Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps Center in Long Beach, CA

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Job Corps: Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

for the New Job Corps Center in Long Beach, CA

agency: Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

action: Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the New Job Corps

Center in Long Beach, California.

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summary: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations

(40 CFR Part 1500-08) implementing procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of Labor,

Employment and Training Administration, Office of Job Corps, in

accordance with 29 CFR 11.11(d), gives notice that an Environmental

Assessment (EA) has been prepared and the proposed plans for the

establishment of a Job Corps Center in Long Beach, California, will

have no significant environmental impact. Pursuant to 29 CFR

11.11(d)(1), this Preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact will be

made available for public review and comment for thirty (30) days.

dates: Comments must be submitted by February 10, 1995.

addresses: Any comment(s) are to be submitted to Lynn Kotecki,

Employment and Training Administration, Department of Labor, 200

Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-5468.

for further information contact: Copies of the EA and additional

information are available to interested parties by contacting Marta

Aguilar-Duggan, Director, Office of Job Corps, 71 Stevenson Street,

Suite 1015, San Francisco, California, (415) 744-6658.

supplementary information: The Proposed Action includes development and

operation of a new Job Corps Center proposed on a 17-acre portion of an

existing 90.8 acre federally-owned site containing 110 recently

decommissioned U.S. Naval Cabrillo family housing units located in the

City of Long Beach. This new Job Corps Center will serve 300

residential students and 20 non-resident students, for a total of 320

students, as well as approximately 70 full-time, day and night staff.

Development of the proposed Job Corps Center will require

demolition of the 110 decommissioned units of approximately 151,250

square feet for construction of approximately 160,100 square feet of

new facilities. The new Job Corps Center facilities will feature one-

story buildings, including administrative and medical support

buildings; educational, library and instruction buildings; dormitory

buildings; a food service building and a one-story gymnasium structure.

The project site is accessible from the surrounding region via

Willow Street to the north, Pacific Coast Highway to the south, Long

Beach Freeway (Freeway 710) to the east, Terminal Island Freeway to the

west, as well as from the various existing, non-public internal

streets. The project site is located in a primarily residential section

of Long Beach, although there are several commercial developments along

Pacific Coast Highway and Santa Fe Avenue. Heavy industrial development

including railroad and oil refining operations are situated west and

adjacent to the Terminal Island Freeway.

The Long Beach project site is not located within an

environmentally sensitive area. The proposed action will not have any

significant adverse impacts on any prime agricultural lands, soils, or

related designated land conservation programs, development of mineral

resources, or on any unique topography.

There are no surface hydrological features present on the site such

as drainage swales, intermittent streams, wetlands, and/or ground water

production or related injection wells. The proposed action will not

involve the storage or on-site use of major quantities of hazardous

chemicals. Project development will not have any adverse impacts on

subsurface hydrogeological resources.

Project development will result in insignificant storm-water

related runoff. An on-site storm water discharge permit will be secured

to insure management in compliance with state and local requirements.

The proposed action is not expected to produce any significant adverse

drainage effect on adjacent property or any overloading of the public

storm water drainage system.

All new construction must conform to the Uniform Building Code

which includes establishing compatible building pad elevations and

structural designs which inherently mitigate seismic impacts, flood

hazards and related impacts to an acceptable risk. This is considered

to be a significant beneficial improvement over existing conditions. No

significant adverse flood-related impacts or geologic-related impacts

are anticipated.

Based on historic aerial photographs, personal interviews, visual

site reconnaissance, and reviews of available public and EPA-required

listings of hazardous sites, there appears to be no current or past

hazardous waste sources within the Long Beach site.

Existing structures have asbestos, lead paint, and potential PCB's

present on-site. However, all contaminated materials will be removed

and disposed of in accordance with applicable local, state, and federal

laws.

The development of the Proposed Action will generate approximately

25 percent less vehicular trips and associated automobile emissions

than that of recent conditions, which is considered to be a significant

beneficial improvement over existing conditions. Metropolitan bus

service has sufficient capacity to handle any increase in public

transit generated by the proposed action.

