Notice of Rescheduled Public Hearing and Extension of the Public Comment Period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Disposal and Reuse of Surplus Navy Property Identified in the Guam Land Use Plan (GLUP '94)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Rescheduled Public Hearing and Extension of the Public

Comment Period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for

Disposal and Reuse of Surplus Navy Property Identified in the Guam Land

Use Plan (GLUP '94)

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the DEIS for Disposal

and Reuse of Surplus Navy Property Identified in the Guam Land Use Plan

(GLUP '94). Navy previously announced locally that a public hearing

would be held on July 15, 1999 at the Guam Hilton for the purpose of

receiving oral and written comments on the DEIS. This notice announces

to the public that Navy is further extending the public comment period

for the DEIS until September 15, 1999 and rescheduling the public

hearing that was previously announced in the Federal Register (64 FR

33274) and locally in Territory of Guam Newspapers and direct mailings.

Federal and Government of Guam agencies, interested individuals, and

organizations are invited to be present or represented at the public

meeting that is hereby rescheduled as shown below.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on August 26, 1999 at 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Guam Hilton, Marianas Ballroom, 202 Pale San Vitores Road,

Tumon, Guam 96931.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Gerald Gibbons (PLN231GG), Pacific

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 258 Makalapa Drive,

Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134, telephone (808) 471-9338,

facsimile (808) 474-5909.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by Council on

Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Navy

has prepared and filed with the EPA the DEIS for Disposal and Reuse of

Surplus Navy Property Identified in the GLUP '94. A Notice of Intent

(NOI) to prepare an EIS was published in the Federal Register on April

10, 1998 (63 FR 17824). A public scoping meeting announcement was

published on April 18, 19, and 20, 1998, in the Pacific Daily News on

Guam. A public scoping meeting was held on May 7, 1998 at the Chamorro

Village Main Pavilion, Paseo Complex, Agana, Guam. The Notice of

Availability of the DEIS was published in the Federal Register on May

21, 1999 (64 FR 27781).

The proposed action is the disposal of approximately 2,798 acres of

surplus Navy property in the Territory of Guam in a manner consistent

with the reuse identified by the local redevelopment authority, the

Guam Economic Development Authority (GEDA), in its Reuse Plan for GLUP

'94 Navy Surplus Properties. The property covered in the EIS has been

divided into 20 parcels located in Dededo, Tiyan, Tamuning, Barrigada,

Nimitz Hill, Apra Heights, Naval Station, Piti, and Santa Rita.

Nineteen parcels were identified as releasable in the GLUP '94. One

parcel, the Officers Housing site at Naval Air Station (NAS) Agana, was

not considered in the GLUP '94 but was recommended for disposal as part

of the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure

[[Page 37943]]

(BRAC) decision. This parcel was included in GEDA's Reuse Plan and is

included in the scope of this EIS.

The DEIS evaluates three reuse alternatives and a ``No Action''

Alternative. The reuse alternatives are based upon conceptual land use

plans documented in GEDA's Reuse Plan and approved by Governor Carl T.

C. Gutierrez of Guam. Each reuse alternative proposes various land

uses, e.g., residential, commercial, etc., as well as roadway

improvements. The ``No Action'' Alternative assumes Navy's retention of

the parcels in caretaker status and continuation of existing leases

according to their terms.

The Preferred Alternative recommended by GEDA consists of the

following elements: retention of open space for recreation and

conservation, single-family affordable housing, a golf resort,

commercial centers, warehouse and light industrial space, and

agricultural activities. The EIS also evaluates reuse alternatives with

lower and higher intensities of development. The Lower Intensity

Alternative would retain more open space and involve renovation rather

than expansion of certain facilities and less new construction. The

Higher Intensity Alternative would provide more new construction, and

development densities would approach the maximum allowed under local

zoning.

Except for traffic and air quality impacts at one intersection,

potentially significant impacts under all of the reuse alternatives can

be mitigated to nonsignificant levels. The impacts which can be

mitigated by the local reuse authority to nonsignificant levels include

infrequent exceedance of air quality standards during peak-hour traffic

at intersections, incompatible land uses and noise, effects on cultural

resources, traffic congestion at key intersections, increases in school

enrollment in three districts due to new housing development, and

cumulative impacts on health care, police, fire, and civil defense

services. Unacceptable traffic conditions at the intersection of Route

1 and Route 16 would occur with or without the proposed reuse.

Mitigation would compensate for the reuse component of traffic at this

intersection, but it would still remain above capacity. The following

potentially significant but mitigable impacts are identified for the

Higher Intensity Alternative: inadequate capacity of the Agana

wastewater treatment plant during peak flow conditions, cumulative

solid waste impacts, and impacts of the proposed power plant at Rizal/

Aflleje beach on the marine environment. The ``No Action'' Alternative

has the least potential for environmental impacts and demands on Guam's

infrastructure.

The DEIS has been distributed to agencies and other interested

parties. Copies may be reviewed at the Agana, Barrigada, Dededo,

Merizo, and Yona public libraries. A limited number of single copies

are available upon request from the contact listed above.

A public hearing will be held on August 26, 1999 at the Guam Hilton

to inform the public of the DEIS findings and to solicit and receive

oral and written comments. Government agencies and interested parties

are invited to be present at the hearing. Oral comments will be heard

and transcribed by a court recorder; written comments are also

requested to ensure accuracy of the record. All comments, both oral and

written, will become part of the official record. In the interest of

available time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to

three minutes. Longer comments should be summarized at the public

hearing and submitted in writing either at the hearing or mailed to Mr.

Gerald Gibbons at the address given above. Comments must be postmarked

no later than September 15, 1999 to be considered in the Final EIS.

Dated: July 9, 1999.

Michael I. Quinn,

Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Alternate Federal

Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 99-17965 Filed 7-13-99; 8:45 am]

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