[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35132-35140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16691]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Record of Decision for the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air
Station Barbers Point, Oahu, HI
SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (Navy), pursuant to Section
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) (1994), and the regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality that implement NEPA procedures, 40 C.F.R. Parts
1500-1508, hereby announces its decision to dispose of Naval Air
Station (NAS) Barbers Point, which is located on the island of Oahu in
Honolulu County, Hawaii.
Navy analyzed the impacts of the disposal and reuse of NAS Barbers
Point in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required by NEPA.
The EIS analyzed four reuse alternatives and identified the Naval Air
Station Barbers Point Community Redevelopment Plan dated March 1997
(Redevelopment Plan), described in the EIS as the State-Preferred
Alternative, as the Preferred Alternative. The State of Hawaii is the
Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) for NAS Barbers Point. Department
of Defense Rule on Revitalizing Base Closure Communities and Community
Assistance (DoD Rule), 32 CFR 176.20(a).
The Preferred Alternative proposed a mix of aviation, residential,
educational, community service, light industrial, commercial, public,
park and recreational uses. These include a general aviation and
military airport, housing, a vocational training center, a
desalinization plant, an automobile race track complex, an
international sports center, a festival center, a marine park, a
baseball complex, and a field sports complex.
Navy intends to dispose of NAS Barbers Point in a manner that is
consistent with the Redevelopment Plan. Navy has determined that a
mixed land use will meet the goals of achieving local
economicredevelopment, creating new jobs, and providing additional
housing, while limiting adverse environmental impacts and ensuring land
uses that are compatible with adjacent property. This Record Of
Decision does not mandate a specific mix of land uses. Rather, it
leaves selection of the particular means to achieve the proposed
redevelopment to the acquiring entities and the local zoning authority.
Background
Under the authority of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act
of 1990 (DBCRA), Public Law 101-510, 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687 note (1994),
the 1993 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended
the closure of Naval Air Station Barbers Point. This recommendation was
approved by President Clinton and accepted by the One Hundred Third
Congress in 1993. The base is scheduled to close on July 2, 1999.
[[Page 35133]]
Nearly all of the property associated with NAS Barbers Point is
located on the island of Oahu, about 16 miles west of downtown
Honolulu. This property covers 3,723 acres. Additionally, there are
three non-contiguous parcels that cover 100 acres: two small areas at
Iroquois Point on Pearl Harbor and Kaula Island located 55 miles from
the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
Navy controls an additional 110 acres near the main base by way of
easements for air operations. These easements impose restrictions on 20
acres of private property near the northwestern edge of the base and on
90 acres of private property near the southwest corner of the base.
Navy will transfer its interests in these easements to the underlying
property owners.
The 3,723-acre main base property is bounded on the north by the
City of Kapolei; on the east by the communities of Ewa Villages, Ewa
Gentry and Ewa Marina; on the south by the Pacific Ocean; and on the
west by Campbell Industrial Park and Kapolei Business Park. There are
three runways at NAS Barbers Point: two parallel 8,330-foot runways
(Runway 4L-22R and Runway 4R-22L) in a southwest-northeast alignment
and one 8,411-foot crosswind runway (Runway 11-29) in a northwest-
southeast alignment. There is a drainage channel on the western edge of
the base adjacent to Campbell Industrial Park that runs from north to
south. Navy owns the northern and southern parts of the drainage
channel, and the Estate of James Campbell owns the middle part of the
channel. The Estate also maintains easements on those parts owned by
Navy.
The Navy property at Iroquois Point on Pearl Harbor covers two
acres located about eight miles west of downtown Honolulu. This
property contains a community center and a retail store that are
situated in a military family housing area associated with Navy
activities at the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex. Kaula Island covers 108
acres and is located about 55 miles southwest of Navy's Pacific Missile
Range Facility on the island of Kauai.
The 1995 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission modified
the 1993 Commission's recommendation by directing Navy to retain
certain properties at NAS Barbers Point in support of military family
housing requirements on the Island of Oahu. The recommendation of the
1995 Commission was approved by President Clinton and accepted by the
One Hundred Fourth Congress in 1995.
Navy will retain the 1,090 housing units on the northern edge of
the base and 171 community support facilities throughout the base,
including the medical and dental clinic (Building 1829) in the center
of the base; the child development center (Building 1965) and the golf
course in the northeastern part of the base; White Plains Beach in the
southeast corner; Nimitz Beach on the southern edge of the base; the
landfill in the western part of the base; the two off-base parcels at
Iroquois Point; and Kaula Island. Navy made the remaining property
available for use by other Federal agencies.
During the Federal screening process, seven Federal agencies
requested interagency transfers of base closure property at NAS Barbers
Point. These included the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA), the United States Postal Service, the
Department of the Interior's United States Fish and Wildlife Service,
the United States Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau (Hawaii Army
National guard), and the Department of the Army. Navy will transfer
about 464 acres at Barbers Point to six of these Federal agencies.
Navy will transfer about six acres in the center of the base to the
Department of Veterans Affairs for use in programs that serve veterans
on Oahu. These will include employment training classes and outpatient
substance abuse treatment. Buildings 34, 37, and 1772 will be used for
these programs.
