Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Naval Base Philadelphia, PA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Naval Base Philadelphia, PA

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as

implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations

(40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy announces its

intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate

the potential environmental effects of the disposal and reuse of Naval

Base Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Naval Base, as defined here,

includes the Naval Station, those portions of the Naval Shipyard on

League Island that are not being retained by Navy, and the Capehart

Family Housing complex located a half-mile to the north of League

Island. League Island is located at the confluence of the Delaware and

Schuylkill Rivers in the southern portion of the City of Philadelphia.

As directed by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (DBCRA)

(PL 101-510), as implemented by the 1991 BRAC process, the Navy plans

to close and dispose of portions of the Naval Base. The Naval Station

and portions of the Naval Shipyard will be closed in late 1995.

The proposed action to be analyzed in the EIS involves the disposal

of land, buildings, and infrastructure for subsequent reuse. The Navy

will retain ownership of a portion of the Shipyard for possible future

use by the Navy. The Navy will continue to operate the Naval Surface

Warfare Center, the Propeller Shop and Foundry, and the Naval Inactive

Ship Maintenance Facility. This retained land on the Shipyard totals

approximately 300 acres. Other elements of the Shipyard, including five

dry docks and over 2.5 million square feet of building space may be

made available to lease for other purposes, but Navy will retain

ownership. The remainder of the Naval Base, approximately 800 acres,

would be disposed of by the Navy.

A Naval Base redevelopment/reuse plan developed by the Mayor of

Philadelphia's Commission on Defense Conversion will be the preferred

alternative presented in the EIS. The proposed reuse plan comprises

over 3.2 million square feet of heavy industrial functions; 2.2 million

square feet of light industrial, warehousing, and distribution

facilities; 1.4 million square feet of administrative and research/

development space; approximately 650,000 square feet of commercial

services; a 35-acre institutional campus; a 330-acre future development

site; and over 70 acres of common access open space.

The ``no action'' alternative (Navy retention of Naval Base

Philadelphia land and infrastructure in caretaker status) will be

addressed in the EIS. However, because of the process mandated by the

DBCRA, selection of the ``no action'' alternative would be considered

impracticable for the Navy to implement.

The EIS to be prepared by the Navy will address the following known

areas of concern: effects of new development at the Base on the

regional socioeconomic environment, potential effects on infrastructure

and transportation systems, and the effects of reuse on any historic

properties on-site. Preliminary studies indicate that areas within the

Naval Base are eligible for listing on the National Register of

Historic Places as historic districts, with several other potentially

significant archaeological resources also present. Additionally,

potential impacts to the natural environment that will be addressed in

the EIS include, but are not limited to, air quality, water quality,

hazardous materials, wetlands, and endangered species.

The Navy will initiate a scoping process for the purposes of

determining the scope of issues to be addressed and for identifying

significant issues related to proposed reuse. Navy will hold a public

scoping meeting on Wednesday, January 11, 1995, beginning at 7:30 p.m.,

at the South Philadelphia Community Center, 2600 South Broad Street

(corner of South Broad Street and Oregon Avenue), Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania. Should inclement weather preclude holding the public

scoping meeting on this date, the alternate date for the meeting will

be Thursday, January 12, 1995 (meeting to be held at the same

location). If there is any question of meeting date in the event of

inclement weather, contact the person listed at the end of this notice

for confirmation. This notice will also appear in local papers.

A brief presentation will precede a request for public comment and

will include a presentation on the proposed reuse plan. Navy

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. In the

interest of available time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral

comments to five minutes.

Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide

written comment 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 commenter believes the EIS

should address. Written statements and/or questions regarding the

scoping process should be mailed no later than January 27, 1995, to:

Commanding Officer, Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering

Command, 10 Industrial Highway, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113 (Attn: Mrs.

Tina Deininger, Code 202), telephone (610) 595-0759.

Dated: December 20, 1994.

L.R. McNees,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-31556 Filed 12-22-94; 8:45 am]

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