[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 102 (Friday, May 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34153-34154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11267]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2023-02; Docket No. 2023-0002; Sequence No. 18]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
a New Federal Courthouse in Hartford, Connecticut

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), GSA intends to prepare an EIS to analyze 
potential impacts from the proposed acquisition of a site in Hartford, 
CT, and the subsequent design and construction of a new Federal 
Courthouse. The building would be owned and managed by GSA and occupied 
by various Federal agency tenants, with the United States District 
Court for the District of Connecticut (the Court) serving as the 
largest tenant.

DATES: The public scoping meeting for the EIS will be held on Tuesday, 
June 6, 2023, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time. Written 
comments must be submitted to GSA by July 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES:  The meeting will be held at Park Street Library at the 
Lyric Community Room, 603 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06106.
    Written comments must be submitted using one of the following 
methods:
     In-Person: Submit written comments at the public scoping 
meeting via comment forms. There will be a stenographer to capture the 
comments voiced during the meeting.
     Email: Send an email to [email protected] and 
reference ``Hartford Courthouse EIS'' in the subject line.
     Mail: Send direct written comments to: General Services 
Administration, Attention: Robert Herman, Project Manager, Abraham A. 
Ribicoff U.S. Courthouse, 450 Main Street, Suite 435, Hartford, CT 
06103.
     Drop Box: Place written comments in the drop box at the 
main entrance of the Ribicoff Courthouse, at the following address: 
Abraham A. Ribicoff U.S. Courthouse, 450 Main Street, Hartford, CT 
06103.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Herman, Project Manager, GSA, 
at 413-244-9167.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut (the Court) 
currently

[[Page 34154]]

operates at three existing Court facilities: the Abraham A. Ribicoff 
Federal Building and Courthouse (Ribicoff Courthouse) in Hartford, the 
Richard C. Lee U.S. Courthouse in New Haven, and the Brien McMahon 
Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Bridgeport. Long-range 
facilities planning for the Court and the Court Project Priorities 
process determined that Court operations in Hartford are projected to 
increase, and that Court headquarters would relocate from New Haven to 
Hartford.
    The Ribicoff Courthouse, constructed in 1963, does not have the 
space, functionality, security, and building systems to meet the 
current and projected needs of the Court. The facility also presents 
numerous functional challenges related to circulation, prisoner 
movement, and operational and safety needs of the Judiciary.
    GSA conducted feasibility studies to determine a suitable 
alternative that established the budget, site considerations, and basis 
for a project designed to provide long-term solutions to the Court's 
projected space requirements. The results from the feasibility studies 
led to GSA's decision to locate the Court's judicial operations at a 
new Federal Courthouse in Hartford, CT.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    The EIS will consider three ``action'' alternatives and one ``no 
action'' alternative. Under the action alternatives, GSA would acquire 
a site of at least two acres of land in Hartford, CT for the design and 
construction of a new Federal Courthouse. The no action alternative 
assumes that site acquisition and subsequent design and construction of 
a new Federal Courthouse would not occur. The Judiciary would continue 
to operate under current conditions at the Ribicoff Courthouse, and at 
the courthouses in New Haven and Bridgeport.
    A new Federal Courthouse would have the following features:
     Total building gross square footage of approximately 
281,000;
     11 courtrooms and 18 Judge chambers;
     Offices for various Federal agency tenants; and
     66 secure parking spaces.
    GSA has identified three potential sites for the project, each 
corresponding to an action alternative (listed north to south):
     Woodland Site--encompasses one land parcel and is 10.10 
acres. The property lies in Hartford's Asylum Hill neighborhood, a 
block south of Saint Francis Hospital. It is bounded by Asylum Ave. to 
the north, the North Branch of Park River to the west, healthcare-
related buildings along its southern perimeter, and Woodland St. to the 
east. It is currently utilized as a State of Connecticut office 
building.
     Allyn Site--encompasses 10 land parcels and is 2.19 acres. 
The property lies downtown, two blocks north of Bushnell Park. It is 
bounded by Church St. to the north, High St. to the west, Allyn St. to 
the south, and mixed-use buildings along its eastern perimeter. It is 
currently utilized as a surface parking lot.
     Hudson Site--encompasses six land parcels and is 2.54 
acres. The property lies downtown, two blocks south of Bushnell Park. 
The parcels are separated by Hudson St., with the larger property (2.24 
acres) to the west of Hudson St. and the smaller property (0.3 acres) 
to the east of Hudson St. The larger property is bounded by Capitol 
Ave. to the north, West St. to the west, and Buckingham St. to the 
south. It is currently utilized as a surface parking lot and an auto 
detailing shop. The smaller property is bounded by Buckingham St. to 
the south and mixed-use buildings along its northern and eastern 
perimeters. It is currently utilized as a surface parking lot.

Public Involvement and Scoping Meeting

    The views and comments of the public are necessary to help 
determine the scope and content of the environmental analysis. 
Interested parties are encouraged to participate in the public scoping 
meeting and provide written comments regarding the scope of the EIS.
    There will be a project presentation at 6:00 p.m. with a public 
comment period to follow. An American Sign language translator and a 
Spanish language interpreter will be available. After the meeting, GSA 
will post the following items at the Project website, http://gsa.gov/hartfordcourthouse:

 Meeting handouts in English and Spanish
 Presentation slide deck in English and Spanish
 Meeting transcript in English
 Audio/video of the meeting with closed captions

    Further information about the project can be viewed at: http://gsa.gov/hartfordcourthouse.

Surran D. Dilks,
Director, Design & Construction Division, PBS New England Region.
[FR Doc. 2023-11267 Filed 5-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-RB-P