[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 89 (Friday, May 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19718-19719]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-08090]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[Notice-PBS-2025-04; Docket No. 2025-0002; Sequence No. 5]
Notice of Availability of a Final Environmental Impact Statement
for a New Federal Courthouse in Hartford, Connecticut
AGENCY: New England Region, Public Buildings Service (PBS), U.S.
General Services Administration (GSA).
ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that analyzes the potential
environmental effects from the acquisition of a site in Hartford, CT,
and the subsequent design, construction, and operation of a new federal
courthouse. The new courthouse would be owned and managed by GSA and
occupied by the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
(the Court) and related agencies. The Final EIS describes the purpose
and need for the project; the alternatives considered; the existing
environment that could be affected; the potential impacts resulting
from each of the alternatives and proposed best management practices
and mitigation measures. The Final EIS identifies the Preferred
Alternative, as summarized below (see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section of this NOA). The Final EIS can be viewed or downloaded from
the GSA project website at www.gsa.gov/hartfordcourthouse. Hard copies
are available for review at the Hartford Public Library, Albany Branch
located at 1250 Albany Ave, Hartford, CT 06112; Hartford Public
Library, Park Street Branch located at 603 Park St, Hartford, CT 06106;
and Hartford City Hall located at 550 Main St, Room 001, Hartford, CT
06103.
DATES: The Final EIS Wait Period begins with publication of this NOA in
the Federal Register and will last until June 9, 2025. Any comments
regarding the Final EIS must be postmarked or received by the last day
of the 30-day Final EIS Wait Period (see the ADDRESSES section of this
NOA for how to submit comments). After the Wait Period, GSA will issue
the Record of Decision (ROD).
ADDRESSES: Comments on the Final EIS may be submitted by one of the
following methods:
Email: [email protected] with subject line
``Hartford Courthouse Final EIS''
Mail: General Services Administration, Attention: Joseph
[[Page 19719]]
Mulligan, Project Manager, JCK Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn, Suite
3600, Chicago, IL 60604
Comments sent by any other method or to any other address or
individual may not be considered by GSA. Comments received or
postmarked after the 30-day Final EIS Wait Period may not be considered
by GSA. All comments received are part of the public record. All
personal identifying information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
confidential business information, or otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly accessible. GSA
will accept anonymous comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph Mulligan, GSA Project Manager,
312-505-5426, at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GSA has considered and incorporated
stakeholder input and public comments provided during the scoping and
Draft EIS comment periods to develop the Final EIS and determine the
Preferred Alternative.
GSA's Preferred Alternative for the site acquisition, and
subsequent design, construction and operation of a new federal
courthouse in Hartford is Alternative 2, the Allyn Site. Under the
Preferred Alternative, GSA would acquire the Allyn Site, consisting of
approximately 2.19 acres of land located at 154 Allyn Street. The Allyn
Site is bounded by Church Street to the north, High Street to the west,
Allyn Street to the south, and mixed-use and religious buildings along
its eastern perimeter. It is in the central business district of
Hartford and is one block north of Bushnell Park. The Allyn Site
currently serves as a surface parking lot. Under the Preferred
Alternative, the new federal courthouse would likely contain up to two
levels of underground secure parking. The majority of the Allyn Site,
approximately 2 acres, would be excavated and graded in preparation for
construction, and a small portion, approximately 0.25 acres, would be
used as a staging area. GSA may lease a vacant paved lot in the
vicinity of the Allyn Site for staging purposes due to the limited
space availability at the site. The Project would generate
approximately 50,000 to 75,000 cubic yards of excavated materials. A
new landscape plan would be developed using native plantings. There
appears to be adequate public parking in proximity to the Allyn Site,
however, GSA may pursue options to provide additional parking such as
entering into a lease with a commercial parking operator.
Background
The Court currently operates at three facilities: the Richard C.
Lee U.S. Courthouse in New Haven (its headquarters location), the Brien
McMahon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Bridgeport, and the
Abraham A. Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse in Hartford
(Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse).
The Ribicoff Federal Building and Courthouse, constructed in 1963,
does not have the capacity to accommodate the functions and operations
of the Court. The facility is inadequate in size and configuration for
the Court's existing operations, including deficiencies in judicial,
juror, and detainee circulation and overall facility security. The
Court's long-term facilities planning and GSA's feasibility studies
concluded that relocating the Court's headquarters to Hartford would
provide efficiencies in judicial operations across the State. The
results from these studies led to GSA's proposal to locate the Court
and related agencies at a new courthouse in Hartford.
GSA has prepared a Final EIS to assess the potential impacts of
this project.
Alternatives Considered
GSA evaluated two action alternatives in the Final EIS. Both would
involve site acquisition, design, construction, and operation of a new
federal courthouse in Hartford: (1) Alternative 1, Woodland Site,
located at 61 Woodland Street, and (2) Alternative 2, Allyn Site,
located at 154 Allyn Street. Key features of the proposed courthouse
include (a) total building gross square footage of up to 281,000; (b)
eleven courtrooms and eighteen judges chambers; (c) offices for the
Court and related agencies; and (d) sixty-six secure parking spaces.
GSA also considered a No Action alternative. The Final EIS describes
the purpose and need for the proposed project, the alternatives
considered, the existing environment that could be affected, the
potential impacts resulting from each of the alternatives, and proposed
best management practices and mitigation measures. The resource areas
analyzed in the Final EIS include land use; utilities; traffic and
transportation; air quality; solid and hazardous waste; socioeconomics;
protection of children's health and safety; cultural resources;
geology, topography, and soils; water resources; and visual resources.
Based on the analysis presented in the Final EIS, impacts from the
Preferred Alternative on all resource areas would be less-than-
significant (i.e., negligible, minor, or moderate).
The Final EIS was prepared in compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) NEPA, as amended (42 United States Code
[U.S.C.] et seq.), which requires federal agencies to examine the
impacts of their proposed projects or actions on the human and natural
environment and consider alternatives to the proposal before deciding
on taking an action. The Final EIS complies with the GSA PBS NEPA Desk
Guide and other relevant federal and state laws and regulations and
executive orders.
Further information about the project can be viewed at: http://gsa.gov/hartfordcourthouse.
Jesse Lafreniere,
Director, Design and Construction Division, U.S. General Services
Administration, PBS New England Region.
[FR Doc. 2025-08090 Filed 5-8-25; 8:45 am]
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