Navy will transfer about 18 acres in the northeast corner of the
base to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA will continue to
operate a navigation aid there that serves Honolulu International
Airport and will maintain a radio frequency interference zone around
this navigation equipment.
Navy will transfer Building 3 and about one acre in the center of
the base to the United States Postal Service. The Postal Service will
continue to use this building as a post office.
Navy will transfer four non-contiguous parcels covering about 239
acres at Barbers Point to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
to establish the Barbers Point Unit of the Pearl Harbor National
Wildlife Refuge. This refuge will protect Federally listed endangered
plant and bird species and migratory birds. These four parcels are
located in the eastern, southeastern, southern and southwestern parts
of the base.
The eastern parcel, covering 136 acres, contains the akoko shrub
(Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. skottsbergii), a Federally listed and
State-listed endangered plant. The southeastern parcel, covering nine
acres, contained Ordy Pond and provides habitat for several species of
migratory shorebirds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of
1918, 16 U.S.C. 703-712 (1994), and the Federally listed and State-
listed endangered Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni). The
southern parcel, covering 45 acres, contains a coastal salt flat and
provides habitat for migratory shorebirds and the endangered Hawaiian
stilt. The southwestern parcel, covering 49 acres, contains a Federally
listed and State-listed endangered plant, the chaff flower shrub.
(Achyranthes splendens var. rotundata).
Navy will transfer about 44 acres in the southern part of the base
to the United States Coast Guard to permit the Coast Guard to continue
operating its Barbers Point Air Station. The Coast Guard operates C-130
Hercules aircraft and HH-65 helicopters that conduct search and rescue
operations in the Central Pacific Maritime Region.
Navy will transfer about 149 acres in the north-central part of the
base to the Hawaii Army National Guard. The Guard will use this
property for operational, maintenance and administrative activities,
its Youth Challenge Program, and as a parking apron for its CH-47
helicopters. Navy will also transfer to the Guard an additional seven
acres in this area where the fuel storage tanks are currently located.
The Guard will use this property as a storage area after the tanks are
removed.
The Department of the Army initially requested about 17 acres in
the southwestern part of the base to establish a soil and sludge
reclamation
[[Page 35134]]
facility but subsequently withdrew its request. The remaining 2,130
acres of property at NAS Barbers Point are surplus to the needs of the
Federal Government.
This Record of Decision addresses the disposal and reuse of these
2,130 acres, which contain about 209 buildings and structures that were
used for aviation operations, training, and related administrative
activities. The surplus property's undeveloped areas contain wetlands,
an endangered plant, and archaeological resources.
On August 31, 1998, the United States Department of the Interior
entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the State of Hawaii
providing that about 623 of the 2.130 surplus acres in various parts of
NAS Barbars Point would be conveyed to the State through the Department
of the Interior under the authority of the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery
Act (HHLRA), Public Law 104-42, 109 Stat. 357 (1995). This statute
authorized the conveyance of excess Federal land to settle claims
asserted by the State of Hawaii's Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
(DHHL) that certain Hawaiian home lands set aside by Congress in 1921
for homesteading by native Hawaiian had been diverted to Federal uses.
The conveyance process may require the withdrawal of this land from
surplus status and an interagency transfer from Navy to Interior for
subsequent conveyance by Interior to DHHL. Such an action would not
affect Navy's NEPA analysis, because DHHL's proposed uses of this
property are the same as those set forth in the Redevelopment Plan.
Thus, the environmental impacts described in the EIS would not change.
About 1,452 acres of surplus property will be conveyed by way of
various kinds of public benefit conveyances. Navy will assign 702 acres
in the center of the base to the State of Hawaii after approval by the
United States Department of Transportation for use as an airport. Navy
will assign nine acres north of the airfield to the United States
Department of Education for subsequent conveyance to the State of
Hawaii for use as an aviation training school. Navy will assign 42
acres in the southwest corner of the base to the United States
Department of Health and Human Services for subsequent conveyance to
the City and County of Honolulu for public health use as a seawater
desalinization plant. Navy will assign 13 acres in the northwestern
part of the base adjacent to the Navy-retained housing to the United
States Department of Education for subsequent conveyance to the State
of Hawaii for the continuing use of the Barbers Point Elementary
School. Navy will assign 686 acres in various locations throughout the
base to the United States Department of the Interior for subsequent
conveyance to the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu
for use as parks and recreational areas.
Of the remaining 55 acres, Navy will assign 13 acres in the center
of the base to the State of Hawaii after approval of a legally binding
agreement between the LRA and homeless assistance providers by the
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the
provision of homeless assistance services. About 42 acres consisting of
roads and parts of the drainage channel will be conveyed by negotiated
sales.
Navy published a Notice Of Intent in the Federal Register on March
26, 1997, announcing that Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration
as a cooperating agency would prepare an EIS for the disposal and reuse
of NAS Barbers Point. Navy held a public scoping meeting at the
Washington Intermediate School in Honolulu on April 16, 1997, and at
the base's Paradise West Club on April 17, 1997. The scoping period
concluded on June 19, 1997.