Demolition and development will generate temporary short-term

adverse dust and particulate matter during project construction

activities. However, maximum daily emission peaks would occur only

intermittently during the construction cycle and air emissions will

cease upon completion of the estimated 9-month construction period. All

applicable regulations will be complied with to insure specific

mitigation efforts.

Demolition, site preparation, and construction is expected to

generate average on-site noise levels of 65 to 95 dba with intervening

quieter periods. These levels are not considered to be severe or

present a health risk, as noise levels tend to reduce significantly at

distances greater than 100 feet. The presence of the existing 12-foot

high concrete wall lessens off-site construction noise for residential

properties located to the northeast of the project site. The proposed

action will comply with all City noise ordinances and related building

codes.

Due to a decrease in the number of vehicle trips because of a

reduced on-site population and the increased use of public transit and

car pooling over previous site area conditions, the new Job Corps

Center would generate significantly less peak and average noise

ambience levels over previously existing site conditions. This is

considered to be an improvement over previously

[[Page 2791]]

existing local noise ambience conditions.

There is existing area and security lighting on the project site,

which currently presents no significant light or glare effects because

of the site interior and the remote location within the Cabrillo family

housing area. The Job Corps Center will feature new facility area and

security lighting on the project site. Lighting impacts from the

proposed action upon off-site areas are expected to decrease over

existing conditions because the campus site design will feature more

modern, low intensity lighting fixtures. This is considered to be a

beneficial improvement over previously existing local lighting ambience

conditions.

There are no rare or endangered flora or fauna species known to

exist on the project site. Although development of the project will

remove existing non-native residential landscaping, forcing existing

urban animal species to relocate to adjacent areas, the proposed site

design will feature California native flora species designed to attract

desired fauna.

The proposed action will result in a 15.9 percent decrease in

population over previously existing conditions on site. This is

considered to be a beneficial reduction in population density of the

Long Beach site and surrounding community area. The affected source of

demolition and related construction is considered non-public (formerly

military) housing, and will have no impact on pricing in the local

housing market. No significant adverse population or housing resource

related project impacts are anticipated.

Development of the proposed site is estimated to generate a total

of 256 direct and indirect job opportunities in the City of Long Beach

and surrounding regions. The proposed action will not have any adverse

effect on the local job market, given the relatively high unemployment

rates in all sectors, including the local construction industry.

The proposed action is exempt from State property taxation.

However, construction material purchases are subject to both State

Sales and Use-related taxes. Accordingly, public tax revenues, expected

to increase as a result of project development, are considered to be a

beneficial improvement over existing local and regional employment and

economic conditions.

There is no evidence of any prehistoric archaeological or

historical sites on the Long Beach project site.

The existing family housing units at Cabrillo do not constitute

sufficient historical or architectural qualities to meet the criteria

for eligibility in the National Register of Historical Sites.

The proposed action is not expected to have an adverse impact on

established area facilities and opportunities including, but not

limited to, recreational and community services or public educational

services.

Although there are no on-site stormwater management-related

retention basins, or related treatment facilities, existing runoff and

related drainage patterns on- and off-site are not expected to be

significantly impacted by the project's minor surface paving. Provision

of on-site storm-water management facilities, as well as use of

intensive site landscaping, will minimize potential off-site stormwater

impacts.

Project development will have no adverse direct impact on City of

Long Beach street maintenance including any capital improvement

expenditures or other related public fiscal effects.

Security services are currently provided by the U.S. Navy Military

Police. This will become the responsibility of the Job Corps Center,

which will maintain access control and provide site security. The city

of Long Beach provides police services to the surrounding community

from the central station located 1.5 miles away. The public police

services are adequate for the project area and surrounding community

area. Project development will have no significant, adverse impact on

public services.

The fire-suppression services on-site are currently provided by the

U.S. Navy and will become the responsibility of the Job Corps Center.

