[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63576-63578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19518]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2023-05; Docket No. 2023-0002; Sequence No. 26]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Buildings at 202, 
214, and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois

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

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: GSA, in cooperation with the Federal Protective Service (FPS) 
and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
announces the availability, and opportunity for public review and 
comment, of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
buildings at 202, 214, and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois. 
GSA is considering two action alternatives (Alternative A, Demolition 
or Alternative B, Viable Adaptive Reuse of the buildings) and a No 
Action Alternative.

DATES: GSA will hold a public hearing for the Draft EIS on Monday, 
October 2, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time 
(CDT) at the Morrison Conference Center, Metcalfe Federal Building 
located at 77 West

[[Page 63577]]

Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL. The public may attend the hearing in 
person or participate virtually in the hearing by registering at 
https://GSA-South_State-Street-Public-Hearing.eventbrite.com.
    Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations require a 
minimum 45-day review period. The review period starts on September 15, 
2023, when the NOA of the draft EIS is published in the Federal 
Register. Comments are due to the GSA contact named below no later than 
Tuesday, October 31, 2023. GSA will address and incorporate public 
comments received as it prepares the Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be presented orally or in writing during the 
meeting, by email, and by mail. All comments received will become 
public and part of the Administrative Record. Questions or comments 
concerning the Draft EIS should be directed to:

 Email: [email protected].
 Mail: Joseph Mulligan, U.S. General Services Administration, 
230 S. Dearborn St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60604

    Further information, including an electronic copy of the Draft EIS, 
may be found online on the following website: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/regions/region-5-great-lakes/buildings-and-facilities/illinois/chicago-202220-s-state-st-fps.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Mulligan, GSA, 230 S. Dearborn 
St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60604; cell: 312-886-8593; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action is to address the future of the three vacant 
buildings at 202, 214 and 220 South State Street, east of the Dirksen 
Courthouse. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to address the 
security needs of the Dirksen Courthouse, respond to Congressional 
intent considering the authorization of funds made to GSA by Congress 
in the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, and manage Federal assets.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    Demolition (Alternative A): This alternative would demolish the 
buildings at 202, 214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois. In 
the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress appropriated funding 
to GSA for the purpose of demolition of the buildings, protecting 
adjacent buildings, securing the site, and landscaping the vacant site 
following demolition.
    Viable Adaptive Reuse (Alternative B): This alternative would 
involve contracting with one or more private developers to lease and 
use the three buildings at 202, 214, and 220 South State Street in 
accordance with the 15 viable adaptive reuse criteria, listed below, 
that were developed by GSA in collaboration with the U.S. District 
Court for Northern Illinois and Federal law enforcement agencies. These 
criteria were established to achieve GSA's and Federal law enforcement 
agencies' security objectives for the Dirksen Courthouse and would 
apply to any future uses of the buildings. No Federal funds would be 
available for rehabilitation, preservation, or restoration of buildings 
at 202, 214, and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois; therefore, 
any rehabilitation or modification of the buildings to meet the 
criteria would not be performed at the Federal Government's expense. 
However, developers will have the opportunity to make improvements to 
the buildings in lieu of rent in accordance with section 111 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act. GSA will consider viable adaptive 
reuse alternatives if they meet or exceed the following viable adaptive 
reuse criteria. These restrictions would be applicable to all tenants 
and subtenants in perpetuity:
    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 to monitor the buildings' condition and secure 
the buildings; the buildings would remain in place and vacant, in need 
of significant repairs. GSA would also continue its efforts to develop 
a long-term plan for the buildings, as it has since it acquired them. 
GSA would have limited Federal funds available to continue with the 
maintenance and the buildings would be at risk of further 
deterioration.
    After the Notice of Intent to prepare this Draft EIS was issued, 
GSA undertook an emergency action to demolish 208-212 South State 
Street because the structure posed an immediate threat to human health 
and safety. The demolition of 208-212 South State Street, a non-
historic property, was a separate action and GSA completed an emergency 
Environmental Assessment (EA) to comply with NEPA. 208-212 South State 
Street was thus removed from the analysis of this Proposed Action.

Summary of Potential Impacts

    The Draft EIS identifies, describes, and analyzes the potential 
effects of the Action and No Action alternatives,

[[Page 63578]]

including direct, indirect, and cumulative effects. GSA identified the 
following resources for analysis of both beneficial and adverse 
potential impacts: cultural resources; aesthetic and visual resources; 
land use and zoning; community facilities; socioeconomics and 
environmental justice; greenhouse gas, climate change, and embodied 
carbon; hazardous materials and solid waste; air quality; noise; health 
and safety; and transportation and traffic. The Draft EIS considers 
measures that would avoid, minimize, or mitigate identified adverse 
impacts. GSA welcomes public input on these potential impacts.

National Historic Preservation Act

    In addition to NEPA, consultation under section 106 of the NHPA is 
occurring concurrently with the NEPA process. Two of the three 
buildings being considered for demolition are the Century Building (202 
South State Street) and the Consumers Building (220 South State 
Street), which are historic resources that contribute to the Loop 
Retail Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic 
Places (NRHP). In this proposed action, 214 South State Street is being 
treated as eligible for listing in the NRHP as a contributing resource 
to the Loop Retail Historic District.

Schedule for Decision-Making Process

    The following is a list of estimated time frames to complete the 
NEPA process:

 Draft EIS Public Comment Period: September 15 to October 31, 
2023
 Final EIS: February 2024
 Record of Decision: April 2024

William Renner,
Director, Facilities Management and Services Programs Division Great 
Lakes Region 5, U.S. General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-19518 Filed 9-14-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-CF-P