Navy distributed the Draft EIS (DEIS) to Federal, State, and local
governmental agencies, elected officials, community groups and
associations, and interested persons on August 28, 1998, and commenced
a 45-day public review and comment period. During this period, Federal,
State and local agencies, community groups and associations, and
interested persons submitted oral and written comments concerning the
DEIS. Navy held public hearings to receive comments on the DEIS at the
James Campbell Building in Kapolei on October 5, 1998, and at the
Washington Intermediate School in Honolulu on October 7, 1998.
Navy's responses to the public comments were incorporated in the
Final EIS (FEIS), which was distributed to the public on February 5,
1999, for a review period that concluded on March 8, 1999. Navy
received five letters commenting on the FEIS.
Alternatives.
NEPA requires Navy to evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives
for the disposal and reuse of this surplus Federal property. In the
FEIS, Navy analyzed the environmental impacts of four reuse
alternatives. Navy also evaluated a ``No Action'' alternative that
would leave the property in caretaker status with Navy maintaining the
physical condition of the property, providing a security force, and
making repairs essential to safety.
In a letter to the Department of Defense's Office of Economic
Adjustment dated September 28, 1993, the State of Hawaii, acting as the
LRA, and the City and County of Honolulu jointly established the
Barbers Point Naval Air Station Reuse Committee. In Executive Order No.
94-98 dated December 2, 1994, the Governor of Hawaii, John Waihee,
established the Barbers Point Naval Air Station Redevelopment
Commission to prepare a redevelopment plan for the base. The
Redevelopment Commission solicited expressions of interest in the
property and received notices of interest from State, City, and County
agencies, private businesses, homeless assistance providers, and
nonprofit organizations. After the Redevelopment Commission evaluated
these notices of interest, it developed three reuse proposals: a Large
Airport Alternative, a Small Airport Alternative, and a ``No Airport''
Alternative.
In August 1996, the Redevelopment Commission solicited comments
concerning the three reuse proposals at four public hearings held in
various places on Oahu. In response to these comments, the
Redevelopment Commission developed a fourth alternative that adopted
parts of the Large and Small Airport Alternatives. During a public
hearing on September 17, 1996, the Redevelopment Commission solicited
comments concerning this composite alternative. On October 8, 1996, the
Commission adopted the composite alternative as its reuse plan and
approved the Naval Air Station Barbers Point Community Redevelopment
Plan. In a letter to the Redevelopment Commission dated December 23,
1996, Governor Benjamin Cayetano accepted the Redevelopment
Commission's recommendations with certain modifications.
On December 11, 1997, the Redevelopment Commission modified the
Redevelopment Plan by making additional property available for
residential and commercial uses and by changing the use of 65 acres
from homeless assistance services to residential purposes.
Additionally, the 5.7-acre parcel of land that contains Building 1 was
incorporated in the Redevelopment Plan and designated for commercial
and residential uses. In a memorandum to the Governor dated December
17, 1997, the Redevelopment Commission submitted Community
Redevelopment Plan Amendment 1 and on December 23, 1997, Governor
Cayetano approved this amendment by endorsing the memorandum dated
December 17, 1997.
[[Page 35135]]
On December 10, 1998, the Redevelopment Commission modified the
Redevelopment Plan a second time by changing the use of five acres in
the center of the base from a public facility to a park and by making
minor changes to the proposed roadway system. In a memorandum received
by the State of Hawaii on February 5, 1999, the Redevelopment
Commission submitted Community Redevelopment Plan Amendment 2 to
Governor Cayetano. On March 17, 1999, Governor Cayetano approved this
amendment by endorsing the memorandum received on February 5, 1999.
The Redevelopment Plan, identified in the FEIS as the Preferred
Alternative, proposed a mix of land uses. The Preferred Alternative
would use the runways, hangars, and related maintenance buildings,
covering 702 acres, as an airport that would serve civilian general
aviation and aviation operations of the Coast Guard and the Hawaii Army
National Guard. This Alternative would use 165 acres for residential
purposes; 515 acres for light industrial activities; 33 acres for
educational and public facilities; 686 acres for parks and recreational
activities; and 29 acres for roads, open space, and utilities. It will
be necessary to make extensive utility infrastructure and roadway
improvements to support the Redevelopment Plan's proposed development
of property at Barbers Point.
In the center of the base, the Preferred Alternative proposed to
use 702 acres as an airport serving civilian general aviation and
aviation operations of the Coast Guard and the Hawaii Army National
Guard. The Preferred Alternative would use parts of the two parallel
southwest-northeast 8,300-foot runways, i.e., 4,500 feet of runway 4L-
22R and 8,000 feet of runway 4R-22L. The 4,500-foot runway would be
used for civilian general aviation operations. The 8,000-foot runway
would be used for civilian general aviation and military air
operations. It would also provide commercial airliners bound for or
departing from Honolulu International Airport with an alternate landing
site. This Alternative would use 6,000 feet of the northwest-southwest
8,411-foot crosswind runway (runway 11-29) for civilian general
aviation and military air operations.
The new airport at Barbers Point would improve the mix of general
aviation and commercial aircraft at Honolulu International Airport by
diverting some general aviation operations to Barbers Point. By the
year 2020, the new airport at Barbers Point would serve about 60
percent (78,000) of the small single-engine and light twin-engine
propeller aircraft operations that would otherwise use Honolulu
International Airport. It would also serve about 50 percent (27,900) of
those kinds of aircraft operations that would otherwise use Dillingham
Airfield, a general aviation facility on Oahu's north shore, and 62,700
general aviation training operations that previously used the Auxiliary
Landing Field at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. These diverted operations
would amount to about 168,600 general aviation operations in the year
2020 on Oahu.
