[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 12554]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05507]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Availability of a Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the San Francisco VA Medical Center Long Range 
Development Plan

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), San Francisco VA 
Medical Center (SFVAMC) announces the availability of the Supplemental 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the Long Range 
Development Plan (LRDP), for public comment 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 the 
Richmond, et al v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, C-06-02321-SBA 
(filed 6 June 2008). VA supplemented the draft EIS originally released 
in August 2012 to account for design and project phasing changes from 
the LRDP released in 2012 to the LRDP released in 2014. Both versions 
of the LRDP describe development and construction of patient care 
buildings, research buildings, business occupancy buildings, and 
parking structures, as well as retrofitting seismically deficient 
buildings. The SDEIS identifies and addresses environmental impacts 
associated with the Proposed Action.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments in writing on 
the SFVAMC SDEIS by May 8, 2015. In preparing the SDEIS the SFVAMC will 
consider all comments received or postmarked by that date. Comments 
received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. 
Interested parties are also invited to participate in a public meeting 
regarding the SFVAMC SDEIS on April 14, 2015 at SFVAMC (4150 Clement 
Street, San Francisco, CA 94121, Building 7, 1st floor, Auditorium) at 
5 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the SFVAMC SDEIS through 
www.regulations.gov. Please refer to: ``SFVAMC Supplemental Draft EIS'' 
in any correspondence.
    Written comments may also be submitted electronically to 
[email protected] please reference ``SFVAMC Supplemental Draft 
EIS'' in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robin Flanagan, San Francisco Veterans 
Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement Street, San Francisco, CA 94121 or 
by telephone, (415) 750-2049. The SFVAMC 2014 LRDP and SDEIS are 
available for viewing on the SFVAMC Web site: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/planning.

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 VA considers it an aging 
facility that needs to be retrofitted and expanded.

Proposed Action

    The SFVAMC has identified a need for retrofitting existing 
buildings to the most recent seismic safety requirements and for an 
additional 589,000 gross square feet (gsf) of medical facility space to 
meet the needs of San Francisco Bay Area and northern California coast 
Veterans over the next 15 years, in two phases.

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to meet the Veterans Health 
Administration mission of providing comprehensive, high-quality health 
care services that improve the health and well-being of Veterans and 
other eligible persons in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern 
California. VA's need for the Proposed Action is to address the area's 
current and future capacity issues brought about by the growing Veteran 
population, to better serve the ever-changing health care needs of the 
growing Veteran population, and to provide safe and appropriate 
facilities for providing health care services and conducting research.
    SFVAMC has major space and parking deficiencies at its existing 
Fort Miley Campus. The SFVAMC mission is to continue to be a major 
primary and tertiary care medical center providing high-quality care to 
eligible Veterans in the San Francisco Bay Area and along the North 
Coast. SFVAMC strives to deliver needed care to Veterans while 
contributing to health care knowledge through research. SFVAMC is also 
a ready resource for Department of Defense backup, serving as a Federal 
Coordinating Center in the event of a national emergency. New 
construction initiatives would transform the Campus by providing 
seismic improvements and additional facility space. VA can meet its 
mission more effectively by integrating clinical care, education, and 
research, because such integration makes for more efficient and 
progressive overall care for Veterans.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jose D. 
Riojas, Chief of Staff, approved this document on February 25, 2015 for 
publication.

    Approved: March 5, 2015.
Michael Shores,
Regulation Policy and Management, Office of General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2015-05507 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P