[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 96 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23135-23137]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10158]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Greater Los 
Angeles Healthcare System (GLAHS), West Los Angeles Medical Center 
Campus, Proposed Master Plan for Improvements and Reconfiguration

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: VA intends to prepare a programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for proposed improvements to and reconfiguration of the 
VA West Los Angeles Medical Center Campus (WLA). The WLA is part

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of the larger VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (GLAHS) which 
serves tens of thousands of unique Veterans in Kern, Los Angeles, San 
Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties

DATES: All written comments on the proposal should be submitted by June 
30, 2017. VA will consider all comments received during the 30-day 
public comment period in determining the scope of the programmatic EIS. 
VA plans to conduct several public scoping meetings, in the month of 
June 2017, within the WLA service area; the dates, times, and locations 
of which will be announced and published at least 14 days prior to.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on VA's notice of intent to prepare 
a programmatic EIS through www.Regulations.gov or 
[email protected]. Please refer to: ``WLA Notice of Intent to 
Prepare a Programmatic EIS.'' Comments may also be submitted to Staff 
Assistant to the Director, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 
11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90073.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Staff Assistant to the Director, VA 
Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, at the address above or by 
telephone, 605-720-7170. Documents related to the WLA Master Plan 
Programmatic EIS will be available for viewing at http://www.losangeles.va.gov/masterplan/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.); the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); United States Department 
of Veterans Affairs (VA) NEPA Implementing Guidance (38 CFR part 26); 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 
(54 U.S.C. Part 306108); and the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation (ACHP) Procedures for the Protection of Historic 
Properties (36 CFR part 800 et seq.), VA intends to prepare a 
programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed 
improvements to and reconfiguration of the VA West Los Angeles Medical 
Center Campus (WLA). The WLA is part of the larger VA Greater Los 
Angeles Healthcare System (GLAHS) which serves tens of thousands of 
unique Veterans in Kern, Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, 
and Ventura Counties. The WLA is located at the major intersection of 
Sepulveda Boulevard, Interstate 405 (also known as the San Diego 
Freeway), and Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, in the 
densely urbanized Brentwood neighborhood, and encompasses approximately 
388 acres. WLA is one of the largest medical center campuses in the VA 
system, providing a full range of medical services to eligible 
Veterans, including state-of-the-art hospital and outpatient care, 
rehabilitation, residential care, and long-term care services. It also 
serves as a center for medical research and education and a major 
training site for medical residence in partnership with the David 
Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles 
(UCLA), and the University of Southern California (USC) School of 
Medicine, as well as more than 45 colleges, universities, and 
vocational schools in 17 different medical, nursing, and other health 
care and administrative programs. The proposed action would involve 
evaluating potential ways to reconfigure and redevelop the existing 
WLA, expand points of access, and provide additional housing to 
homeless Veterans based upon the Framework Master Plan, to better serve 
the health care needs and distribution of Veterans in the GLAHS service 
area over the next 20 to 30 years. The effects and impacts to be 
addressed would include those identified in 40 CFR 1508.8; i.e., 
Aesthetics, Air Quality, Historic and Cultural Resources, Geology and 
Soils, Hydrology and Water Quality, Noise, Land Use, Floodplains, 
Wetlands and Coastal Zone Management, Socioeconomics, Community 
Services, Solid and Hazardous Materials, Transportation, Utilities, 
Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts. Both beneficial and 
detrimental effects of the proposed action would be identified as well. 
As part of the scoping process, VA seeks public input on the relative 
importance of these and other areas of environmental concern, 
mitigation measures, and suggestions regarding additional environmental 
impacts that should be evaluated. In addition, VA is substituting the 
NEPA process for compliance with NHPA, in accordance with Sec.  36 CFR 
800.8 (c), and in keeping with the joint CEQ-Advisory Council on 
Historic Preservation (ACHP) guidance on how to use NEPA in lieu of the 
procedures set forth in Sec.  36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6. This handbook 
for integrating NEPA and Section 106 is dated March 2013, and available 
at http://www.achp.gov/docs/NEPA_NHPA_Section_106_Handbook_Mar2013.pdf. 
the meetings
    With the publication of this notice, VA is initiating the scoping 
process to identify issues and concerns to be addressed in the 
programmatic EIS. Federal, state, tribal and local agencies; 
environmental, historic preservation organizations; businesses; 
interested parties; and the general public are encouraged to submit 
written comments identifying specific issues or topics of environmental 
concern that should be addressed.
    Proposed Action and Alternatives: The WLA Framework Master Plan is 
a visionary blueprint that will assist VA to determine and implement 
the most effective use of the campus for Veterans, particularly for 
homeless Veterans, including underserved populations, such as female 
Veterans, aging Veterans, and those who are severely physically or 
mentally disabled. The primary considerations include: (a) The 
provision of appropriate levels of supportive housing on the campus, in 
renovated existing buildings or newly constructed facilities, while 
taking into account the parties' assessment of available housing units 
in the greater Los Angeles community; (b) respect for individual 
Veteran choices on whether to seek housing at WLA or in the local 
community; (c) parameters of applicable law, including but not limited 
to, the appropriate integration of persons with disabilities into the 
community, and applicable environmental and historic preservation laws, 
regulations, and consultation requirements; and (d) the need for 
appropriate levels of bridge and emergency housing along with short-
term treatment services on campus, to provide state-of-the-art primary 
care, mental health, and addiction services to Veterans, particularly 
those that are chronically homeless.
    The proposed action would involve multiple concurrent and/or 
subsequent projects to be executed. VA has identified several potential 
action alternatives to be analyzed in the Programmatic EIS for each 
grouping of projects. For each project or groupings of projects:
    1. Alternative A: Relocation of any existing tenants and services 
to another existing building, complete renovation and retrofit of the 
existing building or buildings for a new function and service provider;
    2. Alternative B: Relocation of any existing tenants and services 
to another existing building or buildings, complete renovation and 
retrofit of the existing building or buildings, and relocation of 
tenants back to the newly completed renovation;
    3. Alternative C: Relocation of any existing tenants and services 
to another existing building or buildings, and the attendant complete 
demolition of former building or buildings, with construction