In the year 2020, the new airport at Barbers Point would
accommodate about 203,600 air operations per year. These operations
would be composed of the 168,600 general aviation operations diverted
from Honolulu, Dillingham and Ford Island; about 13,100 Coast Guard and
Hawaii Army National Guard operations; and about 21,900 general
aviation operations that would be generated each year by the
Redevelopment Plan's proposed aviation training school.
North of the airfield, the Preferred Alternative would use 14 acres
for residential purposes, 13 acres for homeless assistance services,
six acres for commercial activities, seven acres for recreational
activities, and 13 acres for educational facilities. Just south of this
area, the Preferred Alternative would dedicate seven acres for use as
public facilities such as an aviation training school.
In the northeastern part of the base, the Preferred Alternative
would use about 346 acres adjacent to the FAA navigation aid for
commercial and recreational activities. This Alternative would build an
international sports center here for athletic training programs,
competitive events, in-transit athlete services, and related
activities. The Preferred Alternative would also build a baseball
complex, a field sports complex, and a festival center in this area.
In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, the Preferred
Alternative would use about 516 acres for commercial and recreational
activities. This Alternative would develop the area along the shoreline
to provide a regional park, facilities for launching canoes and boats
with related amenities, camping grounds, athletic fields, and open
space. The Preferred Alternative would redevelop the inland area north
of the regional park as a marine park. It would also establish a
heritage park west of the marine park to preserve inland areas that
contain significant archaeological resources.
In the southwestern part of the base, the Preferred Alternative
would build an automobile race track complex on about 161 acres between
the western ends of the crosswind runway, Runway 11-29, and one of the
parallel runways, Runway 4R-22L. On 42 acres in the southwest corner of
the base, across the drainage channel, this Alternative would build a
seawater desalinization plant.
In the northwest corner of the base, the Preferred Alternative
proposed to use 138 acres south and west of the Navy-retained housing
for residential purposes and 13 acres in the northwestern part of the
Navy housing area for continuing use of the Barbers Point Elementary
School. This Alternative would build light industrial facilities on 123
acres south and west of this residential area
It would be necessary to make roadway improvements to implement the
Redevelopment Plan. These improvements would link the new development
to the surrounding communities of Kapolei and Ewa Marina.
Navy analyzed a second ``action'' alternative, described in the
FEIS as the Large Airport Alternative. In the center of the base, the
Large Airport Alternative proposed to use 961 acres as an airport that
would serve civilian general aviation, the Coast Guard, and the Hawaii
Army National Guard. This Alternative would use the entire lengths of
the existing parallel and crosswind runways and would support the same
volume and kinds of operations as the Preferred Alternative. All three
runways would be available as alternative landing sites for commercial
airliners.
North of the airfield, the Large Airport Alternative proposed
residences, homeless assistance services, commercial facilities,
recreational activities, and educational facilities. The locations and
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
In the northeastern part of the base, the Large Airport Alternative
proposed a mix of residential, commercial, and light industrial uses.
This Alternative would provide a residential area outside the perimeter
of the FAA navigation aid. It would build light industrial facilities
south and west of this residential area. The property west of the
residential area adjacent to the FAA navigation aid would also be used
for a State correctional facility.
In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, this
Alternative proposed to redevelop the area along the shoreline for use
as a regional part and beach with camping grounds. Under this
Alternative, recreational and athletic
[[Page 35136]]
fields would be built north and inland of the shoreline facilities. It
would also build a marine park west of the regional park, a heritage
park north of the marine park, and an amphitheater north of the
regional park and east of the heritage park.
In the southwestern part of the base, between the western ends of
the crosswind runway (Runway 11-29) and one of the parallel runways
(Runway 4L-22R), the Large Airport Alternative would build an
automobile race track complex. On 42 acres in the southwest corner of
the base, across the drainage channel, this Alternative would build a
seawater desalinization plant.
In the northwest corner of the base, the Large Airport Alternative
would use the property adjacent to the Navy-retained housing for
residential purposes and would continue to use the Barbers Point
Elementary School. This Alternative would build light industrial
facilities in the areas south and west of this residential area.
Navy analyzed a third ``action'' alternative described in the FEIS
as the Small Airport Alternative. In the center of the base, the Small
Airport Alternative proposed to use 701 acres as an airport that would
serve civilian general aviation, the Coast Guard, and the Hawaii Army
National Guard. This Alternative would use parts of the two parallel
8,330-foot runways, i.e., 8,000 feet of Runway 4L-22R and 3,700 feet of
Runway 4R/22L. The 8,000-foot runway would provide an alternative
landing site for commercial airlines. The 3,700-foot runway would be
used for civilian general aviation operations. This Alternative would
not operate the crosswind runway. It would provide airport facilities
to accommodate the same kinds and volume of air operations proposed by
the Preferred Alternative and the Large Airport Alternative.
