Notice of Public Hearing for a Joint Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for Disposal and Reuse of Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Public Hearing for a Joint Draft Environmental Impact

Statement/Environmental Impact Report for Disposal and Reuse of Marine

Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy, United States Marine Corps and the

City of Tustin, Orange County, California have prepared and filed with

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a Joint Draft Environmental

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

and reuse of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Tustin, located in Tustin

and Irvine, California. In accordance with the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)

Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and the California Environmental

Quality Act (CEQA) (Calif. Public Resources Code Sec. et seq. 21000),

this notice announces the dates and locations of public hearings for

the DEIS/EIR.

DATES: The meeting date is Thursday, August 11, 1999, at 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting location will be held at the Tustin City Council

Chambers, Tustin Civic Center, 300 Centennial Way, Tustin, California

92780.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information concerning this

notice may be obtained by contacting Ms. Melanie Ault, Environmental

Planner, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Base Realignment and

Closure Operations Office, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, California

92132-5190, telephone (619) 532-4744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS/EIR has been distributed to

various Federal, state, and local agencies, as well as other interested

individuals and organizations. In addition, copies of the Draft EIS/EIR

have been distributed to the following libraries for public review:

Tustin Library, 345 E. Main Street, Tustin, CA; Heritage Park Regional

Library, 14361 Yale Avenue, Irvine, CA; and the University of

California, Irvine, Government Information Department, Main Library,

contact: Yvonne Wilson, (949) 824-7362. Additional copies may be

requested by contacting Mr. Dana Ogdon at (714) 573-3116.

The federal action evaluated in the Draft EIS/EIR is the disposal

and reuse of approximately 1585 acres, MCAS Tustin property which has

been declared surplus. An approximate 17-acre parcel of MCAS Tustin was

not declared surplus and will remain in federal ownership as an Army

Reserve Center.

Under NEPA and Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (DBCRA),

the DON has two disposal options for MCAS Tustin; no action or disposal

of the surplus 1585 acres.

Under the No Action Alternative, DON would retain ownership of the

surplus federal property. DON properties have been closed, all mission-

related activities have ceased, and all buildings are vacant. Site

environmental cleanup would continue until completed. This caretaker

condition would remain indefinitely.

The local action is the reuse of MCAS Tustin under an economically

viable and balanced reuse plan that will provide housing and employment

opportunities, solve existing community circulation and recreation

parkland deficiencies, and generate sufficient revenue to support the

investment in infrastructure required for reuse of the site. The City

of Tustin, acting as the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), included

the Army Reserve Center and a privately-owned parcel within the

boundaries of the reuse plan in order to provide zoning and general

plan designations. Therefore, the local action includes approximately

1602 acres, which includes 95 acres within the City of Irvine.

The City of Tustin, as the local lead agency may certify the EIS/

EIR to implement a civilian reuse plan, i.e., amend the City of Tustin

General Plan, amend its Zoning Ordinance, and adopt a Specific Plan and

other discretionary actions. The City of Irvine has assigned lead

agency responsibility for the preparation of the EIS/EIR to the City of

Tustin as it affects MCAS Tustin property in Irvine. Under CEQA

statute, the City of Irvine is considered a responsible agency, and may

certify the EIS/EIR to adopt similar discretionary actions needed to

implement the Reuse Plan for MCAS Tustin property located within

Irvine's jurisdictional boundary.

Federal disposal would precede implementation of the reuse

alternatives. Three reuse alternatives are evaluated in detail in the

Draft EIS/EIR: LRA Reuse Alternative; Arterial Grid Pattern/No Core/

High Residential; and Arterial Loop Pattern/Reserve Area/Low

Residential.

