[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65771-65773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23721]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2022-06; Docket No. 2022-0002; Sequence No. 26]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Initiate Section 106 Consultation for Four Buildings at 202, 208-212, 
214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, and Notice of Public 
Scoping Meetings and Comment Period

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Notice; public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration (GSA) intends to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conduct the Section 106 
Process of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to address the 
future of buildings 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street 
between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard, adjacent to the Dirksen 
Federal Courthouse in Chicago's South Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois. 
All four properties, for which Congress has appropriated funds for 
demolition, reside in the Loop Retail Historic District listed in the 
National Register of Historic Places. Two of the four buildings, the 
Century Building (202 State Street) and the Consumers Building (220 
South State Street) are identified as contributing structures to the 
historic district.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held at the Morrison Conference Center 
in the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd., 
Chicago, IL 60604, on Thursday, November 10, 2022, from 4 to 7 p.m., 
CST (Central Standard Time). Written comments must be received by 
Monday, December 12, 2022, in order to be considered in the EIS. 
Participants will be given an opportunity to comment based on the order 
in which they register. Each person will be allowed three minutes to 
comment during the meeting. Written comments will be accepted before 
and after the meeting and given the same priority as oral comments.

ADDRESSES: People wishing to attend the public meeting in-person or 
virtually are asked to register for the event at this link: https://GSA-South_State-Street-Scoping-Meeting.eventbrite.com. Written comments 
may be sent by the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Joseph Mulligan, U.S. General Services 
Administration, 230 S. Dearborn St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60604.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Joseph Mulligan, U.S. General 
Services Administration, 230 S. Dearborn St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 
60604; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scoping Process

    The purpose of the public scoping process is to identify relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of analysis of the human and 
natural environment including cultural resources. The EIS will include 
public input on alternatives and impacts. This meeting will also 
initiate GSA's public consultation required by NHPA. GSA seeks input at 
this meeting that will assist the agency in planning for the Section 
106 consultation process, identifying consulting parties, determining 
the area of the undertaking's potential effects on cultural resources 
(Area of Potential Effects), and envisioning alternatives to demolition 
that will avoid, minimize or mitigate adverse effects. Federal, state, 
and local agencies, along with affected members of the public, are 
invited to participate in the NEPA scoping and Section 106 process.
    The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are two separate laws which require 
federal agencies to consider the impacts to historic properties and the 
human environment before making decisions. NHPA and NEPA are 
independent statutes, yet may be executed concurrently to optimize 
efficiencies, transparency, and accountability to better understand the 
effects to the human, natural, and cultural environment. The EIS will 
be prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA 
regulations, and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide. GSA 
will also consult with appropriate parties in accordance with Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966.
    Opportunities for affected members of the public to become a 
consulting party during the NHPA Section 106 process will be presented 
during the public scoping meeting. You may submit a comment to express 
your interest in being a consulting party if you cannot attend the 
meeting.

Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action and Undertaking

    The purpose of the Proposed Action and Undertaking is to address 
the potential security vulnerabilities associated with buildings 202, 
208-212,

[[Page 65772]]

214 and 220 South State Street, to respond to the passing of the 2022 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, which calls for the demolition of 
these buildings and to effectively manage federal property. The 
Proposed Action and Undertaking is specifically needed for the 
following reasons:

Address Security

     The Dirksen Federal Courthouse and its occupants are at 
particular risk of harm by hostile acts.
     Physical security surrounding the courthouse needs to be 
maintained and enhanced.

Respond to Congressional Intent

     Congress passed the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act 
with the following expectations:
    [cir] Defined scope to demolish the four properties.
    [cir] Funding for demolition of the four properties.

Manage Assets

     There is no federal occupancy need for the buildings.

