Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement for New Federal Courthouse in Savannah, GA

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Intent To Prepare Environmental Impact Statement for New Federal

Courthouse in Savannah, GA

Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C.A. 4321 to 4370d), and the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), as implemented by

General Services Administration (GSA) Order PBS P 1095.4B, GSA

announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the siting and construction of a new Federal Courthouse within the

Central Business Area (CBA) of Savannah, Georgia.

The EIS will examine the short and long term impacts from

constructing and operating a New Courthouse in the Savannah CBA, on the

natural and human environments. This includes but is not limited to

impacts on historic and cultural resources, traffic and parking, and

socioeconomics (including the impacts on local businesses and

neighborhoods). The EIS will also examine measures to mitigate

unavoidable adverse impacts of the proposed action. Concurrent with

NEPA implementation, GSA will also implement its consultation

requirements under Section 106 (36 CFR 800) of the National Historic

Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470), regarding the impacts on

historic properties as a result of undertaking the proposed action. GSA

is very much aware of the potential for adverse affects on historic

resources as a result of proposed action, and will make every effort to

identify and take into account such affects when siting this project.

The New Courthouse will house 331 employees in an approximately

250,000 gross square foot structure that will meet the 10-year space

requirements of the US Courts. The project will contain five

courtrooms, and office space for Court-related agencies, as well as

space for GSA and the Postal Service. This information is presented

only as a summary of the project's space requirements: GSA has not

designed the facility even in concept. Design of the facility will not

begin until after a site has been selected and procured. The site

itself will not be procured until after the EIS and the NEPA process is

completed.

Although a specific site has not yet been determined, there are two

important locational considerations for this project. First, Executive

Order 12072 (16 AUG 1978, 43 FR 36869) requires Federal agencies to

give primary consideration to the CBA when acquiring space in an urban

area unless the Federal agency has operational needs requiring it to

locate outside the CBA. The purpose of this Executive Order is to

encourage the location of Federal facilities where they will serve to

strengthen the nation's cities and to make them attractive places to

live and work. In this case, the Court has no need to locate outside of

the CBA.

Second, the Court does have an operational need that would be best

served if the New Courthouse is located adjacent to the existing

Federal Building-Courthouse at 125 Bull Street. This location would

considerably reduce the security risk, as well as the administrative

and operational inefficiencies of ``splitting'' the Courts, by

minimizing the distance between two locations. An adjacent location is

strongly preferred by the Courts and GSA; however, it is a preference

only, and does not preclude consideration of an alternative CBA site.

As part of NEPA and Section 106 implementation, GSA is actively

seeking public input into the decision-making process, including the

identification of issues to be examined in the EIS, and the

identification of ``reasonable'' alternatives to the proposed action.

Reasonable, in this case, means that the alternative must still satisfy

GSA's basic project goals. These goals are to satisfy the Courts'

operational requirements, and house its 10-year space requirement, in a

cost-effective manner, in Government-owned space.

GSA has tentatively identified the following alternatives, some of

which may not be technically feasible, to be examined in the EIS:

``No Action,'' that is, undertake no new construction.

Construction adjacent to the existing Federal Building-

Courthouse at one of the following potential locations:

--On a parcel bounded by State, Bull, Broughton, and Whitaker Streets

(preferred alternative).

--On a parcel bounded by York, Bull, Oglethorpe, and Whitaker Streets.

--On a parcel bounded by Broughton, Barnard, State, and Whitaker

Streets.

--On a parcel bounded by State, Barnard, York, and Whitaker Streets.

--On a parcel bounded by Barnard, York, Whitaker, and Oglethorpe

Streets.

Identification and consideration of other feasible sites

that will satisfy the stated goals of the project in the CBA will be

determined through the scoping process and by Solicitation for Offers

by GSA.

As part of the public scoping process, you are encouraged to

contact GSA in writing at the following address with your concerns and

comments regarding the proposed project: Mr. Philip Youngberg, Regional

Environmental Officer--4PL, 401 West Peachtree Street, NW., Suite 2500,

Atlanta, GA 30365-2550; or FAX your comments to Mr. Youngberg at 404-

331-7169. Comments should be postmarked no later than July 5, 1994.

GSA also intends to conduct a Public Scoping Meeting to solicit

verbal comments, and address general questions concerning the project,

NEPA, and Section 106. A Notice of this meeting and all subsequent

public meetings conducted by GSA for this project will appear in the

Savannah News-Press at lest two weeks prior to the meeting date.

Notices announcing the availability and review periods for the Draft

EIS and Final EIS will also be published in the Savannah News-Press.

Persons and organizations on the mailing list will be notified of all

meetings and publications by mail. Persons who would like to be added

to the mailing list should write or call GSA at the address or phone

number listed in this notice.

Dated: May 19, 1994.

Judith M. Cobb,

Director, Planning Staff (4PL).

[FR Doc. 94-13536 Filed 6-2-94; 8:45 am]

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