The final site design will provide adequate fire suppression and

control features, including installation of automatic sprinkler fire

suppression systems, for all proposed construction. The site and

surrounding community are served by a Long Beach City Fire Station

located 1.0 mile away. Project development is not anticipated to have a

significant, adverse impact on existing public services.

Primary medical and paramedic services on-site will be the initial

responsibility of the Job Corps Center, with emergency backup provided

by the city of Long Beach. The closest hospital services are within 1.5

miles of the project site. The proposed project will have no

significant, adverse impact upon existing community emergency or

medical services.

None of the existing site facilities including family housing units

has radon levels above EPA's Radon Action Level of four picocuries per

liter (0.4 pCi/L). Appropriate building design will ensure safe radon

levels are maintained on the project site.

There would be no problem with lead in drinking water via the on-

site distribution systems since there are no old pre-1965 pipes. New

construction would eliminate any related problems in the future.

Appropriate demolition and legal disposal of all lead or lead alloy/

solders, as well as appropriate building design will ensure that safe

drinking water is maintained on the project site.

The project site does not appear to be subject to any significant

natural hazards. The project site is located above the 100-year flood

plain, and is not within a designated special hazard zone.

No significant adverse, long-term irreversible environmental

resource losses are associated with the proposed action. Accordingly it

is concluded that the proposed action will not result in any

significant adverse site specific and/or cumulative environmental

resource impacts.

A public meeting regarding the location of the new Job Corps Center

at the proposed site was held on February 7, 1994 at the Naval Housing

Cabrillo in Long Beach. Representatives from the city of Long Beach and

the Office of Job Corps presented a description of the proposed

project, a discussion of the reuse of Naval properties, the benefits to

the youth of the area and general community benefits as a result of

siting a Job Corps in Long Beach. Community leaders as well as the

general public were given an opportunity to comment on the project and

ask questions. All of the responses were positive, with community

organizations addressing the benefits that the proposed Job Corps

Center would have on employment opportunities for the youth in the

area.

The project alternatives reviewed and considered in this EA

included: (1) the ``No Build'' alternative; (2) the ``Alternative

Sites'' alternative; and (3) the ``Continue as Proposed'' alternative.

Choosing the ``No Build'' alternative implies that the U.S. Department

of Labor would not proceed with the proposed construction and operation

of a new Job Corps Center in the Long Beach area. Under this

alternative, existing Job Corps Center facilities in Los Angeles would

be used to provide current limited services. The existing facilities

are at a maximum capacity and do not offer any opportunity to provide

expanded and up-graded Job Corps Center training facilities and related

community-based employment development services.

[[Page 2792]]

The U.S. Department of Labor conducted a qualitative evaluation of

potential new Job Corps Center sites criteria as required by the

standard Federal Facility Acquisition criteria. The Federal Related

Program Design Criteria was used to establish a shortlist of

alternative project sites within the region. The project was selected

after having undergone detailed, comparative Facility Utilization

Evaluation studies and a related review of shortlisted site

alternatives, in accordance with facility use requirements including

location, suitability and availability of campus scale land

requirements.

The Job Corps site review teams identified alternative potential

project sites. These included the Park Plaza Hotel site in Los Angeles,

and available Federally-owned surplus sites including: U.S. Navy White

Point family housing area in San Pedro, California; Cabrillo family

housing area, Seabright family housing area, and Savannah Substandard

housing in Long Beach, California; as well as a Reserve Center housing

area in Los Alamitos, California.

To Continue as Proposed with the Long Beach Site would eliminate

costly and unnecessary acquisition of private land for public uses.

Development of this preferred site would also provide for continued

government ownership, maintenance and economic reuse of existing

federal properties.

Based on the information gathered during the preparation of the EA

for the Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration,

Office of Job Corps finds that the proposed new Job Corps Center in

Long Beach, California, will not cause any significant adverse impact

of the environment; and, therefore, recommends that the project

continue as proposed. This Proposed Action is not considered to be

highly controversial.

Dated at Washington, DC., this 23rd day of December, 1994.

Peter E. Rell,

Director of Job Corps.

[FR Doc. 95-670 Filed 1-10-95; 8:45 am]

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