97-24394. Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate, Richmond, CA

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 178 (Monday, September 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 48260]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-24394]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Proposed 
Disposal and Reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply Center, Naval 
Fuel Depot Point Molate, Richmond, CA

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SUMMARY: 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), and the 
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Department of the Navy 
in coordination with the City of Richmond is preparing a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) 
for the proposed disposal and reuse of the Fleet and Industrial Supply 
Center, Naval Fuel Depot Point Molate (NFD Pt. Molate), Richmond, 
California. The Navy will be the lead agency for NEPA documentation and 
the City of Richmond will be the lead agency for CEQA documentation.
    The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Pub. L. 101-510) of 
1990, as implemented by the base closure process of 1995, directed the 
Navy to close the NFD Pt. Molate. Pub. L. 102-484, Section 2834, as 
amended by Pub. L. 104-106, Section 2867, permits the Navy to dispose 
of NFD Pt. Molate to the City of Richmond.

Background

    NFD Pt. Molate is within the jurisdiction of the City of Richmond 
and consists of 419 acres of land on the northeast shoreline of San 
Pablo Bay. The property includes several large underground storage 
tanks, the Winehaven historic district listed on the National Register 
of Historic Places, and administration and support buildings. The joint 
EIS/EIR will address Navy disposal of the property and the potential 
impacts associated with three community reuse alternatives and a ``no 
action'' alternative. The City of Richmond Blue Ribbon Advisory 
Committee developed the Point Molate Reuse Plan which identifies a 
mixture of land-uses, and serves as a guide to develop the three 
community reuse alternatives. The reuse alternatives expected to be 
evaluated in the EIS/EIR are: Mixed Use/Historic, Industrial/
Commercial, and Recreational/Historic. The ``No Action'' alternative 
would retain NFD Pt. Molate as a closed facility remaining in federal 
caretaker status.
    The Mixed Use/Historic Alternative would include development of 
publicly oriented uses such as a shoreline park, trails, ballfields, 
public market/plaza, amphitheater, promenade, and light industrial and 
commercial uses such as incubator businesses, retreat and conference 
center, bed and breakfast, live/work space, and restaurants. That 
alternative also includes single- and multi-family residential uses, a 
heliport, ferry service and a winery. The Industrial/Commercial 
Alternative would include some of the publicly oriented uses listed 
above, but would develop light industrial and warehouse facilities on 
sites designated for residential development in the Mixed Use/Historic 
Alternative. The Recreational/Historic Alternative introduces gardens, 
small lakes, golf course, pier developments, environmental science 
center, wetlands and wildlife habitat, and a medium sized hotel in an 
addition to some of the other publicly oriented and recreational land-
uses listed above.
    The EIS/EIR will evaluate the potential for environmental impacts 
to traffic conditions, air quality, biological resources, cultural 
resources, utilities, and other environmental issues identified through 
this scoping process.

ADDRESSES: The Department of the Navy is initiating a scoping process 
for the purpose of determing the scope of issues to be addressed and 
for identifying significant issues relative to this proposed action. A 
public meeting to receive oral comments from the public will be held on 
Wednesday, October 1, 1997, at 6:00 pm, at 2600 Barrett Avenue, City of 
Richmond Council Chambers. The Navy and the City of Richmond 
representatives will briefly summarize the reuse planning and 
environmental impact assessment processes, and will then solicit public 
comments to identify the scope of environmental impact analysis. It is 
important that federal, state, and local agencies, and interested 
individuals are present or represented in the scoping process to assist 
the Navy and the City of Richmond in evaluating the range of issues and 
reuse alternatives to be addressed. In the interest of allowing 
everyone a chance to participate, speakers will be requested to limit 
their oral comments to five (5) minutes. Written comments or questions 
regarding the scoping process and/or EIS/EIR should be postmarked no 
later than Monday, October 20, 1997 and sent to the following 
addressses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Noreen Roster (Code 703), 
Engineering Field Activity West, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 
900 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, California 94066-5006, telephone (415) 
244-3021, fax [phone]. For information concerning the EIR, 
please contact Ms. Natalia Lawrence or Ms. Nancy Kaufman, Planning 
Department, the City of Richmond, California, telephone [phone], 
fax [phone]. For further information regarding the Point Molate 
Reuse Plan, please contact Ms. Patricia Jones, Office of the City 
Manager at [phone], fax [phone], or Ms. Natalia Lawrence 
or Ms. Nancy Kaufman, Planning Department.

    Dated: September 10, 1997.
Michael D. Sutton,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-24394 Filed 9-12-97; 8:45 am]
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