIS. Any potential adverse environmental effects will be 
avoided or mitigated through design elements, procedures, and 
compliance with regulatory and NIH requirements. Potential impacts on 
air quality are all within government standards (federal, state, and 
local). NIH does not expect significant negative effects on the 
environment or on the citizens of Bethesda from construction and 
operation at NIH.

Summary of Impacts

    The following is a summary of potential impacts resulting from the 
Selected Alternative that the NIH considered when making its decision. 
No adverse cumulative effects have been identified during the NEPA 
process. Likewise, no unavoidable or adverse impacts from 
implementation of the Selected Alternative have been identified. The 
Selected Alternative will be beneficial to the long-term productivity 
of the national and world health communities. Biomedical research 
conducted at the NIH facilities on the campus will have the potential 
to advance techniques in disease prevention and cures, develop disease 
immunizations, and prepare defenses against naturally emerging and re-
emerging diseases and against bioweapons. Additionally, the local 
community will benefit from increased employment, income and, 
government and public finance.

Housing

    Under the Selected Alternative, the building program would improve 
existing laboratory and office spaces. This would allow NIH to attract 
well-qualified personnel to the campus. The campus building program 
would be expanded with nominal population increases. These added 
employees would continue to seek regional housing options and use local 
community services. This modest expansion would have a modest 
beneficial economic impact with modest increased demand for housing and 
community services.

Education

    The expected increases of employees on the NIH campus are from 
employees already working in the Bethesda area in the agency's off 
campus, leased facilities. If any new employees were hired, the current 
public school capacity in Bethesda or Montgomery County and surrounding 
school districts would be adequate to accommodate the expected minimal 
growth caused by the Selected Alternative.

Transportation

    The potential increase in vehicular traffic generated by the 
additional facilities and employees envisioned in the Master Plan would 
only minimally contribute to the amount of traffic on the roadways in 
the vicinity of the campus. If the campus houses 3,000 additional 
staff, the impact on morning and evening rushes is estimated to be 
approximately 12 percent more NIH vehicles. When taking into account 
that NIH's contribution to local traffic constitutes only approximately 
25% of the traffic, the impact on the community is estimated to be 3%. 
Furthermore, by the time the capital improvements contemplated under 
the Selected Alternative are in place, mass transit developments such 
as the Purple Line and Bus Rapid Transit might well be in place, 
thereby offsetting the 3% congestion. The Selected Alternative includes 
3,000 additional employees, and would generate approximately an 
additional 432 a.m. and 439 p.m. trips. The seven proposed Base 
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) improvements, discussed in the EIS, 
several of which were facilitated through NIH easements, would result 
in mitigating this slight increase AM and PM peak traffic, and also 
help keep the congestion standard below 1,600 Calculated Load Value 
(CLV). Stated differently, the modest increase in traffic would not 
change the intersection ratings. Lastly, if NIH increases the campus 
population, it will increase parking at the ration of 1 parking spot 
per 3 additional staff.

Security

    The Selected Alternative would not be expected to have adverse 
impacts on security on the NIH Campus. No new security measures are 
proposed in the Master Plan.

Employment

    If the Selected Alternative is fully implemented, an increase of up 
to 3,000 employees and contractors would increase the current total of 
20,594 up to approximately 23,594. The increase draws from employees 
that are already working in the Bethesda/Montgomery County area.

Environmental Justice

    The Selected Alternative would not be expected to have 
disproportionately high or adverse impacts on low income or minority 
populations of the affected area.

Visual Quality

    The Master Plan's land use plan provides a framework to help 
organize future development at NIH so that similar land use types are 
consolidated while open space and natural features are preserved. NIH 
would exhibit the same basic types of land use as it does currently, 
but in a slightly different configuration. The Master Plan does not 
propose any land use changes outside NIH. Therefore, the NIH campus is 
anticipated to remain consistent with the county plan and zoning 
regulations.

