Notice2026-08210
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 28, 2026
Issuing agencies
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Abstract
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) procedures for implementing NEPA, NASA, in cooperation with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), have jointly published an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park. The EIS is a joint EIS/ environmental impact report (EIR) that fulfills the requirements of both NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The proposed project under consideration by NASA (i.e., the proposed action) is the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park, which would be located at the NASA owned and operated Ames Research Center in Santa Clara County, California. This notice opens a 45-day public comment period during which the public and other interested parties are encouraged to submit comments. ADDRESSES. The public comment period is for a period of 45 days from publication of this notice.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 81 (Tuesday, April 28, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 81 (Tuesday, April 28, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22866-22867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-08210]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[NASA Document No: NASA-26-023; NASA Docket No: NASA-2026-0199]
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Berkeley Space
Center at NASA Research Park
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of meeting; request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), as amended and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration's (NASA's) procedures for implementing NEPA, NASA, in
cooperation with the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley),
have jointly published an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the
Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park. The EIS is a joint EIS/
environmental impact report (EIR) that fulfills the requirements of
both NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The
proposed project under consideration by NASA (i.e., the proposed
action) is the Berkeley Space Center at NASA Research Park, which would
be located at the NASA owned and operated Ames Research Center in Santa
Clara County, California. This notice opens a 45-day public comment
period during which the public and other interested parties are
encouraged to submit comments. ADDRESSES. The public comment period is
for a period of 45 days from publication of this notice.
DATES: To ensure consideration of your comments, we are requesting
submission of your comments no later than June 10, 2026. UC Berkeley
and NASA will hold one joint online public comment meeting to provide
agencies and the public with an opportunity to provide oral and written
comments on the joint EIR/EIS. The public comment meeting will be held
on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. Information regarding public comment
meeting and the location of project materials is found under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.
ADDRESSES:
Viewing and Obtaining Documents:
<bullet> Federal E-Rulemaking Portal: You may view this notice on
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> (under
Docket Number NASA-2026-0199); or
<bullet> NASA's Website: You may obtain copies of the draft joint
EIR/EIS on NASA's website at <a href="https://environment.arc.nasa.gov/NEPA.html">https://environment.arc.nasa.gov/NEPA.html</a>.
<bullet> In-Person: Copies of the draft joint EIR/EIS are also
available for public inspection and review at the following locations:
Mountain View Public Library at 585 Franklin Street, Mountain View, CA
94041, and Sunnyvale Public Library at 665 West Olive Avenue,
Sunnyvale, CA 94086.
Submitting Comments: Advance registration to attend or provide a
comment at the virtual public meeting described under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION is not required. Public meeting attendees may submit
comments during the public meeting, or by other means described below
throughout the 45-day comment period. Please provide your comments no
later than June 10, 2026, to ensure consideration in the final joint
EIS/EIR. You may submit written comments and materials by one of the
following methods:
<bullet> U.S. mail: NASA Ames Research Center, Attn: Berkeley Space
Center at NASA Research Park, M/S 213-07, Moffett Field, CA 94035-0001.
<bullet> E-mail: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a6c7d4c58bc8c3d6c7c5c9cbcbc3c8d2d5e6c8c7d5c788c1c9d0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="55342736783b302534363a3838303b2126153b3426347b323a23">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Federal E-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Please note
that NASA will post all comments on the internet without changes,
including any personal information provided.
We encourage you to submit comments electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. If submitting
your comments electronically, it is not necessary to submit a hard
copy. All comments received will be posted without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Before including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be
advised that your entire comment--including any personal identifying
information you provide--may be publicly available at any time. While
[[Page 22867]]
you may request, in your comment, to withhold from public review your
personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that your request
will be granted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andr[eacute]s Estrada, Center NEPA
Manager, NASA Ames Research Center, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4b2a392866252e3b2a282426262e253f380b252a382a652c243d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="95f4e7f6b8fbf0e5f4f6faf8f8f0fbe1e6d5fbf4e6f4bbf2fae3">[email protected]</span></a>.
Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 between 8 a.m. and 8
p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The publication of EPA's notice is the
official start of the comment period for an EIS.
