[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4309-4311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01144]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Navy Old Town Campus Revitalization at Naval Base Point Loma,
California, and To Announce Public Scoping Meetings
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
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ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations, the Department of the Navy (Navy)
announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
to evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with
revitalization of the Navy Old Town Campus (OTC) to support Naval
Information Warfare Systems Command's (NAVWAR) current and future
operational readiness. This EIS will also address provisions of the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as it relates to non-
federal development within the proposed alternatives. An EIS is
considered the appropriate document for comprehensively analyzing the
proposed action to demolish and construct buildings, utilities, and
infrastructure at the OTC, Naval Base Point Loma, California. Specific
proposed actions within the OTC proposal could include Navy
recapitalization of the site or redevelopment through a public-private
partnership.
DATES: The Navy is initiating a 30-day public scoping process to
identify community interests and specific issues for analysis in the
EIS. This public scoping process starts with the publication of this
Notice of Intent. The Navy is planning two public scoping meetings to
receive written comments on issues for analysis in the EIS. All public
comments are due by February 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held in the following locations (all
times local):
1. February 13, 2020, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Liberty Station
Conference Center, Main Hall, Door A, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego,
California 92106-6427.
2. February 19, 2020, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Liberty Station
Conference Center, Main Hall, Door A, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego,
California 92106-6427.
Additional information concerning meeting times and locations is
available on the EIS website at www.navwar-revitalization.com. The Navy
will announce public scoping meeting dates, times, and locations in the
local news media.
Public scoping meetings will include open house sessions, with
information stations staffed by Navy representatives. The Navy will
collect comments during each of the two public scoping meetings.
Written comments can also be made electronically on the project
website.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Southwest, Navy OTC Revitalization EIS Project Manager, Attn: Mr. Ron
Bochenek, 1220 Pacific Highway (Code EV21.RB), San Diego, California
92132-5101; telephone: 619-379-3860.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Army Air Corps first used the OTC
site in 1940. Use of the site transitioned to the United States Air
Force in 1947. General Dynamics Corporation operated the facility,
known as Air Force Plant 19, from approximately 1940 to the mid-1970s,
using it primarily for aircraft production. Beginning in the late
1970s, subassembly activities for various missile production programs
replaced aircraft assembly as the primary function of the facility. In
1994, the Air Force transferred ownership of the property to the U.S.
Navy (with oversight given to Naval Base Point Loma) and manufacturing
activities focused on space launch vehicle assembly as conducted by
various military contractors.
NAVWAR established the OTC site as their headquarters in 1996, with
a mission focus of naval communications and space programs. Site
activities have since grown to include development, acquisition, and
life cycle management of command, control, communications, computers,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems for Navy, Marine
Corps, and selected joint service, allied nation, and other government
agency programs.
The existing OTC facilities are beyond their useful life and their
degradation is affecting NAVWAR's cyber warfare mission, security, and
workforce safety. The Navy requires secure, safe, modern state-of-the-
art space to support NAVWAR's mission requirements. NAVWAR proposes to
revitalize the OTC, which would include the demolition of existing
facilities and construction of new buildings, utilities, and
infrastructure to provide mission capable facilities for NAVWAR on OTC.
NAVWAR's mission requirements include 1,064,268 square feet (SF) of
space, as follows:
845,326 SF of office space;
29,156 SF of secure conference and auditorium space;
24,172 SF of warehouse/storage space; and
165,614 SF of lab space.
Parking will also be required for personnel working at OTC, either
on site or at a separate nearby location.
During development of the NAVWAR's mission requirements, the Navy
identified a portion of the existing OTC facilities, primarily open
storage/laydown and warehouse space, could be accommodated at an off-
site location. This EIS does not address the potential NAVWAR off-site
facilities relocation. Therefore, subsequent NEPA may be required if
alternative selection results in utilization of an off-site location.
The purpose of and need for the Proposed Action is to address
substandard, inefficient, and obsolete facilities that are incapable of
meeting and sustaining NAVWAR's mission requirements. Current
facilities are beyond their useful life and negatively affect NAVWAR's
cyber warfare mission, security, and workforce safety. NAVWAR requires
secure, safe, efficient, modern, state-of-the-art facilities to meet
information technology, artificial intelligence, and cyber warfare
operational needs as a central component to NAVWAR's mission in defense
of our Nation.