Noise

    To limit impacts to nearby residences, NIH would limit construction 
activities to normal daytime working hours. Under the Master Plan, the 
ambient noise levels at NIH would remain within Maryland and Montgomery

[[Page 8096]]

County noise thresholds. Furthermore, any minor change in noise levels 
is not expected to affect the character of the site.

Air Quality

    Traffic is expected to be the primary mobile source of air 
emissions at or near the campus. Mobile air emissions for the campus at 
this time are expected to originate from vehicles associated with 
visitors, commuter transportation, employee parking, commercial 
delivery, and construction vehicles. Future traffic generated carbon 
monoxide (CO) concentrations were predicted to be less than 2003 
concentrations in the Selected Alternative due to projected vehicle 
emission rate reductions. Based on predicted values, the one and eight-
hour average National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) CO 
concentrations would not be exceeded and no impacts are expected for 
any of the proposed Alternatives.

Wastewater/Water Supply

    The Selected Alternative would increase the amount of wastewater 
generated on campus with the proposal of additional development. To 
facilitate the construction of the improvements under this proposed 
alternative, the existing wastewater distribution system would need to 
be relocated and upgraded as necessary. With the increase in demand, 
NIH will consult with the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission 
(WSSC) to ensure adequate sewer capacity is available for the campus. 
This consultation would also assist WSSC in determining if and when any 
of the public lines surrounding the campus need to be upgraded. All 
sanitary sewer design would be in accordance with the NIH Facilities 
Development Manual, ``Section 8-6: Drainage Systems'' of the 2008 
National Institutes of Health Design Requirements for Biomedical 
Laboratories and Animal Research Facilities and the WSSC requirements. 
No significant impacts are expected for wastewater or the NIH campus 
water supply.

Historic Resources

    NIH would comply with National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) 
Section 106 by consulting with Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) on the 
need for particular archeological studies as individual Master Plan 
project elements are funded, designed, and executed. In the event that 
eligible prehistoric resources are identified and adverse effects are 
anticipated, NIH would continue Section 106 consultation with the 
appropriate consulting parties (which would include MHT and may also 
include Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and Native 
American tribes) to establish a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to 
resolve adverse effects. Mitigation measures identified through this 
consultation could include in-place preservation through site 
avoidance, protection, or easement acquisition; development and 
implementation of a data recovery plan to retrieve and analyze the 
site's resources implementation of innovative, alternative mitigation 
measures or a combination of these measures.

Practicable Means To Avoid or Minimize Potential Environmental Harm 
From the Selected Alternative

    All practicable means to avoid or minimize adverse environmental 
effects from the Selected Action have been identified and incorporated 
into the action. The proposed Master Plan construction will be subject 
to the existing NIH pollution prevention, waste management, and safety, 
security, and emergency response policies and procedures as well as 
existing environmental permits. Best management practices, spill 
prevention and control, and stormwater management plans will be 
followed to appropriately address the construction and operation 
envisioned in [or ``described in''--the Master Plan itself will not be 
constructed and operated] of the new Master Plan and comply with 
applicable regulatory and NIH requirements. No additional mitigation 
measures have been identified.

Pollution Prevention

    Air quality permit standards will be met, as will all federal, 
state, and local requirements to protect the environment and public 
health.

Conclusion

    Based upon review and careful consideration, the NIH has decided to 
implement the Selected Alternative for a long-range physical Master 
Plan for NIH Bethesda Campus located in Bethesda, Maryland. The 
decision accounts for potential growth of NIH personnel, and consequent 
construction of space over the planning period. The decision was based 
upon review and careful consideration of the impacts identified in the 
Final EIS and public comments received throughout the NEPA process.
    Separate NEPA reviews, when required, will be done on projects 
discussed in the Master Plan. Proper NEPA documentation will be 
completed based on the outcome of that review.

    Dated: February 5, 2015.
Daniel G. Wheeland, P.E.
Director, Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations, 
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 2015-02993 Filed 2-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P