Background
The scoping process for the EIS was initiated when the notice of
intent (NOI) was released for the proposed action from June 25, 2024,
for a 30-day public review period through July 26, 2024. Public scoping
meetings were held via Zoom on July 10, 2024, and July 15, 2024. In
addition, the NOI was published in the Federal Register on June 26,
2024, under Docket Number NASA-24-039. A summary of comments provided
during the scoping period is provided in Appendix 1-1 of the draft
joint EIR/EIS.
Proposed Action and Alternative
The proposed project under consideration by NASA (i.e., the
proposed action) would include academic and research facilities,
consisting of offices, laboratories, research-and-development (R&D)
uses, and related amenities (collectively, ``Research and Office
Uses''); conference center and related amenities (``Conference Uses'');
ground-floor retail, food and beverage, maker spaces (i.e.,
collaborative work spaces for using various tools and materials), and
other complementary accessory uses that would be publicly accessible
(collectively, ``Active Uses''); student/faculty housing, including
associated amenities (``Student/Faculty Housing''); short-term lodging,
including associated amenities (``Short-Term Lodging''); transportation
networks; and open spaces, as well as landscaped spaces, to create a
state-of-the-art research and education hub that shapes the future of
technology and innovation and advance the UC Regents educational,
scientific research, charitable, and other exempt purposes (within the
meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue
Code). The proposed project would facilitate the development and long-
term operation of a collaborative research environment at the NASA ARC
that supports NASA's position at the forefront of technological
innovation and as a catalyst for space and aeronautical research.
The following two build alternatives and the NEPA No-Action
Alternative are evaluated in the Draft EIS/EIR.
<bullet> CEQA Proposed Project (NEPA Build Alternative 1), which
would create approximately 2.3 million square feet of Research and
Office Uses, Conference Uses, Active Uses, Student/Faculty Housing, and
Short-Term Lodging for visitors and conference attendees. This
alternative would include approximately 2 million square feet for
Research and Office Uses, 25,000 square feet for Conference Uses,
90,000 square feet for Active Uses, 130,000 square feet for Student/
Faculty Housing, and 75,000 square feet for Short-Term Lodging.
<bullet> CEQA Reduced Density Alternative (NEPA Build Alternative
2), which would create approximately 1.4 million square feet of
Research and Office Uses, Conference Uses, Active Uses, Student/Faculty
Housing, and Short-Term Lodging for visitors and conference attendees.
Compared to NEPA Build Alternative 1, this alternative would provide
less space for Research and Office Uses. The NEPA Build Alternative 2
would include approximately 1.1 million square feet for Research and
Office Uses, 25,000 square feet for Conference Uses, 90,000 square feet
for Active Uses, 130,000 square feet for Student/Faculty Housing, and
75,000 square feet for Short-Term Lodging.
<bullet> NEPA No-Action Alternative, under which the proposed
action would not be constructed and operated at the Project Site. The
buildings within the Limits of Work that are currently operational
would continue to be operational. The buildings within the Limits of
Work that are currently vacant could be reoccupied consistent with the
prior uses of the buildings (e.g., ancillary buildings that supported
Navy operations as well as industrial, storage, and utility
facilities); reoccupying the vacant buildings would not require
construction activity. The NADP, which established NASA's vision for
long-term development of NASA ARC, also allows other types of uses at
the Project Site. The NEPA No-Action Alternative could result in
approximately 185,600 square feet of mixed uses, resulting in
approximately 668 employees. The NEPA No-Action Alternative would not
result in the reoccupation of any buildings formerly used for lodging;
thus, the NEPA No-Action Alternative would not generate any new full-
time residents or short-term occupants (e.g., summer interns) within
the Limits of Work.
Environmental Impact Statement Public Meeting
This notice of availability initiates the 45-day comment period for
the draft joint EIR/EIS. UC Berkeley and NASA will hold one joint
online public comment meeting to provide agencies and the public with
an opportunity to provide oral and written comments on the draft joint
EIR/EIS. The public meeting will be held exclusively through Zoom
videoconference. Members of the public will be able to provide written
comments during the meeting in the chat or verbally during an open mic
session. The information for the public comment meeting is as follows:
<bullet> Public Comment Meeting
Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
Time: starting at 12:00 p.m.
Meeting Link: <a href="https://capitalstrategies.berkeley.edu/public-meetings">https://capitalstrategies.berkeley.edu/public-meetings</a>.
Denise Thaller,
Assistant Administrator (Acting), Office of Strategic Infrastructure,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-08210 Filed 4-27-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P
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