North of the airfield, the Small Airport Alternative proposed
residences, homeless assistance services, commercial activities,
recreational activities, and educational facilities. The locations and
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
In the northeastern part of the base adjacent to the FAA navigation
aid, the Small Airport Alternative proposed to build an international
sports center, a baseball complex, a field sports complex, a festival
center, and fairgrounds.
In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, the Small
Airport Alternative would redevelop the area along the shoreline for
use as a recreational beach with a picnic area and camping grounds.
Under this Alternative, a marine park, a rowing regatta facility, and
recreational and athletic fields would be built north and inland of the
shoreline facilities. This Alternative would develop the inland area
west and northwest of the marine park for use as an amphitheater and as
a heritage park. It would build athletic fields north of the marine
park, adjacent to the eastern parcel of the Pearl Harbor National
Wildlife Refuge's Barbers Point Unit.
In the southwestern part of the base, the Small Airport Alternative
proposed to use 10 acres west of the Coast Guard property to train fire
fighters. This Alternative would use 42 acres at the southwest corner
of the base, across the drainage channel, for a seawater desalinization
plant and for light industrial facilities. Unlike the Preferred
Alternative, the Small Airport Alternative would not build an
automobile race track complex.
In the northwest corner of the base, the Small Airport Alternative
proposed to use property adjacent to the Navy-retained housing for
residential purposes and to continue using the Barbers Point Elementary
School. The areas south and west of this residential area would be used
to build light industrial facilities. The area north of the Navy-
related landfill could be used for a State correctional facility.
Navy analyzed a fourth ``action'' alternative described in the FEIS
as the ``No Airport'' Alternative. In the ``No Airport'' Alternative,
the acquiring entity would direct and market the redevelopment of NAS
Barbers Point for non-aviation uses. All of the aviation facilities on
the surplus property would be modified to serve non-aviation purposes
or would be demolished. Thus, it would be necessary for the Coast Guard
to move its fixed wing and rotary air operations to another site on the
island of Oahu. The Hawaii Army National Guard could operate its
helicopters on the property previously occupied by the Coast Guard.
In the center of the base, the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed
to build recreational facilities. These facilities would include an
international sports center and a baseball complex. North of the
baseball complex, the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed residences,
homeless assistance services, commercial facilities, recreational
activities, and educational facilities. The locations and
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
In the northeastern part of the base, the ``No Airport''
Alternative would use the property adjacent to the FAA navigation aid
for residential and recreational purposes. This Alternative would build
residential units, a festival center, fairgrounds, a marine park and an
amphitheater in this area.
In the southeastern part of the base, the ``No Airport''
Alternative proposed parks, commercial and recreational uses. This
Alternative would build a rowing regatta facility, a recreational
beach, camping grounds and athletic fields. North and inland of the
shoreline facilities, this Alternative would build a heritage park and
additional athletic fields.
In the southwestern part of the base, the ``No Airport''
Alternative would use the property for commercial and light industrial
activities. These could include an automobile race track complex, an
electric power plant, and a State correctional facility. It would build
a fire fighter training facility on the same 42-acre parcel in the
southwest corner of the base, across the drainage channel, where the
Preferred Alternative would build a seawater desalinization plant.
In the western part of the base south of the Navy-retained housing,
the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed to build recreational
facilities. This Alternative also proposed to continue using the
Barbers Point Elementary School in the northwestern part of the base.
Environmental Impacts
Navy analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the
disposal and reuse of this surplus Federal property. The FEIS addressed
the impacts of the Preferred Alternative, the Large Airport
Alternative, the Small Airport Alternative, the ``No Airport''
Alternative, and the ``No Action'' Alternative for each alternative's
effects on geology, topography and soils, groundwater quality, surface
water quality, air quality, noise, visual resources, transportation,
biological resources, cultural resources, public health and safety,
public services, socioeconomics (including population, employment,
income, housing, recreation, and environmental justice), and
infrastructure, including potable water, non-potable water, wastewater,
drainage, electricity, solid waste, and communications. This Record Of
Decision focuses on the impacts that would likely result from
implementation of the Redevelopment Plan, identified in the FEIS as the
Preferred Alternative.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
soils and would not have any impact on local or regional geological
resources or topography. The soil at Barbers Point is not susceptible
to erosion because it is shallow and highly permeable.
[[Page 35137]]
Disturbances to soils such as compaction, rutting, and erosion would be
limited to the particular areas that would be redeveloped. These
impacts would be temporary and can be minimized during construction by
the use of standard soil erosion and sedimentation control measures
such as the use of hay bales and silt fences.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
the availability or quality of groundwater. The groundwater at NAS
Barbers Point is brackish and not suitable for public consumption or
irrigation without desalinization. Airport operations and light
industrial activities would not affect the groundwater, because
operational controls such as containment of chemical and fuel storage
areas as well as maintenance activities would be imposed. These
controls are specified in existing laws and regulations governing
industrial and construction-related runoff.
The Preferred Alternative would not have a significant impact on
surface waters. The Pacific Ocean, Ordy Pond, the coastal salt flat,
and the seasonal wetland would not be significantly affected by
construction activities if standard soil erosion and sedimentation
control measures required by existing laws and regulations were
implemented.
