99-20967. Availability of an Environmental Assessment on the Proposed New York Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Project

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44257-44258]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20967]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Railroad Administration


Availability of an Environmental Assessment on the Proposed New 
York Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Project

AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Environmental Assessment, request 
for public comment.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
and the FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts, the FRA 
announces the availability of an Environmental Assessment for the 
proposed Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Project in New York, New 
York. The Environmental Assessment examines the Pennsylvania Station 
Redevelopment Corporation's proposal to transform a portion of the 
James A. Farley Post Office (located directly across Eighth Avenue from 
Pennsylvania Station) into an intermodal transportation facility and 
commercial center. The FRA is soliciting comments on this Environmental 
Assessment. FRA will consider these comments in making a decision 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA).

DATES: The Environmental Assessment will remain available for public 
comment through September 10, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Individuals wishing copies of the draft Environmental 
Assessment should immediately contact the FRA Office and personnel 
listed below. Copies of the Environmental Assessment are being mailed 
to agencies and individuals that have participated in the environmental 
assessment process. The complete Volume I of the Environmental 
Assessment has also been placed on FRA's Internet page at http://
www.fra.dot.gov/s/regs/env/pennstation.htm Finally, the Environmental 
Assessment is also available for public inspection, by appointment, 
during normal business hours at the following locations:

Washington DC: Federal Railroad Administration, 1120 Vermont Avenue, 
NW., Room 6060, Washington, DC 20590, [phone].
New York, NY.: Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation (PSRC), 
633 Third Avenue, 36th Floor, New York, NY 10017, [phone].
Boston, MA: McGinley Hart and Associates, 77 N. Washington Street, 
Boston, MA, 02114, [phone].

    Comments on the Environmental Assessment should be submitted to: 
Mr. Alexander V. Chavrid, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of 
Railroad Development, Mailstop-20, 1120 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, 
DC 20590, [phone]. Comments can also be submitted through E-mail 
to [e-mail] (please include the sender's full name and 
mailing address).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Alexander V. Chavrid, at the above 
address and telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Efforts to improve the National Railroad 
Passenger Corporation's (Amtrak) rail passenger station facilities in 
New York City have been underway since 1991. New York Pennsylvania 
Station is an aging facility and inadequate to serve the thousands of 
daily intercity and commuter rail passengers that pass through it let 
alone the expected increases in intercity and commuter rail ridership 
over the coming years. The environmental impacts associated with an 
initial Amtrak proposal to expand the Station space by moving intercity 
rail passenger functions to the James A. Farley Post Office (located 
directly across the street from Pennsylvania Station with access to the 
tracks and platforms) was analyzed by the FRA in a 1995 environmental 
assessment. Amtrak's proposal was not progressed to final design and in 
1995, a new corporation, the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment 
Corporation (PSRC), was formed specifically to manage the Pennsylvania 
Station Redevelopment Project. PSRC is a subsidiary of the New York 
State Urban Development Corporation, a public benefit corporation of 
the State of New York. PSRC has proposed a comprehensive program of 
improvements at the Farley Building that would transform it into a 
major transportation facility and commercial center. Congress has 
appropriated Federal funds to the FRA for the redevelopment project in 
Department of Transportation Appropriations Acts, the Intermodal 
Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (as amended by the National 
Highway Designation Act of 1995) and the Transportation Equity Act for 
the 21st Century. FRA's provision of funds for project purposes is 
subject to NEPA and NHPA.

Alternatives Analyzed in the Draft Environmental Assessment

Alternative 1. No Action

    Under this alternative, the only changes anticipated at Penn 
Station would be routine repairs and maintenance. Amtrak has underway 
and will very soon complete life safety improvements and modifications 
to meet the needs of the start up of Acela high-speed rail service in 
late 1999. The only changes anticipated on the exterior or interior of 
the Farley Building would be routine repairs and maintenance of the 
structure. The No Build alternative also includes minor work at the 
Eight Avenue Subway concourse at 33rd Street.

Alternative 2. The Build Alternative

    The Build Alternative has been designed to meet New York's 
transportation needs into the 21st Century. PSRC proposes to redevelop 
the Farley Building into an intermodal transportation facility and 
commercial center, which includes an Amtrak station in the original 
Farley Building, an intermodal hall, a sky-lit train concourse, a 
postal loading dock below grade, and a commuter concourse as well as 
Eighth Avenue subway connection improvements and ancillary retail. The 
new station would have two midblock entrances on West 31st and West 
33rd Streets. At these entrances, (complemented by entrances at the 
north and south corners of Eight Avenue), at-grade Americans With 
Disabilities Act-compliant access would be provided for all passengers 
and postal retail customers and covered areas would be included for 
taxi pick-up and drip-off. The United States Postal Service (USPS) 
would improve and continue to occupy the historic postal lobby, the 
offices on the upper floors of the original Farley Building, and the 
postal rail access facilities and mail processing and distribution 
functions on all floors of the Farley Building Annex. New, modern USPS 
loading facilities would be built on the train concourse and the first-
floor levels of the Farley Building Annex, accessible by ramps from 
Ninth Avenue. Finally, the Build Alternative includes traffic 
improvements, operational measures, and pedestrian improvements to 
streets in the vicinity of the Farley Building.
    All interested agencies, organizations, and individuals are urged 
to provide

[[Page 44258]]

comments on the draft Environmental Assessment. All comments received 
by the closing date will be considered by the FRA as it completes its 
NEPA and NHPA compliance.

    Dated: August 9, 1999.
Mark E. Yachmetz,
Chief, Passenger Programs Division.
[FR Doc. 99-20967 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-06-P