[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 74 (Friday, April 17, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21225-21227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-08863]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meeting on the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Multiple Projects in Support of Marine Barracks 
Washington, DC

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] Sections 
4321-4370h); the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (C.F.R) Parts 1500-1508); Department of the Navy 
(DoN) Procedures for Implementing NEPA (32 CFR part 775); and Marine 
Corps NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order P5090.2A), the United States 
Marine Corps (Marine Corps) has prepared and filed with the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) that evaluates the potential environmental consequences 
that may result from implementation of repair, renovation, and 
construction projects at Marine Barracks Washington (MBW), District of 
Columbia (DC) anticipated to occur within an approximately 5-year 
planning horizon from the publication of the Record of Decision 
anticipated in 2016). The principal project analyzed in this Draft EIS 
is the replacement of a Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ) Complex 
(including supporting facilities and parking) currently housed in 
Building 20 at MBW. Depending on the alternative selected, the BEQ 
Complex replacement project may include land acquisition in DC. The 
Draft EIS also evaluates renovation and improvement projects to 
Building 7 at the Main Post; improvements to the MBW Annex gate at 7th 
and K Streets; and improvements to building facades, fencing, 
infrastructure, pedestrian amenities, and landscaping throughout the 
installation. The Draft EIS includes a programmatic evaluation of 
several additional projects anticipated to occur beyond the 5-year 
planning horizon for which information sufficient to conduct detailed 
NEPA analysis is not yet available. Principal among these projects is 
the potential reuse of Building 20 or the Building 20 site once the BEQ 
Complex has been relocated. Other longer-term projects include 
renovation of Building 9 to accommodate the consolidation of various 
administrative functions, as well as some additional landscaping and 
maintenance projects. Once these actions become sufficiently ripe for 
detailed analysis, additional NEPA analysis will be completed. A Notice 
of Intent to prepare this EIS was published in the Federal Register on 
September 6, 2013 (Vol. 78, No. 173, p. 54873).
    With the filing of the Draft EIS, the DoN is initiating a 45-day 
public comment period and has scheduled a

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public open house meeting to receive written and verbal comments on the 
Draft EIS. Federal, state, and local agencies and interested 
individuals are encouraged to attend the public meeting. This notice 
announces the dates and locations of the public meeting, and 
supplementary information about the environmental planning effort.