Stormwater discharge from new light industrial activities,
roadways, parking areas, and routine operations and maintenance in
developed areas (such as the application of herbicides and pesticides)
could have adverse impacts on surface water quality. In accordance with
Federal, State, and local laws and regulations, the acquiring entities
will implement stormwater management practices to minimize these
potential impacts. There could also be significant cumulative impacts
on surface water quality arising out of the regional drainage from
surrounding communities.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
air quality. Compliance with regulatory requirements that control
emissions such as the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7401-7671q (1994),
and the Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-60.1, Air Pollution
Control, would prevent significant impacts from stationary sources.
Additionally, there would not be any significant regional or local
impact on air quality from mobile sources if the roadway improvements
described in the FEIS were implemented. Finally, emissions from
aircraft operations would be substantially less than when the Naval Air
Station was operating.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
noise. Exposure to noise from aircraft operations would be
substantially less than when the Naval Air Station was operating. This
decrease results from the significant reduction in annual jet aircraft
operations proposed under the Preferred Alternative. Additionally,
aircraft noise levels would not exceed the State of Hawaii's standards
for airport operations that affect residential areas.
During reuse there would be an increase in ambient noise levels
arising out of the non-aviation activities. These activities, however,
must comply with the Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-46,
Community Noise Control. Moreover, in accordance with Chapter 343 of
the Hawaii Revised Statutes (1996), redevelopment projects would be
evaluated in either an environmental assessment or an environmental
impact statement before development could begin.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
visual resources. The development of shoreline parks would increase
public access to the coastal area and would not obstruct views of the
Pacific Ocean and coastal landmarks from inland areas.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
transportation except when special events were held. By the year 2020,
this Alternative would generate about 49,1000 average daily trips
compared with 27,300 average daily trips that were associated with
Navy's use of the property. With the roadway improvements described in
the FEIS, this increase in daily traffic could be accommodated.
However, traffic generated by events at the automobile race trace
complex and at the festival center would have significant impacts even
if traffic control measures and parking plans were implemented.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
biological resources. Navy held informal consultations with the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries
Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), 16
U.S.C. 1536 (1994). In a letter dated December 1, 1998, the Fish and
Wildlife Service concurred with Navy's determination that the disposal
and reuse of NAS Barbers Point is not likely to adversely affect the
one Federally listed endangered plant there, the akoko shrub
(Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. skottsbergii). The Service's concurrence
was based upon Navy's assurance that the conveyance of property to the
State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu on which the akoko
is known to exist will be made through the Department of the Interior.
Navy will inform Interior about its responsibility under Section 7 of
ESA to consult with the Service regarding the potential effects on the
akoko of conveying the property to the State and City and County of
Honolulu.
The Preferred Alternative could have construction-related impacts
on coastal waters where the Federally listed and State-listed
threatened green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is found. Impacts from
surface water runoff generated by construction can be avoided or
reduced by the use of stormwater control measures required by existing
laws and regulations. In a letter dated November 25, 1998, the National
Marine Fisheries Service concurred with Navy's determination that the
disposal and reuse of NAS Barbers Point is not likely to adversely
affect Federally listed species or critical habitat unless changes or
improvements associated with reuse increase the amount of stormwater
runoff. Thus, increases in stormwater runoff generated by activities
under the Preferred Alternative could require the acquiring entities to
build stormwater disposal facilities.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
cultural resources. Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470f (1994), Navy conducted
a cultural resource assessment and determined that 62 archaeological
sites and 64 structures are eligible for listing on the National
Register of Historic Places. The archaeological sites and historic
structures will be protected by covenants in the deeds conveying the
property. These covenants will require prior written approval from the
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) before any action may be
taken that would affect those properties.
In addition, Hawaii's historic preservation program, set forth in
Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 6E, requires a consultative process by
State and City agencies with the SHPO similar to that prescribed by
Section 106 of the NHPA for Federal agencies. The State Historic
Preservation Officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation,
in letters dated December 18, 1998 and January 11, 1999, respectively,
concurred with Navy's determination that the disposal and reuse of NAS
Barbers Point would not have an adverse effect on the archaeological
sites and historic structures if the conveyance documents incorporate
protective covenants.
[[Page 35138]]
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
public health and safety. Implementation of this Alternative would not
have any significant impact on existing environmental contamination at
NAS Barbers Point. Navy will inform future property owners about the
environmental condition of the property and may, where appropriate,
include restrictions, notifications, or covenants in deeds to ensure
the protection of human health and the environment in light of the
intended use of the property.
In the northwestern part of the base, near Campbell Industrial
Park, the Preferred Alternative proposed to build residential units.
The operations of the Industrial Park would not pose a significant
health and safety risk to residents of this area. However, in the
unlikely event of a catastrophic incident at Campbell Industrial Park,
such as the release of large quantities of toxic contaminants or
flammable material, there could be a significant impact on public
health and safety. In a letter to the State of Hawaii's Department of
Business, Economic Development and Tourism dated December 20, 1996, the
State's Department of Health discouraged planners from locating
residential units near Campbell Industrial Park.
