Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Disposal and Reuse of Pontiac Storage Activity, Michigan

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for

Disposal and Reuse of Pontiac Storage Activity, Michigan

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action is the disposal of the Pontiac Storage

Activity (PSA) Pontiac, Michigan. The 32-acre site is closed and

maintained in a caretaker condition. The Army considers PSA

unencumbered, meaning no conditions or restrictions have been placed on

the PSA property for transfer. A Statement of Condition was issued by

the Department of the Army on August 11, 1993, which stated that the

site has been fully restored and is available for reuse. The screening

process has been completed for PSA with the Department of Defense,

other Federal agencies, the McKinney Act, and state and local agencies.

The City of Pontiac was the only organization showing interest in the

PSA property.

As part of PSA's disposal, the Army has worked with Federal, state

and local entities in order to identify three reasonable reuse options

for the reuse of PSA. These alternatives were evaluated against PSA's

existing baseline condition in order to determine an environmentally

sound and socioeconomically beneficial use for the property. The

baseline was described as the environmental and socioeconomic

conditions of the site in caretaker status. The three alternatives

considered included: (1) Light Industrial and Commercial; (2) Light

Industrial and Warehouse; and (3) the No-Action Alternative, as

required by National Environmental Policy Act and AR 200-2. Alternative

1, Light Industrial and Commercial, is the local community's preferred

reuse of the site.

Alternative 1 was chosen over Alternatives 2 and 3 because it

provides the greatest economic benefits for the state and local

community, while having no significant impact on the natural or human

environment. While Alternative 2, Light Industrial and Warehouse, has

even less impact on the human and natural environment than Alternative

1, it does not provide the most beneficial economic gain. Alternative

3, the No-Action Alternative, would provide no economic benefits to the

area and no benefit to the Federal government. The property would

remain under the care of the Army and may experience some deterioration

of buildings and overgrowth of grounds.

Placing the property into the local economy would create revenues

for the state and local tax base. In addition, implementation of

Alternative 1 would have a positive effect on the regional economy by

creating as many as 250 new jobs and increasing local sales volumes. It

would not have a significant impact on the population or housing

market, public services, and infrastructure. Land use would be

compatible with the current zoning of the site. Local traffic flow may

be altered in the immediate vicinity of the facility when compared with

baseline conditions, but would require only minor mitigative measures

to lessen impacts to traffic and transportation. Additional traffic

signals and entrances to the site would alleviate impacts to local

traffic.

The environmental resources affects associated with the disposal

would be insignificant. The topography or geology of the site would not

be affected under the proposed activities. Additional parking

requirements may cause minor disturbances to soils and loss of

vegetative cover, but the impacts would be minor. Water resources would

not be affected under the disposal. It is anticipated that the ambient

air quality would not be significantly impacted nor the National Air

Quality Standards levels would be exceeded. No hazardous materials nor

waste generation is expected. However, if they are included in the

reuse, the appropriate regulatory requirements would be met. Plant and

animal resources effects are expected to be insignificant. No wetlands,

threatened and endangered species, and cultural resources exist within

the boundaries of PSA. Noise levels are not anticipated to be above

background levels and the aesthetic value of the site is expected to

remain the same.

Based on the environmental and socioeconomic impact analysis in the

Environmental Assessment for the Disposal and Reuse of Pontiac Storage

Activity, which is incorporated into this Finding of No Significant

Impact (FNSI), it has been determined that the disposal of real

property and its subsequent reuse would not have a significant impact

on the quality of the natural or human environment. Because there would

be no significant environmental or socioeconomic impacts resulting from

implementation of the proposed action, an Environmental Impact

Statement is not required and will not be prepared.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to comment may obtain a copy of the EA or

inquire into this FNSI by writing to the U.S. Army Materiel Command,

Attn: AMSCO (Robert Jameson), 5001 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA

22333-0001 or by calling (703) 274-9166 within 30 days of the date of

publication of this notice.

Dated: June 24, 1994.

Lewis D. Walker,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety &

Occupational Health), OASA (IL&E)

[FR Doc. 94-15958 Filed 6-29-94; 8:45 am]

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