Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report For Disposal and Reuse of Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/

Environmental Impact Report For Disposal and Reuse of Marine Corps Air

Station, Tustin, CA

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act as implemented by

the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-

08), and pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CA

Public Resources Code Sections 21000 et seq.), the U.S. Marine Corps

and the City of Tustin intend to prepare a joint Environmental Impact

Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) to evaluate the

environmental effects of the disposal and reuse of Marine Corps Air

Station (MCAS) Tustin. This action is being conducted in accordance

with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, and the

specific 1993 base closure and realignment decisions approved by the

Congress in September 1993.

The proposed action to be evaluated in the EIS/EIR is the disposal

of land, buildings, and infrastructure of MCAS Tustin for subsequent

reuse. The Marine Corps and City of Tustin intend to analyze the

environmental effects of the disposal of MCAS Tustin based on the

reasonable foreseeable reuse of the property, taking into account uses

to be identified by the City of Tustin Base Closure Task Force.

The Task Force has developed a Specific Plan/Reuse Plan to guide

the reuse of MCAS Tustin in a variety of uses, including public and

private housing, commercial, light industrial, and recreation uses.

Some of the existing structures and facilities, including housing, are

anticipated to be reused. A number of facilities, including the

airfield operation facilities, are proposed for removal. Agricultural

and vacant areas on MCAS Tustin are proposed to be developed with urban

uses.

Full buildout of the proposed land uses will result in a maximum of

4,601 dwelling units and about 12.3 million square feet of non-

residential uses such as commercial business, light industrial, and

recreational uses (about 2.1 million square feet is existing floor area

on the base, and 10.2 million square feet is potential new floor area).

It is also currently estimated that about 25 percent of the site would

be used for public uses.

The project also will include the extension of major arterials

through the base including Tustin Ranch Road to Von Karman, Warner

Avenue from Red Hill to west of Jamboree Road, and creation of a

secondary interior loop roadway and local roadways to facilitate local

circulation. The Specific/Reuse Plan will also address possible

variations to the Tustin Ranch Road and Warner Avenue extensions in the

event the southerly blimp hangar is removed.

Alternatives to be addressed in the EIS/EIR can be characterized as

follows:

1. Arterial Grid Pattern/High Residential--land uses are driven by

a grid pattern of major arterial extensions. This alternative has the

greatest number of residential units. This alternative also has no

community core land use flexibility. The alternative could pose

limitations in responding to market absorption and soil clean-up

phasing.

2. Ideal Interior Loop Pattern/Low Residential--the alignment of

arterial highways and the proposed looped system would be modified to

show its optimum alignment if the southeast blimp hangar could not be

reused, and would include possible variations to the Tustin Ranch Road

and Warner Avenue extensions. This alternative would have the fewest

number of residential units and would result in the highest commercial

retail and office square footage, particularly at the southerly portion

of the site.

3. No action--retention of the property by the Marine Corps in a

caretaker status. However, because of the process mandated by the Base

Closure and Realignment Act, selection of the no action alternative

would be considered impracticable for the Marine Corps to implement.

Major environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS/EIR

include land use, housing, utilities, noise, transportation/

circulation, public services, airfield operations, hazardous materials,

water resources, air quality, biological resources, and cultural

resources.

The Marine Corps and City of Tustin will initiate a scoping process

to determine the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the

significant issues related to this action. The Marine Corps and City of

Tustin will hold a public scoping meeting on July 20, 1994, beginning

at 7:00 p.m., at the City of Tustin Community Center located in the

Tustin Civic Center, 300 Centennial Way. This meeting will be

advertised in area newspapers.

A brief presentation will precede the request for public comment.

Marine Corps and City of Tustin representatives will be available at

this meeting to receive comments from the public regarding issues of

concern to the public. It is important that federal, state, and local

agencies and interested individuals take this opportunity to identify

environmental concerns that should be addressed during the preparation

of the EIS/EIR. In the interest of available time, each speaker will be

asked to limit oral comments to 5 minutes.

Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide

written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral

comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments

should clearly describe specific issues or topics which the author/

speaker believes the EIS/EIR should address. Written statements and

questions regarding the scoping process should be mailed to: Christine

Shingleton, Assistant City Manager, City of Tustin, 300 Centennial Way,

Tustin, CA 92680, telephone number (714) 573-3116. All comments must be

received no later than August 5, 1994.

Dated: June 28, 1994.

Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,

LCDR, JAGC, USN,

Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-16114 Filed 7-1-94; 8:45 am]

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