The proposed airport operations must conform to Federal Aviation
Administration safety standards and design criteria that require
adequate safety measures to protect people and property. The proposed
air operations would not adversely affect public health and safety.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
most public services. Existing police, fire and health care services
are sufficient to accommodate the proposed reuse. However, under the
Preferred Alternative, the number of elementary school students would
nearly double and there would be smaller increases of intermediate and
high school students. The acquiring entities can mitigate this
significant impact by increasing the capacity of Barbers Point
Elementary School; by building an additional elementary school; and by
redistricting and reallocating student populations. These measures
would also mitigate the cumulative impacts on education arising out of
new residential development planned for the nearby Ewa area of Oahu.
The Preferred Alternative would have significant beneficial
socioeconomic impacts. The proposed redevelopment would increase
employment and provide additional recreational opportunities and
housing. The Preferred Alternative would create 3,600 direct jobs and
3,400 indirect jobs that would generate about $197 Million in direct
and indirect income. The additional parks and recreational areas would
be made available to the public. The proposed residential areas would
increase the amount of affordable housing on the island.
The Preferred Alternative would generate a 4,000-person increase in
the local population. However, since this increase would represent less
than two percent of this area's population, it would not cause any
adverse effects.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
potable water, non-potable water, wastewater, solid waste, electricity,
and communications. Oahu's capacity for these services is adequate to
support the Redevelopment Plan.
The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on
stormwater drainage. Increases in stormwater runoff could result from
the construction of additional impervious surfaces. The acquiring
entities can mitigate this impact by building stormwater disposal
facilities or a drainage system of pipes that would carry stormwater to
the ocean.
Navy analyzed the Redevelopment Plan's proposed regional drainage
channel in the FEIS and concluded that additional studies and comments
from affected parties would be required to resolve the regional
drainage issue. The drainage channel proposed in the Preferred
Alternative would redirect off-base stormwater runoff to the base
property. This drainage channel has not been formally considered or
approved by Navy, the City and County of Honolulu, or affected Ewa
landowners. Directing off-base runoff to the base, as proposed in the
Preferred Alternative, may restrict certain proposed reuse activities
and adversely affect military activities on property retained by Navy.
These restrictions could reduce the amount of property designated for
residential, commercial, and light industrial purposes. Additionally,
if upstream contaminants were carried in the stormwater runoff to Navy-
owned property, responsibility for remediation could become an issue.
These impacts could be avoided by allowing runoff from the upstream
area to follow its natural drainage pattern and flow down to the Ewa
Marina area, rather than by redirecting the flow as proposed in the
Preferred Alternative.
Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to address Environmental
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, 3 C.F.R.
859 (1995), requires that Navy determine whether any low-income and
minority populations will experience disproportionately high and
adverse human health or environmental effects from the proposed action.
Navy analyzed the impacts on low-income and minority populations
pursuant to Executive Order 12898. The FEIS addressed the potential
environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with the
disposal of NAS Barbers Point and subsequent reuse of the property
under the various proposed alternatives. Minority and low-income
populations residing within the region will not be disproportionately
affected. Indeed, the employment opportunities, housing and public
services created by implementing the Preferred Alternative would have
beneficial effects.
Navy also analyzed the impacts on children pursuant to Executive
order 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and
Safety Risks, 3 CFR 198 (1998). Under the Preferred Alternative, the
largest concentration of children would be present in the residential
and recreational areas. The Preferred Alternative would not impose any
disproportionate environmental health or safety risks on children.
However, in the unlikely event of a catastrophic incident at Campbell
Industrial Park, such as the release of large quantities of toxic
contaminants or flammable material, there could be disproportionate
health and safety risks to children living in the nearby residential
area.
Mitigation
Implementation of Navy's decision to dispose of NAS Barbers Point
does not require Navy to implement any mitigation measures. Navy will
take certain actions to implement existing agreements and regulations.
These actions were treated in the FEIS as agreements or regulatory
requirements rather than as mitigation.
The FEIS identified and discussed those actions that will be
necessary to mitigate the impacts associated with the reuse and
redevelopment of Naval Air Station Barbers Point. The acquiring
entities, under the direction of Federal, State, and local agencies
with regulatory authority over protected resources, will be responsible
for implementing necessary mitigation measures.
Comments Received on the Final EIS
Navy received comments on the Final EIS from the United States
Coast Guard, the State Historic Preservation Officer, the City and
County of Honolulu Fire Department, the Barbers Point Naval Air Station
Redevelopment Commission,
[[Page 35139]]
and one individual. These comments concerned issues already discussed
in the FEIS and do not require further clarification.
Regulations Governing the Disposal Decision
Since the proposed action contemplates a disposal under the Defense
Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (DBCRA), Public Law 101-510,
10 U.S.C. 2687 note (1994), Navy's decision was based upon the
environmental analysis in the FEIS and application of the standards set
forth in the DBCRA, the Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR),
41 CFR Part 101-47, and the Department of Defense Rule on Revitalizing
Base Closure Communities and Community Assistance (DoD Rule), 32 CFR
Parts 174 and 175.
Section 101-47.303-1 of the FPMR requires that disposals of Federal
property benefit the Federal Government and constitute the ``highest
and best use'' of the property. Section 101-47.4909 of the FPMR defines
the ``highest and best use'' as that use to which a property can be put
that produces the highest monetary return from the property, promotes
its maximum value, or serves a public or institutional purpose. The
``highest and best use'' determination must be based upon the
property's economic potential, qualitative values inherent in the
property, and utilization factors affecting land use such as zoning,
physical characteristics, other private and public uses in the
vicinity, neighboring improvements, utility services, access, roads,
location, and environmental and historic considerations.
