General Management Plan Amendment; Presidio of San Francisco, Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Availability of Final General Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

General Management Plan Amendment; Presidio of San Francisco,

Golden Gate National Recreation Area; Availability of Final General

Management Plan Amendment and Final Environmental Impact Statement

Summary: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (P.L. 91-190, as amended), the National Park

Service, Department of the Interior, has prepared a Final General

Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact Statement (FGMPA/FEIS)

that describes and analyzes a proposed action and three alternatives

for the future management and use of the Presidio of San Francisco,

Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. The FGMPA/FEIS is

being presented in two companion documents--the FGMPA, which describes

the proposed action in detail; and the FEIS, which presents the

proposal and three alternatives, along with the analysis of the

environmental consequences of their respective implementations.

The draft General Management Plan Amendment/Environmental Impact

Statement (DGMPA/DEIS) were released for public review on October 21,

1993 (58 FR 54372), and the public comment period closed December 21,

1993. During this period, three informal meetings and five public

meetings were held; written comments were also received. The FGMPA/FEIS

contain responses to the comments received and modifications to the

text as needed in response to the comments.

The proposed action and alternatives all have been designed to

protect and preserve exceptional resources and to meet planning

objectives and goals for the future Presidio. They differ primarily in

approach to overall management, level and extent of resource

preservation and enhancement, and diversity and level of visitor

programs. The proposed action, Alternative A, provides goals for

creating a park setting where cultural and natural resources are

preserved and enhanced; and major new programs are established through

public/private partnerships to provide an understanding of those

resources, encourage stewardship and cultural awareness, promote

international exchange, and seek solutions to critical global problems.

A federally chartered partnership institution would be created through

congressional legislation to assist in managing park partners, and

legislation would also be sought to include the former Public Health

Service Hospital complex within the Presidio. Modifications have been

made to the proposal based on public comment and clarification of Army

re-use needs. The changes primarily relate to additional clarification

regarding the amount and type of new construction, Army reuse,

remediation of environmental hazards, the preservation of historic

buildings, building demolition, the jobs/housing balance, addition of

adjacent Lobos Creek undeveloped lots, tenant management, the type of

partnership institution assisting with management, dog walking, Crissy

Field parking and boardsailing access, Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and

Transportation District maintenance facilities, the importance of the

Presidio's history and potential museum opportunities, affirmative

action programs, Letterman complex reuse, and the Lobos Creek

maintenance facility.

Alternative B, the no action/minimum requirements option, uses

existing authorities for management, provides fewer visitor programs

and opportunities, and excludes the former Public Health Service

Hospital from the park boundaries. Alternative C, the expanded open

space, restoration and interpretation option, provides a high level of

overall resource protection similar to Alternative A, but relies on

existing management authorities, as in Alternative B. As with

Alternative B, the Public Health Service Hospital is excluded from the

park boundaries, and in addition, under this option, the Letterman Army

Hospital and Research Center would be excluded. Alternative D, the

partial military reuse option, shares Alternative B's lower level of

overall resource protection and fewer visitor programs and

opportunities, but is similar to Alternative A with respect to

inclusion of the former Public Health Service Hospital and the

necessity of obtaining legislation for new management authorities.

Major impact topics assessed for the proposed action and

alternatives include natural and cultural resources; traffic and

transportation systems; city services; native plant communities;

regional economy and employment; noise; and air quality.

Supplementary Information: The 30-day no action period will expire on

September 26, 1994. Requests for information on the FGMPA/FEIS should

be directed to: Superintendent, Golden Gate National Recreation Area,

Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123. Telephone (415) 556-

3111.

Copies will be available at the Presidio Project Office: Building

102, Montgomery Street, Presidio of San Francisco, CA 94129. Additional

copies will be available for inspection at libraries located in the San

Francisco Bay area; the Department of Interior Library; the National

Park Service Public Affairs Office, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC

20240; and at the Western Regional Office, National Park Service,

Division of Planning, Grants and Environmental Quality, 600 Harrison,

Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94107-1372. In addition, all Federal

Repository libraries will receive copies.

Dated: August 25, 1994.

James Stewart,

Acting Associate Director, Planning and Development.

[FR Doc. 94-21802 Filed 9-2-94; 8:45 am]

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