Proposed Action and Undertaking and Preliminary Alternatives

    The proposed action and undertaking are to address the future of 
buildings 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago, 
Illinois. GSA has identified the following preliminary alternatives for 
the proposed action. However, additional alternatives proposed by the 
public may be considered in the EIS.
    Demolition (Alternative A): GSA is considering the demolition of 
four buildings at 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street, 
Chicago, Illinois, per the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The 
funds appropriated by Congress are available only for demolition, 
securing the site, and landscaping the vacant site following 
demolition. The proposed action includes protection of adjacent 
properties during demolition, securing the vacant site of the 
demolished buildings and landscaping of the vacant site following 
demolition.
    Viable Adaptive Reuse (Alternative B): The following is a current 
listing of reuse criteria developed in collaboration with the United 
States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and federal law 
enforcement agencies. References therein to ``Developer'' include 
lessees, tenants, or other occupants and users of the properties. There 
are no federal funds available for rehabilitation, preservation, or 
restoration of buildings at 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State 
Street, Chicago, Illinois. Rehabilitation or modification of the 
properties in order to meet the following criteria will not be 
performed at the Government's expense. These restrictions are necessary 
to meet the security needs of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and would be 
applicable to any uses of the property.
    1. The Federal government must retain ownership interests to 
achieve its security objectives, as determined by the government in its 
discretion.
    2. Occupancy/Use: Properties shall not be used for short-term or 
long-term residential or lodging, places of worship, or medical 
treatment, services, or research. No use that requires access to 
outdoor areas is permitted.
    3. Access to the roof is restricted to maintenance and repair 
activities. Personnel and materials that will be present in this area 
shall be subject to clearance and controls necessary to meet court 
security objectives.
    4. Developer would have no access or use rights to Quincy Court.
    5. Loading is prohibited in Quincy Court and otherwise restricted 
in a manner to achieve court security. Loading on State or Adams 
Streets would be subject to local ordinance requirements.
    6. Occupants and users of the buildings shall have no sight lines 
into the Dirksen Courthouse, the Dirksen Courthouse ramp, or the Quincy 
Court properties owned by GSA.
    7. No parking or vehicle access is permitted on or within the 
properties.
    8. Developer is responsible for staffing, at their expense, 
security 24 hours with personnel approved by the Federal Protective 
Service or an entity to whom security services are delegated by Federal 
Protective Service.
    9. Developer must obtain and maintain access control systems to 
prevent unauthorized access to any location within the structures. Each 
exterior entrance point must have an intrusion detection system and 
access control system installed, and Developer must provide federal law 
enforcement access to each system.
    10. Developer must install and maintain interior and exterior 
security cameras and provide federal law enforcement officials with 
access and the ability to monitor the feeds in real time.
    11. Developer must install exterior lighting necessary to achieve 
courthouse security objectives.
    12. Perimeter Security: Developer must prevent unauthorized access 
to the properties that would result in an unapproved sight line.
    13. Fire escapes, and any other structures that would allow access 
from the street, must be removed.
    14. All construction documents and specifications for any 
renovation, rehabilitation, modification, or construction of any 
portion of the building (interior or exterior) will be subject to 
review and approval by federal law enforcement agencies.
    15. No project may start without the advance approval of GSA.
    No Action Alternative: GSA would continue with the status quo; the 
buildings would remain in place, vacant with significant repairs 
needed, and with limited federal funds available for maintenance.

Summary of Potential Impacts

    The EIS will identify, describe, and analyze the potential effects 
of the Action and No Action alternatives. This will include direct, 
indirect, and cumulative effects resulting from the implementation of 
the Action and No Action Alternatives. At present, GSA has identified 
the following resources for analysis of both beneficial and adverse 
potential impacts: cultural resources; aesthetic and visual quality; 
land use and zoning; community cohesion; socioeconomics; hazardous 
materials; air quality; noise; transportation and traffic; human health 
and safety; coastal zones; and geology, soils, and topography. The EIS 
will consider measures that would avoid, minimize, or mitigate 
identified adverse impacts. GSA welcomes public input on these 
potential impacts and other resources that should be considered.

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations

    In addition to NEPA, federal permits and other federal 
authorizations may be required for execution of the proposed action and 
undertaking or its alternatives. GSA's activities to meet its 
obligations under NEPA and Section 106 are not intended or presumed to 
effect compliance with all environmental regulation that may apply to 
the proposed action and undertaking, which involve separate regulatory 
permitting procedures. Examples include those required by the Clean 
Water Act, Clean Air Act, and applicable non-federal permitting laws.

Schedule for Decision-Making Process

    The following is a list of estimated milestones and timeframes for 
the EIS process:

 EIS Notice of Intent (NOI) in Federal Register: November 2022
 NEPA Scoping Meeting Conducted with Initiation of Section 106: 
November 2022

[[Page 65773]]

 End of NEPA Scoping Period: December 2022
 Publication of the Draft EIS: April 2023
 Draft EIS Public Comment Period: April-June 2023
 Completion of Section 106 Process: January 2024
 Final EIS: January 2024
 Record of Decision: February 2024

William Renner,
Director, Facilities Management and Services Programs Division, U.S. 
General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-23721 Filed 10-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-A9-P