The LRA Reuse Alternative would result in a maximum of 4,601

dwelling units; Transitional/Emergency Housing for the homeless; an

Urban Regional Park developed around the northern blimp hangar; a large

Community Core developed with mixed uses; and specialized educational,

social service, and law enforcement facilities within a Learning

Village; and a Golf Village with hotel and ancillary retail uses. It

would permit reuse of some of the recreational facilities and 1537

housing units. Approximately 11.4 million square feet of non-

residential uses such as commercial business, light industrial, public

and recreation uses (approximately 2.2 million feet is existing floor

area on the base and 9.2 million square feet is potential new floor

area) would be developed. Both of the blimp hangars could be reused, if

financially feasible. The project also will include the extension of

major arterials through the base including Tustin Ranch Road to Von

Karman, Warner Avenue from Red Hill Avenue to west of Jamboree Road and

creation of a secondary interior loop roadway and local roadways to

facilitate local circulation.

The Arterial Grid Pattern/No Core/High Residential would result in

a maximum of 6205 dwelling units; approximately 9.2 million square feet

of commercial and business uses, Village Mixed-Uses, and Public

Institutional/Commercial functions (approximately 1.5 million square

feet is existing floor area and 7.7 million square feet is potential

new floor area). A large Cultural Center would be developed and the

northern blimp hangar would be incorporated, if financially feasible,

and be reused to support regional cultural activities in the form of

special events center, museum, or other permitted uses. The southern

blimp hangar would be demolished. The project also will include the

extension of major arterials through the base including Tustin Ranch

Road to Von Karman, Warner Avenue from Red Hill Avenue to west of

Jamboree Road and creation of a secondary arterial grid pattern road

network to facilitate local circulation.

The Arterial Loop Pattern/Reserve Area/Low Residential would result

in a maximum of 4340 dwelling units, approximately 10.9 million square

feet of commercial, institutional, and

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recreational uses (approximately 1.5 million square feet is existing

floor area and 9.4 million square feet is potential new floor area). A

large Cultural Center would be developed and would incorporate the

northern blimp hangar, if financially feasible. It would also include a

Reserve Area for residential, commercial/business, and institutional

uses in large-scale development. A large golf course would also be

developed. The project also will include the extension of major

arterials through the base including Tustin Ranch Road to Von Karman,

Warner Avenue from Red Hill Avenue to west of Jamboree Road and

creation of a secondary interior loop roadway and local roadways to

facilitate local circulation.

The Draft EIS/EIR analyses potential environmental impacts relating

to land use; socioeconomics; utilities; public services and facilities;

aesthetics; cultural and paleontological resources; biological

resources; agricultural resources; soils and geology; water resources;

hazardous wastes, substances, and materials; traffic/circulation; air

quality; and noise. Potentially significant and not mitigable impacts

associated with the three reuse alternatives are related to conversion

of Farmland, elimination of two historic districts, demolition of

historic blimp hangars (possibly one or both hangars), air quality

emissions, and traffic/circulation.

The Marine Corps and the City of Tustin will conduct a public

hearing on Thursday, August 11, at 7:00 p.m. for those individuals who

would like to provide written or oral comments on the Draft EIS/EIR. A

brief presentation will precede a request for public information and

comments. Marine Corps and City representatives will be available at

the hearing to receive information and comments regarding environmental

issues of concern. Federal, state, and local agencies and interested

parties are invited and urged to be present or represented at the

hearing. Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a

stenographer. To assure accuracy of the record, all comments should

also be submitted in writing. In the interest of time and to ensure all

who wish to give an oral statement have the opportunity to do so,

speakers are requested to limit their comments to three minutes. If

longer statements are to be presented, they should be summarized at the

public hearing and submitted in writing either at the hearing or mailed

or faxed to Mr. Dana Ogdon, Senior Project Manager, City of Tustin, 300

Centennial Way, Tustin, California 92780, telephone (714) 573-3116, fax

(714) 573-3113.

Written comments must be postmarked by August 22, 1999. All

comments, both oral and written, will become part of the public record

in the EIS/EIR.

Dated: July 16, 1999.

Ralph W. Corey,

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

Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 99-19090 Filed 7-26-99; 8:45 am]

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