95-26926. Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal and Reuse of the Department of Defense Housing Facility, Novato, CA

[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 210 (Tuesday, October 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55365-55366]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26926]



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[[Page 55366]]


DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Disposal and Reuse of the Department of Defense Housing Facility, 
Novato, CA

    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), the Department of the 
Navy in coordination with the City of Novato, is preparing an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed disposal and 
reuse of the Department of Defense Housing Facility (DODHF) property 
and structures at Novato, California. This proposed action is in 
accordance with the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public 
Law 101-510) of 1990, as implemented by the 1993 Base Closure process, 
which directed the Navy to close DODHF.
    DODHF is within the jurisdiction of the City of Novato, Marin 
County, California, approximately 20 miles north of San Francisco. 
DODHF is one of several facilities on a larger area formerly known as 
the Hamilton Air Force Base. DODHF consists of approximately 481 acres 
of Navy-owned land in two sites. The 383 acre primary DODHF facility 
includes military family housing, commissary, exchange, community 
services areas, bowling alley, officer's club, and recreational fields. 
An additional 98 acre Rafael Village military housing area is located 1 
mile north of the main DODHF facility. Other portions of the former 
Hamilton Air Force Base adjacent to DODHF and not included with the 
disposal of the DODHF property or in this disposal and reuse EIS, 
include the 720 acre former Hamilton Army Air Field, which was closed 
under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public Law 100-526) 
of 1988, and a 415 acre site being developed under the New Hamilton 
Partnership Master Plan.
    The EIS will address the potential impacts to the environment that 
may result from the disposal of the Navy's DODHF property and 
subsequent reuse. The Hamilton Army Air Field Reuse Plan, developed by 
the Hamilton Reuse Planning Authority, proposes 406 acres of housing 
with up to 1,490 total units, 51 acres of mixed use community support 
facilities, and 24 acres of recreational fields on the DODHF property.
    The Reuse Plan will constitute the preferred alternative for the 
EIS. However, the EIS will also analyze alternatives to the Reuse Plan. 
The alternatives analyzed in the EIS will include a less intensive 
development of the DODHF property, still based in large part on the 
Reuse Plan, and a No Action Alternative. The No Action alternative 
would result in federal government retention of the DODHF property in 
an ``inactive'' status. Other alternatives may be evaluated if 
warranted.
    Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are 
encouraged to participate in the scoping process for the EIS to 
determine the range of issues and reuse alternatives to be addressed. A 
public scoping meeting to receive oral and written comments will be 
held on Thursday, November 16, 1995, at the Student Center, San Marin 
High School, 15 San Marin Drive, Novato, California at 7:00 p.m. In the 
interest of the available time, each speaker will be asked to limit 
their oral comments to five minutes.
    In addition, written comments may be submitted no later than 
December 1, 1995 to Mr. Gary Munekawa, Environmental Planning Branch, 
Code 185GM, Engineering Field Activity West, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, 900 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, California 94066-
5006; telephone [phone], fax [phone]. For further 
information regarding the Hamilton Army Air Field Reuse Plan which 
includes the reuse of the Navy's DODHF property, please contact Mr. 
K.H. Bell, Program Manager, Hamilton Reuse Planning Authority at (415) 
457-5661, fax [phone].

    Dated: October 26, 1995.
M.A. Waters,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-26926 Filed 10-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-M