In September 2018, the Navy issued a Request for Interest (RFI) to
evaluate the availability and adequacy of potential business sources to
revitalize the OTC site through a public-private partnership. In
November 2018, the Navy held an industry day to solicit responses to
the RFI and highlight the Navy's willingness to consider all types of
concepts to achieve Navy goals for revitalizing the OTC, including
long-term leases, a land exchange, or sale. The RFI process resulted in
twelve responses, four of which contained substantive market research.
After considering the proposals received on the RFI, feedback received
at industry day, and subsequent discussions with internal and external
stakeholders, the Navy entered into an agreement with the San Diego
Association of Governments (SANDAG) on September 19, 2019, to conduct a
planning process intended to lead to the redevelopment of the OTC, to
include a potential Transit Center and the redevelopment of NAVWAR
facilities. SANDAG's proposed Transit Center would improve multimodal
regional transportation efficiency for the residents and visitors of
the greater San Diego area, and would support NAVWAR's mission by
providing access that is more efficient to industry partners and
transportation. SANDAG is considering various conceptual transportation
solutions for improved regional airport connectivity; some of the
concepts under consideration include possible construction at the
NAVWAR facility, others do not. In consideration of the fact that Navy
may proceed without SANDAG if SANDAG and the Navy do not agree to move
forward with redevelopment of the site to include a Transit Center, the
Navy has developed
[[Page 4311]]
five preliminary alternatives in addition to the No Action alternative
for revitalizing the OTC.
Alternative 1 (Navy Recapitalization at OTC) would consist of
revitalization of the OTC to meet NAVWAR's facility requirements with
Navy-funded capital improvements only. This would potentially include
consolidating NAVWAR operations into two of the existing 310,000 SF
buildings (Buildings 2 and 3) on OTC Site 1.
Alternative 2 (High-Density Mixed Use Revitalization) would consist
of construction of new Navy facilities for NAVWAR on the OTC site
through an agreement with a public-private partner, and the relocation
of some warehouse functions to a separate off-site location.
Alternative 3 (Low-Density Mixed Use Revitalization) would be
similar to Alternative 2, but the development scenario for private
development would be reduced. The development requirements for NAVWAR
would be the same as under Alternative 2.
Alternative 4 (High-Density Mixed Use Revitalization Including a
Transit Center) would be similar to Alternative 2, but a portion of the
OTC site would be developed as a transit center. The development
requirements for NAVWAR would be the same as under Alternative 2.
Alternative 5 (Low-Density Mixed Use Revitalization Including a
Transit Center) would be similar to Alternative 2, but a portion of the
OTC site would be developed as a transit center and the development
scenario for private development would be reduced. The development
requirements for NAVWAR would be the same as under Alternative 2.
Alternative 6 (No Action Alternative) would be no change from
status quo. The Navy would continue to maintain and repair the existing
facilities, and NAVWAR would continue to operate at the OTC site as is.
Environmental issues and resources to be examined and addressed in
the EIS include, but are not limited to: Air Quality (including
environmental effects analyses pursuant to CEQA for greenhouse gases/
Climate Change and Odor), Transportation, Visual Resources, Land Use
(including Agricultural Resources for CEQA), Socioeconomics (including
Growth Inducing Impacts for CEQA), Cultural Resources (including
Paleontology for CEQA), Hazardous Materials and Waste, Public Health
and Safety (including Wildfire for CEQA), Environmental Justice,
Infrastructure (including Schools, Utilities and Energy Consumption for
CEQA), Airspace, Noise, Geology (including Mineral Resources for CEQA),
Water Resources, and Biological Resources. The EIS will also analyze
measures that would avoid or mitigate environmental effects.
Additionally, the Navy will undertake any coordination and consultation
activities required by the National Historic Preservation Act.
The Navy encourages interested persons to submit comments
concerning the alternatives proposed for study, and environmental
issues for analysis in the EIS. Federal, State, local, and Tribal
agencies, and interested persons are encouraged to provide comments to
the Navy to identify specific environmental issues or topics of
environmental concern that the Navy should consider when developing the
Draft EIS. The Navy will prepare the Draft EIS, incorporating issues
identified by the commenting public. All comments received during the
public scoping period will receive consideration during EIS
preparation.
Mailed comments on the scope of the EIS should be postmarked no
later than February 24, 2020. Comments may be mailed to: Naval
Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, Navy OTC Revitalization EIS
Project Manager, Attn: Mr. Ron Bochenek, 1220 Pacific Highway (Code
EV21.RB), San Diego, California 92132-5101. Interested parties can also
submit comments via the EIS website at www.navwar-revitalization.com.
Dated: January 20, 2020.
D.J. Antenucci,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-01144 Filed 1-23-20; 8:45 am]
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