Notice2022-23721
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Initiate Section 106 Consultation for Four Buildings at 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, and Notice of Public Scoping Meetings and Comment Period
Primary source
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Published
November 1, 2022
Issuing agencies
General Services Administration
Abstract
The General Services Administration (GSA) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conduct the Section 106 Process of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to address the future of buildings 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard, adjacent to the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in Chicago's South Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois. All four properties, for which Congress has appropriated funds for demolition, reside in the Loop Retail Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Two of the four buildings, the Century Building (202 State Street) and the Consumers Building (220 South State Street) are identified as contributing structures to the historic district.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 210 (Tuesday, November 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65771-65773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23721]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[Notice-PBS-2022-06; Docket No. 2022-0002; Sequence No. 26]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Initiate Section 106 Consultation for Four Buildings at 202, 208-212,
214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois, and Notice of Public
Scoping Meetings and Comment Period
AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), General Services Administration
(GSA).
ACTION: Notice; public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The General Services Administration (GSA) intends to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conduct the Section 106
Process of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to address the
future of buildings 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street
between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard, adjacent to the Dirksen
Federal Courthouse in Chicago's South Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois.
All four properties, for which Congress has appropriated funds for
demolition, reside in the Loop Retail Historic District listed in the
National Register of Historic Places. Two of the four buildings, the
Century Building (202 State Street) and the Consumers Building (220
South State Street) are identified as contributing structures to the
historic district.
DATES: A scoping meeting will be held at the Morrison Conference Center
in the Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building, 77 W. Jackson Blvd.,
Chicago, IL 60604, on Thursday, November 10, 2022, from 4 to 7 p.m.,
CST (Central Standard Time). Written comments must be received by
Monday, December 12, 2022, in order to be considered in the EIS.
Participants will be given an opportunity to comment based on the order
in which they register. Each person will be allowed three minutes to
comment during the meeting. Written comments will be accepted before
and after the meeting and given the same priority as oral comments.
ADDRESSES: People wishing to attend the public meeting in-person or
virtually are asked to register for the event at this link: <a href="https://GSA-South_State-Street-Scoping-Meeting.eventbrite.com">https://GSA-South_State-Street-Scoping-Meeting.eventbrite.com</a>. Written comments
may be sent by the following methods:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3b484f5a4f5e484f495e5e4f7b5c485a155c544d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abd8dfcadfced8dfd9cecedfebccd8ca85ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: Joseph Mulligan, U.S. General Services
Administration, 230 S. Dearborn St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60604.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Joseph Mulligan, U.S. General
Services Administration, 230 S. Dearborn St., Suite 3600, Chicago, IL
60604; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9be8effaeffee8efe9fefeefdbfce8fab5fcf4ed"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fb888f9a8f9e888f899e9e8fbb9c889ad59c948d">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scoping Process
The purpose of the public scoping process is to identify relevant
issues that will influence the scope of analysis of the human and
natural environment including cultural resources. The EIS will include
public input on alternatives and impacts. This meeting will also
initiate GSA's public consultation required by NHPA. GSA seeks input at
this meeting that will assist the agency in planning for the Section
106 consultation process, identifying consulting parties, determining
the area of the undertaking's potential effects on cultural resources
(Area of Potential Effects), and envisioning alternatives to demolition
that will avoid, minimize or mitigate adverse effects. Federal, state,
and local agencies, along with affected members of the public, are
invited to participate in the NEPA scoping and Section 106 process.
The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are two separate laws which require
federal agencies to consider the impacts to historic properties and the
human environment before making decisions. NHPA and NEPA are
independent statutes, yet may be executed concurrently to optimize
efficiencies, transparency, and accountability to better understand the
effects to the human, natural, and cultural environment. The EIS will
be prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA
regulations, and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide. GSA
will also consult with appropriate parties in accordance with Section
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966.
Opportunities for affected members of the public to become a
consulting party during the NHPA Section 106 process will be presented
during the public scoping meeting. You may submit a comment to express
your interest in being a consulting party if you cannot attend the
meeting.
Purpose and Need for the Proposed Action and Undertaking
The purpose of the Proposed Action and Undertaking is to address
the potential security vulnerabilities associated with buildings 202,
208-212,
[[Page 65772]]
214 and 220 South State Street, to respond to the passing of the 2022
Consolidated Appropriations Act, which calls for the demolition of
these buildings and to effectively manage federal property. The
Proposed Action and Undertaking is specifically needed for the
following reasons:
Address Security
<bullet> The Dirksen Federal Courthouse and its occupants are at
particular risk of harm by hostile acts.
<bullet> Physical security surrounding the courthouse needs to be
maintained and enhanced.
Respond to Congressional Intent
<bullet> Congress passed the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act
with the following expectations:
[cir] Defined scope to demolish the four properties.
[cir] Funding for demolition of the four properties.
Manage Assets
<bullet> There is no federal occupancy need for the buildings.
