Draft Environmental Impact Statement: City of Hartford, CT; Section 108 Loan Guarantee/BEDI Grant

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-4491-N-01]

Draft Environmental Impact Statement: City of Hartford, CT;

Section 108 Loan Guarantee/BEDI Grant

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Housing and Urban Development gives this

notice to the public that the City of Hartford, Connecticut intends to

prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Adriaen's

Landing Project, which, among other components, includes a 68,000

person open-air stadium in the city of Hartford, Connecticut.

This Notice is in accordance with regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality as described in 40 CFR parts 1500-1508. Federal

agencies having jurisdiction by law, special expertise, or other

special interest should report their interests and indicate their

readiness to aid in the EIS effort as a ``Cooperating Agency.''

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be completed for the

proposed action described herein. Comments relating to the Draft EIS

are requested and will be accepted by the contact person listed below.

When the Draft EIS is completed, a notice will be sent to individuals

and groups known to have an interest on the Draft EIS and particularly

on the environmental impact issues identified therein. Any person or

agency interested in receiving a notice and making comment on the Draft

EIS should contact the person listed below.

ADDRESSES: All interested agencies, groups and persons are invited to

submit written comments on the within-named project and the Draft

Environment Impact Statement to the

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following contact person. Such comments should be received by the

office of the contact person and all comments so received will be

considered prior to the preparation and distribution of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement.

Particularly solicited is information on reports or other

environmental studies planned or completed in the project area, major

issues and date which the EIS should consider and recommended

mitigating measures and alternatives associated with the proposed

project. Federal agencies having jurisdiction by law, special expertise

or other special interest should report their interests and indicate

their readiness to aid the EIS effort as a ``cooperating agency''.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis J. Johnson, Contract Manager,

City of Hartford, Division of Management & Budget, Office of Grants

Management, Room 108, 550 Main Street, Hartford, Connecticut, 06103.

Telephone: (860) 543-8650.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The City of Hartford, acting on behalf of

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in cooperation

with the Capital City Economic Development Authority, the Federal

Highway Administration, and other interested agencies will prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze potential impacts of

constructing a 40-acre mixed use development complex including: (1) An

entertainment/retail venue of approximately 426,000 square feet, (2) an

approximately 68,000 person capacity open air stadium, (3) an

approximately 200,000 square feet convention center, (4) an

approximately 700-room convention center hotel, (5) an NFL pavilion for

theme dining, interactive entertainment and other non-football

business, (6) an interactive Connecticut River Discovery Center

(aquarium/history museum, (7) approximately 350 residential apartments

with some retail frontage, (8) an approximately 350-room business

hotel, (9) parking facilities representing approximately 7,500 spaces,

(10) relocation and modification of sewer, water, and other utility

infrastructure and vehicular and pedestrian traffic access

modifications. Adriaen's Landing will be located in downtown Hartford

along the Connecticut River. The estimated cost for this project is 1.3

billion dollars.

The City of Hartford has been awarded a Brownfield Economic

Development Initiative (BEDI) grant from the DHUD which will help with

the costs associated with site preparation activities. The grant funds

will be combined with up to $13 million in the Section 108 loan

authority, $5 million of which will be specifically used in conjunction

with the BEDI funds on the entertainment/retail component of the

project.

The remaining $8 million will be used for eligible activities

associated with the project. DHUD funds will not be used to support the

stadium. Seven acres of the 40-acre development are air rights over

Interstate 91 and the Whitehead Highway. The Federal Highway

Administration would need to approve the use of this air space and

will, therefore, be a cooperating agency.

To ensure that a full range of issues related to this proposed

action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments

and suggestions are invited from all interested parties.

An information open house followed by a scoping meeting will be

held on Thursday, April 15, 1999 at Betances School, 42 Charter Oak

Avenue, Hartford, CT 06103. The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m.

followed by the scoping meeting from 7-9 p.m. The scoping is for

determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS and for

identifying the significant issues related to the proposed Adriaen's

Landing project.

Need For the EIS

It has been determined that the project may constitute an action

significantly effecting the quality of the human environment, and an

Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared by the City of Hartford

in cooperation with the Capital City Economic Development Authority in

accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L.

91-190) on such project.

Responses to this notice will be used to:

1. Determine significant environmental issues;

2. Identify data which the EIS should address; and

3. Identify agencies and other parties which will participate in

the EIS process and the basis for their involvement.

This notice is in accordance with the regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality under its rule (40 CFR part 1500).

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be published and

distributed about August 9, 1999 and a copy will be on file at the City

of Hartford, Division of Management and Budget, Room 108, 550 Main

Street, Hartford, CT 06103 and available for public inspection, or

copies may be attained at the same address, upon request.

Scoping

This notice is part of the process used for scoping the EIS.

Responses will help determine significant environmental issues,

identify data which the EIS should address, and help identify

cooperating agencies.

The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will be published upon

completion and will be on file, and available for public inspection at

the address listed above. Copies may also be obtained upon request, at

the same address.

This Notice shall be in effect for one year. If one year after the

publication of the Notice in the Federal Register a draft EIS has not

been filed on the project, then the Notice for that project shall be

cancelled. If a draft EIS is expected more than one year after the

publication of this Notice, a new and updated Notice must be published.

Dated: March 26, 1999.

Richard H. Broun,

Director, Office of Community Viability.

[FR Doc. 99-8056 Filed 3-31-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210-29-P