Notice of Availability DEIS

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Notice of Availability DEIS

The General Services Administration (GSA) announces the release of

the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), for the siting and

proposed construction of a new Courthouse Annex in the Central Business

Area (CBA) of Savannah, Georgia, A 45-day public comment period begins

February 2 and runs through March 18, 1996.

The DEIS has examines the impacts of constructing an Annex of the

existing Courthouse in the Savannah CBA. This includes impacts to

historic and cultural resources, traffic and parking, and socioeconomic

(including the impacts of local businesses). The DEIS examines ways to

mitigate unavoidable adverse impacts of the proposed action. Concurrent

with implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act

requirements, GSA has also implemented its consultation requirements

under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, regarding

the impacts of historic properties as a result of undertaking the

proposed action. GSA is very much aware of the potential for adverse

affects to the National Historic Landmark District as a result of the

proposed action, and has made every effort to identify and take into

account such affects while planning this project.

The New Courthouse will house approximately 250 employees in an

165,000 to 180,000 occupiable square feet (osf) structure(s) that will

meet the 10-year and 30-year space requirements of the US Courts. The

project will contain four courtrooms, and office space for Court-

related agencies, as well as space for GSA. After an exhaustive process

of site identification and site screening, three potential sites and

four alternative configurations, and the ``No Action'' alternative,

were considered technically feasible and analyzed in the DEIS as

follows:

1. ``No Action,'' that is, undertake no new construction.

2. Construction of a single 165,000 osf building 80 feet

tall on the sites of the current Juliette Gordon Low Federal Buildings

A & B including building over President Street. This is the GSA

preferred alternative.

3. Construction of two buildings with a total of 180,000

osf, 133 feet tall, on the sites of the current Juliette Gordon Low

Buildings A & B and not building over President Street.

4. Partial demolition and construction of the site of the

Juliette Gordon Low Building currently housing the US Army Corps of

Engineers.

5. Construction north of the existing Courthouse on a 1.4

acre parcel bounded by State, Bull, Broughton, and Whitaker Street,

leaving undisturbed the two buildings facing Bull, Street, demolishing

the remaining structures, and closing and building over Broughton Lane.

As part of the public comment process, you are encouraged to

contact GSA in writing at the following address with your comments

regarding the DEIS: Mr. Philip Youngberg, Regional Environmental

Officer--4PT, 401 West Peachtree Street, NW., Suite 3015, Atlanta, GA

30365-2550; or FAX your comments to Mr. Youngberg at 404-331-4540.

Comments should be postmarked no later than Monday, March 18, 1996.

GSA will conduct a Public Meeting to solicit comments for the DEIS.

A Notice of this meeting and all subsequent public meetings conducted

by GSA for this project will appear in the Savannah News-Press at least

two weeks prior to the meeting date.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

Phil Youngberg,

Regional Environmental Officer (4PT).

[FR Doc. 96-2123 Filed 1-31-96; 8:45 am]

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