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of completely new building or buildings;
    4. Alternative D: Relocation of any existing tenants and services 
to another existing building or buildings, complete demolition of 
former building or buildings, with no replacement of the demolished 
building or buildings;
    5. Alternative E: Study of the impacts associated with the No 
Action or ``status quo'' alternative, as a basis for comparison to the 
action alternatives.
    Relevant and reasonable measures that could alleviate or mitigate 
adverse effects and impacts also would be included. VA would undertake 
necessary consultations with other governmental agencies and consulting 
parties pursuant to the NHPA, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, 
and other applicable environmental laws. Consultation would include, 
but is not limited to: Federal, state, tribal, and local agencies; the 
California Office of Historic Preservation as the State Historic 
Preservation Officer; and federally-recognized tribes with a geographic 
and/or cultural connection to the area. Information related to the NEPA 
process, including notices of public scoping and other informational 
meetings will be available for viewing on the WLA Master Plan Web site: 
http://www.losangeles.va.gov/masterplan/.
    VA anticipates that many of the issues to be addressed in assessing 
the impacts of the alternatives may affect the physical plant of WLA. 
Most of the acreage of WLA is located within a National Register 
Historic District. The campus also contains buildings individually 
listed in the National Register of Historic Places and archaeological 
sites. Furthermore, the campus may contain archaeological sites not 
previously identified. In the interests of efficiency, completeness, 
and facilitating public involvement, it is VA's intention that all 
cultural impacts be addressed together, in consultation with all 
appropriate parties. To facilitate this inclusive process, VA will 
incorporate into its NEPA analysis process the review procedures for 
historic properties usually carried out separately under Sec.  36 CFR 
800.3 through 800.6 of the NHPA Section 106, a process known as 
substitution. This process will include the opportunity for parties 
with a demonstrated interest in historic properties, as well as members 
of the public, to consult with VA on the identification of those 
properties, the evaluation of effects of the project on those 
properties, and the mitigation of those effects that are adverse to 
historic properties.

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. Gina S. 
Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on May 15, 2017, for publication.

    Approved: May 15, 2017.
Jeffrey Martin,
Office Program Manager, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, 
Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2017-10158 Filed 5-18-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P