Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Disposal and Reuse of Fort Totten, NY

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Final Environmental Assessment (EA) on the Disposal and Reuse of

Fort Totten, NY

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action evaluated by this EA is the disposal and

reuse of Fort Totten, New York, in accordance with the Defense Base

Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Public Law 101-510. The EA

addresses the environmental consequences of the disposal and subsequent

reuse of the 120 acres.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to review and submit comments on

the Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) on or before April 30,

1999.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Environmental Assessment can be obtained by

writing to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Carl Burgamy,

Jr., U.S. Army Engineer District, Mobile (CESAM-PD), 109 St. Joseph

Street, Mobile, AL 36602.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Burgamy, Jr., by facsimile at

(344) 690-2727.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EA addresses the environmental

consequences of the disposal and subsequent reuse of the 120 acres

comprising Fort Totten, New York. The Army disposal action is analyzed

in this EA with respect to three disposal alternatives: (1) The No

Action Alternative, which entails maintaining the property in caretaker

status after closure; (2) The Unencumbered Disposal Alternative, which

entails transferring the property without the Army having created any

encumbrances or with the Army's having removed encumbrances that could

be removed; and (3) The Encumbered Disposal Alternative, which entails

transferring the property to future owners with Army-imposed

limitations, or encumbrances, on the future use of the property.

Additionally, this EA analyzes the potential environmental and

socioeconomic consequences of three reuse alternatives, developed by

the Fort Totten Local Redevelopment Authority: (1) Low Intensity Reuse

Alternative; (2) Low-Medium Intensity Reuse Alternative; and (3) Medium

Intensity Reuse Alternative. The resource areas evaluated for potential

impacts by the proposed action (disposal) and the secondary action

(reuse) include: Land Use; Climate; Air Quality; Noise; Geology, Soils,

and Topography; Water Resources; Infrastructure; Hazardous and Toxic

Substances; Biological Resources and Ecosystems; Cultural Resources;

Sociological Environment; Economic Development; Quality of Life;

Installation Agreements, and Permits and Regulatory Authorizations.

The Notice of Intent declaring the Army's intent to prepare an

environmental assessment for the disposal of Fort Totten was published

in the Federal Register on September 22, 1995.

Copies of the EA will be available for review at the following

locations: Queens Borough Public Library, Long Island Division, 89-11

Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11432; Bayside Branch of the Queens

Borough Public Library, 214-20 Northern Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361;

Bay Terrace Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library, 18-36 Bell

Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11360; Whitestone Branch of the Queens Borough

Public Library, 151-10 14th Road, Whitestone, NY 11357.

Dated: March 25, 1999.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety and

Occupational Health) OASA(I&E).

[FR Doc. 99-7864 Filed 3-30-99; 8:45 am]

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