Dates and Addresses:  The Draft EIS public review period begins April 
10, 2015 and ends on May 26, 2015. The Marine Corps is holding an open 
house public meeting to inform the public about the Proposed Action and 
the alternatives under consideration, and to provide an opportunity for 
the public to comment on the Draft EIS. Marine Corps representatives 
will be on hand to discuss the Proposed Action, the NEPA process, and 
the analyses presented in the Draft EIS. The meeting will be held from 
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Tyler Elementary School (1001 G Street SE., 
Washington, DC 20003) on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The DoN will 
consider and respond to comments received on the Draft EIS when 
preparing the Final EIS. The DoN expects to issue the Final EIS in 
November 2015, at which time a Notice of Availability will be published 
in the Federal Register and local print media.
    The Draft EIS has been distributed to Federal and local agencies, 
elected officials, and the interested public. The document can be 
viewed online and downloaded from www.mbweis.com/EISDocument.aspx.
    Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the 
following public libraries: Southeast Public Library, 403 7th Street 
SE., Washington, DC 20003; Southwest Public Library, 900 Wesley Place 
SW., Washington, DC 20004; and Northeast Public Library, 330 7th Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20022.
    A copy of the Draft EIS will be made available upon written request 
to: MBW EIS Project Manager: Ms. Katherine Childs, 1314 Harwood Street 
SE., Building 212, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5018 or via email at 
[email protected].
    Comments: Attendees will be able to submit written or verbal 
comments at the public meeting. Comments may be mailed to MBW EIS 
Project Manager: Ms. Katherine Childs, 1314 Harwood Street SE., 
Building 212, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5018, or submitted 
electronically at the EIS Web site, www.mbweis.com. Comments may be 
submitted anytime during the 45-day public review period, and must be 
postmarked or electronically dated on or before May 26, 2015, to ensure 
they become part of the public record. All comments submitted during 
the official public review period will become part of the public record 
on the Draft EIS and will be addressed in the Final EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MBW EIS Project Manager: Ms. Katherine 
Childs, 1314 Harwood Street SE., Building 212, Washington Navy Yard, DC 
20374-5018, (202) 685-0164. Please submit requests for special 
assistance, sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, or 
other auxiliary aids at the public meeting to Ms. Childs by April 17, 
2015.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action evaluated in the Draft 
EIS would occur within an approximate 5-year planning horizon from the 
publication of the Record of Decision anticipated in 2016, and address 
existing and anticipated facility deficiencies at MBW. MBW is part of a 
highly urbanized metropolitan area of DC, with the Main Post and 
Building 20 located at the intersection of 8th and I Streets SE. in the 
Capitol Hill neighborhood, the largest historic district and one of the 
most densely populated residential neighborhoods in the city. The MBW 
Annex is located at the intersection of 7th Street SE. and Virginia 
Avenue SE. in the Near Southeast neighborhood, which has been an 
emerging growth area as a result of revitalization efforts that began 
in the 1990s and is transitioning to an established neighborhood with a 
growing residential community.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to address existing and 
anticipated facility deficiencies at MBW in order to better support the 
functions of the Marine Corps units assigned to MBW. The Proposed 
Action is needed for the Marine Corps to meet current Quality of Life 
(QOL), efficiency, sustainability, life safety, Anti-Terrorism and 
Force Protection (AT/FP) requirements, and facilities standards. Most 
of these requirements are set forth in the Department of Defense (DoD) 
Unified Facilities Criteria (UFCs) for planning, design, construction, 
sustainment, restoration, and modernization.
    The existing BEQ (Building 20) has multiple deficiencies relating 
to force protection, minimum space requirements, QOL, life safety, 
sustainability, and energy efficiency and cannot be renovated or 
redesigned to meet current standards. No existing MBW property can 
accommodate the entire replacement BEQ requirement (BEQ, support 
facilities, and parking) at a single site. However, the below-grade 
parking at Building 20 could be retained to meet parking needs 
associated with the replacement BEQ Complex. To comply with current 
standards and continue to meet MBW mission requirements, the Marine 
Corps needs to either acquire property, establish a tenant site on 
federal or DoD property, or select a site on DoD property to 
accommodate a portion of the replacement BEQ requirement (BEQ and 
support facilities) and construct a replacement BEQ near the MBW Main 
Post. The Proposed Action does not include any change to the MBW 
mission or staffing levels.
    Building 7 interior renovations are required to improve space 
utilization, meet life safety standards, improve attainment of 
sustainability goals, and address certain AT/FP shortfalls.
    The purpose and need for the following projects are aligned with 
fostering MBW integration with the community consistent with current 
UFC guidance:
     Improve the MBW Annex gate at 7th and K Streets SE to 
provide a ``sense of arrival'' for both installation personnel and 
visitors.
     Make aesthetic improvements (e.g., signs, door awnings, 
lighting, and landscaping) so that all building exteriors present a 
more attractive, less utilitarian appearance to the surrounding 
neighborhood.
     Incorporate pedestrian-friendly amenities (e.g., 
pedestrian paths, signage systems, seating, lighting, and landscaping) 
into MBW properties that are safe and appropriately sized to their 
surroundings.
    Each of these projects is a separate, distinct, and independently 
complete and actionable project.
    The Draft EIS also discusses the need for optimal reuse of Building 
20 or the Building 20 site and long-term solutions for MBW space needs.
    The Draft EIS evaluates five action alternatives. Projects analyzed 
in the Draft EIS and common to all five alternatives include:
     Replacement BEQ Complex: A multi-story BEQ Complex 
(including parking and support facilities) to replace the functions 
currently housed in Building 20. The proposed replacement BEQ Complex 
would be constructed to accommodate 125 standard Marine Corps 2+0 
berthing rooms, which would provide a 250-bed sleeping capacity. In 
addition, the replacement BEQ Complex would accommodate the following 
supporting uses: Music training, enlisted dining facility, company 
administration space, classroom training space, fitness facility, and 
armory.
     Main Post renovation projects: Interior renovations to 
Building 7 at the Main Post.

