Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate, Richmond, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact

Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed

Disposal and Reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Naval

Fuel Depot Point Molate, Richmond, CA

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on

Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Department of the Navy

in coordination with the City of Richmond is preparing a joint

Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR)

for the proposed disposal and reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply

Center, Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate (NFD Pt. Molate), Richmond,

California. The Navy will be the lead agency for NEPA documentation and

the City of Richmond will be the lead agency for CEQA documentation.

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Pub. L. 101-510) of

1990, as implemented by the base closure process of 1995, directed the

Navy to close the NFD Pt. Molate. Pub. L. 102-484, Section 2834, as

amended by Pub. L. 104-106, Section 2867, permits the Navy to dispose

of NFD Pt. Molate to the City of Richmond.

Background

NFD Pt. Molate is within the jurisdiction of the City of Richmond

and consists of 419 acres of land on the northeast shoreline of San

Pablo Bay. The property includes several large underground storage

tanks, the Winehaven historic district listed on the National Register

of Historic Places, and administration and support buildings. The joint

EIS/EIR will address Navy disposal of the property and the potential

impacts associated with three community reuse alternatives and a ``no

action'' alternative. The City of Richmond Blue Ribbon Advisory

Committee developed the Point Molate Reuse Plan which identifies a

mixture of land-uses, and serves as a guide to develop the three

community reuse alternatives. The reuse alternatives expected to be

evaluated in the EIS/EIR are: Mixed Use/Historic, Industrial/

Commercial, and Recreational/Historic. The ``No Action'' alternative

would retain NFD Pt. Molate as a closed facility remaining in federal

caretaker status.

The Mixed Use/Historic Alternative would include development of

publicly oriented uses such as a shoreline park, trails, ballfields,

public market/plaza, amphitheater, promenade, and light industrial and

commercial uses such as incubator businesses, retreat and conference

center, bed and breakfast, live/work space, and restaurants. That

alternative also includes single- and multi-family residential uses, a

heliport, ferry service and a winery. The Industrial/Commercial

Alternative would include some of the publicly oriented uses listed

above, but would develop light industrial and warehouse facilities on

sites designated for residential development in the Mixed Use/Historic

Alternative. The Recreational/Historic Alternative introduces gardens,

small lakes, golf course, pier developments, environmental science

center, wetlands and wildlife habitat, and a medium sized hotel in an

addition to some of the other publicly oriented and recreational land-

uses listed above.

The EIS/EIR will evaluate the potential for environmental impacts

to traffic conditions, air quality, biological resources, cultural

resources, utilities, and other environmental issues identified through

this scoping process.

ADDRESSES: The Department of the Navy is initiating a scoping process

for the purpose of determing the scope of issues to be addressed and

for identifying significant issues relative to this proposed action. A

public meeting to receive oral comments from the public will be held on

Wednesday, October 1, 1997, at 6:00 pm, at 2600 Barrett Avenue, City of

Richmond Council Chambers. The Navy and the City of Richmond

representatives will briefly summarize the reuse planning and

environmental impact assessment processes, and will then solicit public

comments to identify the scope of environmental impact analysis. It is

important that federal, state, and local agencies, and interested

individuals are present or represented in the scoping process to assist

the Navy and the City of Richmond in evaluating the range of issues and

reuse alternatives to be addressed. In the interest of allowing

everyone a chance to participate, speakers will be requested to limit

their oral comments to five (5) minutes. Written comments or questions

regarding the scoping process and/or EIS/EIR should be postmarked no

later than Monday, October 20, 1997 and sent to the following

addressses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Noreen Roster (Code 703),

Engineering Field Activity West, Naval Facilities Engineering Command,

900 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, California 94066-5006, telephone (415)

244-3021, fax (415) 244-3206. For information concerning the EIR,

please contact Ms. Natalia Lawrence or Ms. Nancy Kaufman, Planning

Department, the City of Richmond, California, telephone (510) 620-6706,

fax (510) 620-6858. For further information regarding the Point Molate

Reuse Plan, please contact Ms. Patricia Jones, Office of the City

Manager at (510) 620-6952, fax (510) 620-6542, or Ms. Natalia Lawrence

or Ms. Nancy Kaufman, Planning Department.

Dated: September 10, 1997.

Michael D. Sutton,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97-24394 Filed 9-12-97; 8:45 am]

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