Proposed Action and Undertaking and Preliminary Alternatives
The proposed action and undertaking are to address the future of
buildings 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street, Chicago,
Illinois. GSA has identified the following preliminary alternatives for
the proposed action. However, additional alternatives proposed by the
public may be considered in the EIS.
Demolition (Alternative A): GSA is considering the demolition of
four buildings at 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State Street,
Chicago, Illinois, per the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The
funds appropriated by Congress are available only for demolition,
securing the site, and landscaping the vacant site following
demolition. The proposed action includes protection of adjacent
properties during demolition, securing the vacant site of the
demolished buildings and landscaping of the vacant site following
demolition.
Viable Adaptive Reuse (Alternative B): The following is a current
listing of reuse criteria developed in collaboration with the United
States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and federal law
enforcement agencies. References therein to ``Developer'' include
lessees, tenants, or other occupants and users of the properties. There
are no federal funds available for rehabilitation, preservation, or
restoration of buildings at 202, 208-212, 214 and 220 South State
Street, Chicago, Illinois. Rehabilitation or modification of the
properties in order to meet the following criteria will not be
performed at the Government's expense. These restrictions are necessary
to meet the security needs of the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and would be
applicable to any uses of the property.
1. The Federal government must retain ownership interests to
achieve its security objectives, as determined by the government in its
discretion.
2. Occupancy/Use: Properties shall not be used for short-term or
long-term residential or lodging, places of worship, or medical
treatment, services, or research. No use that requires access to
outdoor areas is permitted.
3. Access to the roof is restricted to maintenance and repair
activities. Personnel and materials that will be present in this area
shall be subject to clearance and controls necessary to meet court
security objectives.
4. Developer would have no access or use rights to Quincy Court.
5. Loading is prohibited in Quincy Court and otherwise restricted
in a manner to achieve court security. Loading on State or Adams
Streets would be subject to local ordinance requirements.
6. Occupants and users of the buildings shall have no sight lines
into the Dirksen Courthouse, the Dirksen Courthouse ramp, or the Quincy
Court properties owned by GSA.
7. No parking or vehicle access is permitted on or within the
properties.
8. Developer is responsible for staffing, at their expense,
security 24 hours with personnel approved by the Federal Protective
Service or an entity to whom security services are delegated by Federal
Protective Service.
9. Developer must obtain and maintain access control systems to
prevent unauthorized access to any location within the structures. Each
exterior entrance point must have an intrusion detection system and
access control system installed, and Developer must provide federal law
enforcement access to each system.
10. Developer must install and maintain interior and exterior
security cameras and provide federal law enforcement officials with
access and the ability to monitor the feeds in real time.
11. Developer must install exterior lighting necessary to achieve
courthouse security objectives.
12. Perimeter Security: Developer must prevent unauthorized access
to the properties that would result in an unapproved sight line.
13. Fire escapes, and any other structures that would allow access
from the street, must be removed.
14. All construction documents and specifications for any
renovation, rehabilitation, modification, or construction of any
portion of the building (interior or exterior) will be subject to
review and approval by federal law enforcement agencies.
15. No project may start without the advance approval of GSA.
No Action Alternative: GSA would continue with the status quo; the
buildings would remain in place, vacant with significant repairs
needed, and with limited federal funds available for maintenance.
Summary of Potential Impacts
The EIS will identify, describe, and analyze the potential effects
of the Action and No Action alternatives. This will include direct,
indirect, and cumulative effects resulting from the implementation of
the Action and No Action Alternatives. At present, GSA has identified
the following resources for analysis of both beneficial and adverse
potential impacts: cultural resources; aesthetic and visual quality;
land use and zoning; community cohesion; socioeconomics; hazardous
materials; air quality; noise; transportation and traffic; human health
and safety; coastal zones; and geology, soils, and topography. The EIS
will consider measures that would avoid, minimize, or mitigate
identified adverse impacts. GSA welcomes public input on these
potential impacts and other resources that should be considered.
Anticipated Permits and Authorizations
In addition to NEPA, federal permits and other federal
authorizations may be required for execution of the proposed action and
undertaking or its alternatives. GSA's activities to meet its
obligations under NEPA and Section 106 are not intended or presumed to
effect compliance with all environmental regulation that may apply to
the proposed action and undertaking, which involve separate regulatory
permitting procedures. Examples include those required by the Clean
Water Act, Clean Air Act, and applicable non-federal permitting laws.
Schedule for Decision-Making Process
The following is a list of estimated milestones and timeframes for
the EIS process:
<bullet> EIS Notice of Intent (NOI) in Federal Register: November 2022
<bullet> NEPA Scoping Meeting Conducted with Initiation of Section 106:
November 2022
[[Page 65773]]
<bullet> End of NEPA Scoping Period: December 2022
<bullet> Publication of the Draft EIS: April 2023
<bullet> Draft EIS Public Comment Period: April-June 2023
<bullet> Completion of Section 106 Process: January 2024
<bullet> Final EIS: January 2024
<bullet> Record of Decision: February 2024
William Renner,
Director, Facilities Management and Services Programs Division, U.S.
General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-23721 Filed 10-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-A9-P
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