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     Projects to foster integration of MBW with the community: 
These include improvements to the MBW Annex gate at 7th and K Streets 
SE. and improvements to the building facades, fencing, infrastructure, 
pedestrian amenities, and landscaping throughout the installation.
    Alternative 1--Site A. Under Alternative 1, the Marine Corps would 
acquire privately owned land and a government-owned right-of-way (ROW) 
for the proposed BEQ Complex. Alternative 1, Site A, consists of 3.0 
acres in Squares 929 and 930 and an approximate 340-foot segment of L 
Street between 8th and 9th Streets SE. The affected segment of L Street 
SE. would be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic and street 
parking. For the purposes of this EIS, it is expected that the 
replacement BEQ Complex would be constructed within the L Street ROW.
    Alternative 2--Site B. Under Alternative 2, the Marine Corps would 
acquire privately-owned land and a government-owned ROW for the 
replacement BEQ Complex. Alternative 2, Site B, consists of 1.8 acres 
in Square 976 and an approximate 315-foot segment of the L Street ROW 
between 10th and 11th Streets SE. Unlike Alternative 1, there would be 
no construction within the L Street ROW. This segment of L Street would 
be closed to vehicular traffic and on-street parking, but it would 
remain open for pedestrians. No structures would be constructed within 
the adjacent Virginia Avenue Park, and the park would remain open to 
public use. The segment of the ROW and the adjacent portion of Virginia 
Avenue Park are included within this site as a means of satisfying the 
AT/FP vehicular standoff distance, while also allowing public use to 
continue.
    Alternative 3--Site C. The land comprising Site C is federally-
owned, but subject to a master development plan and agreement between 
GSA and a private developer (Forest City Washington) authorized by 
prior special legislation. An agreement with Forest City Washington and 
GSA to transfer Site C to the DoN/USMC would be required in order for 
Site C to be selected. Under Alternative 3, the Marine Corps obtain 
appropriate real estate interest in a portion of the federally owned 
land at the Southeast Federal Center (SEFC) for the proposed 
replacement BEQ Complex and a 3-story above ground parking structure. 
Alternative 3, Site C, is 2.1 acres within Square 853, bounded by M 
Street SE. to the north and Tingey Street SE. to the south. In addition 
to having to reach an agreement with Forest City Washington and GSA, 
under this alternative, the SEFC ``The Yards'' Redevelopment Master 
Plan would need to be revised.
    Alternative 4--Site D. Under Alternative 4, the Marine Corps would 
establish a tenant site on 1.67 acres of federally owned land at the 
northern end of Square 953, within the boundary of the Washington Navy 
Yard (WNY). The existing land use includes an administrative building 
(Building 169) as well as tennis and basketball courts east of Building 
169, all of which have been identified as areas for potential 
redevelopment in the WNY Master Plan (approved by the National Capital 
Planning Commission on November 6, 2014). Also included is the parking 
lot south of Building 169 (16 spaces) and potentially a portion of Poor 
Street that connects Parsons Avenue and 10th Street SE. BEQ 
construction on this site would require the demolition of Building 169, 
which is currently occupied by MBW functions. The existing below-grade 
parking at the Building 20 site would be maintained to satisfy the BEQ 
Complex parking requirement.
    Alternative 5--Site E. Under Alternative 5, the Marine Corps would 
use 0.89-acre within the boundary of the MBW Annex (Squares 881 and 
881W). For the purposes of this EIS, it is expected that the 
replacement BEQ Complex construction would occur within the 6th Street 
L'Enfant Plan viewshed between Building 25 (Annex building) and 
Building 26 (Annex parking garage). The new facility would be sited as 
close to Building 25 as possible and would connect via a breezeway 
between the replacement BEQ Complex and the western end of Building 25. 
The site currently contains a basketball court that would be relocated 
to the north of Building 25. The existing below-grade parking at the 
Building 20 site would be maintained to satisfy the BEQ Complex parking 
requirement.
    The Marine Corps has not identified a preferred alternative at this 
time. Each of the action alternatives involve trade-offs among 
economic, technical, environmental, and Marine Corps statutory mission 
requirements. A preferred alternative will be selected in the Final EIS 
after public comments on the Draft EIS are evaluated.

    Dated: April 10, 2015.
N.A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-08863 Filed 4-16-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P