After Federal property has been conveyed to non-Federal entities,
the property is subject to local land use regulations, including zoning
and subdivision regulations, and building codes. Unless expressly
authorized by statute, the disposing Federal agency cannot restrict the
future use of surplus Government property. As a result, the local
community exercises substantial control over future use of the
property. For this reason, local land use plans and zoning affect
determination of the ``highest and best use'' of surplus Government
property.
The DBCRA directed the Administrator of the General Services
Administration (GSA) to delegate to the Secretary of Defense authority
to transfer and dispose of base closure property. Section 2905(b) of
the DBCRA directs the Secretary of Defense to exercise this authority
in accordance with GSA's property disposal regulations, set forth in
Part 101-47 of the FPMR. By letter dated December 20, 1991, the
Secretary of Defense delegated the authority to transfer and dispose of
base closure property closed under the DBCRA to the Secretaries of the
Military Departments. Under this delegation of authority, the Secretary
of the Navy must follow FPMR procedures for screening and disposing of
real property when implementing base closures. Only where Congress has
expressly provided additional authority for disposing of base closure
property, e.g., the economic development conveyance authority
established in 1993 by Section 2905(b)(4) of the DBCRA, may Navy apply
disposal procedures other than those in the FPMR.
In Section 2901 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 1994, Pub. L. 103-160, Congress recognized the economic
hardship occasioned by base closures, the Federal interest in
facilitating economic recovery of base closure communities, and the
need to identify and implement reuse and redevelopment of property at
closing installations. In Section 2903(c) of Public Law 103-160,
Congress directed the Military Departments to consider each base
closure community's economic needs and priorities in the property
disposal process. Under Section 2905(b)(2)(E) of the DBCRA, Navy must
consult with local communities before it disposes of base closure
property and must consider local plans developed for reuse and
redevelopment of the surplus Federal property.
The Department of Defense's goal, as set forth in Section 174.4 of
the DoD Rule, is to help base closure communities achieve rapid
economic recovery through expeditious reuse and redevelopment of the
assets at closing bases, taking into consideration local market
conditions and locally developed reuse plans. Thus, the Department has
adopted a consultative approach with each community to ensure that
property disposal decisions consider the LRA's reuse plan and encourage
job creation. As a part of this cooperative approach, the base closure
community's interests, as reflected in its zoning for the area, play a
significant role in determining the range of alternatives considered in
the environmental analysis for property disposal. Furthermore, Section
175.7(d)(3) of the DoD Rule provides that the LRA's plan generally will
be used as the basis for the proposed disposal action.
The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, 40
U.S.C. 484 (1994), as implemented by the FPMR, identifies several
mechanisms for disposing of surplus base closure property: by public
benefit conveyances (FPMR Sec. 101-47.303-2); by negotiated sale (FPMR
Sec. 101-47.304-9); and by competitive sale (FPMR Sec. 101-47.304-7).
Additionally, in Section 2905(b)(4), the DBCRA established economic
development conveyance as a means of disposing of surplus base closure
property. The selection of any particular method of conveyance merely
implements the Federal agency's decision to dispose of the property.
Decisions concerning whether to undertake a public benefit conveyance
or an economic development conveyance, or to sell property by
negotiation or by competitive bid, are left to the Federal agency's
discretion. Selecting a method of disposal implicates a broad range of
factors and rests solely within the Secretary of the Navy's discretion.
Conclusion
The LRA's proposed reuse of NAS Barbers Point, reflected in the
Redevelopment Plan, is consistent with the prescriptions of the FPMR
and Section 174.4 of the DoD Rule. The LRA has determined in its
Redevelopment Plan that the property should be used for various
purposes including aviation, residential, community, industrial,
commercial, public, park and recreational uses. The property's
location, physical characteristics, and existing infrastructure as well
as the current uses of adjacent property make it appropriate for the
proposed uses.
The Preferred Alternative responds to local economic conditions,
promotes rapid economic recovery from the impact of the Naval Air
Station's closure, and is consistent with President Clinton's Five-Part
Plan for Revitalizing Base closure Communities, which emphasizes local
economic redevelopment and creation of new jobs as the means to
revitalize these communities. 32 CFR Parts 174 and 175, 59 FR 16,123
(1994).
Although the ``No Action'' Alternative has less potential for
causing adverse environmental impacts, this Alternative would not take
advantage of the property's location, physical characteristics, and
infrastructure or the current uses of adjacent property. Additionally,
it would not foster local economic redevelopment of the Barbers Point
property.
The acquiring entities, under the direction of Federal, State, and
local agencies with regulatory authority over protected resources, will
be responsible for adopting practicable means to avoid
[[Page 35140]]
or minimize environmental harm that may result from implementing the
Redevelopment Plan.
Accordingly, Navy will dispose of the surplus Federal property at
Naval Air Station Barbers Point in a manner that is consistent with the
State of Hawaii's Redevelopment Plan for the property.
Dated: June 17, 1999.
William J. Cassidy, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Conversion And Redevelopment).
Dated: June 25, 1999.
Ralph W. Corey,
CDR, JAGC, USN, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-16691 Filed 6-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-M
