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Final Environmental Impact Statement: City of Hartford, CT; Section 108 Loan Guarantee/BEDI Grant

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

 [Federal Register: September 27, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 188)]
[Notices]
[Page 61241-61243]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27se02-191]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
[Docket No. FR-4491-N-08]
 
Final Environmental Impact Statement: City of Hartford, CT; 
Section 108 Loan Guarantee/BEDI Grant

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.
ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gives 
this notice to the public that the City of Hartford, CT has completed 
and makes available to the public for comment the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) that analyzes the potential impacts of 
developing approximately 37 acres of land and associated air rights in 
a publicly and privately funded mixed-use 24 hour a day development 
site located in its downtown land near the Connecticut River. The 
proposed construction of a multi-use redevelopment project would 
include a convention center, hotel, parking facilities, and an 
entertainment/retail/residential complex located in the vicinity of 
Columbus Boulevard and the Whitehead Highway, known as Adriaen's 
Landing (the Project). The Project cost is approximately $ 664 million. 
The City of Hartford proposes to use HUD Brownfields Economic 
Development Initiative (BEDI) Grant funds ($2 million) and Section 108 
Loan Guarantees ($13 million) in support of certain parts of the 
Project.
    This notice is in accordance with the regulations of the Council on 
Environmental Quality as described in 40 CFR parts 1500-1508 for 
implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental 
Policy Act. Interested individuals, agencies, and Federal agencies 
having jurisdiction by law, special expertise, or other special 
interest are requested to comment.

DATES: Comment Due Date: October 28, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All interested agencies, groups and 
persons are invited to submit comments on the FEIS directly to Ms. 
Beatriz Roman, Environmental Review Officer, Office of Grants 
Management, City of Hartford, 550 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103; 
phone number: (860) 522-4888 x6127, Fax: (860) 722-6061, e-mail: 
broman@ci.hartford.ct.us.
    The FEIS will be available for public review and comment at the 
following locations during regular business hours: (1) Department of 
Environmental Protection, 79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT, telephone (860) 
424-4180; (2) The Adriaen's Landing Project Office located at 50 
Columbus Boulevard, 4th Floor, Hartford, CT; (3) The Hartford Town 
Clerk's Offices, 550 Main Street, Hartford, CT; (4) Hartford Public 
Library branches; (5) The Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol 
Avenue, Hartford, CT; (6) Capitol Region Council of Governments, 241 
Main Street, Hartford, CT; and (7) HUD State of Connecticut Office, 1 
Corporate Center, 19th floor, Hartford, CT.
    Notice is also given that the City of Hartford and the Capital City 
Economic Development Authority (CCEDA) will hold a public hearing on 
the FEIS on Tuesday, October 1, 2002 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of 
the Betances School, 42 Charter Oak Avenue, Hartford. If necessary the 
hearing may be rescheduled to or continued on Wednesday, October 2, 
2002 at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Betances School, 42 Charter 
Oak Avenue, Hartford. The public may comment on the FEIS at the 
hearing; in addition, written comments may be submitted at the public 
hearing or before the hearing to Brendan Fox, CCEDA, 50 Columbus 
Boulevard, 4th floor, Hartford, CT 06106.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The City of Hartford has received a HUD 
Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) grant and Section 
108 loan funds to be used for the Project. These grant and loan funds 
will be used for eligible activities listed within HUD regulations 
appropriate to the BEDI or Section 108 funding source, specifically for 
the proposed Hotel and Retail/Entertainment Components of the Project. 
The Connecticut Legislature enacted Public Acts 98-179, 99-241, and 00-
140 to provide funding for projects in downtown Hartford, including the 
Project. The Capital City Economic Development Authority (CCEDA) was 
formed to oversee the development of these projects. The Project is 
seen as a catalyst for attracting residents and businesses to downtown 
Hartford and ultimately stimulating the revitalization and growth of 
Hartford and the region.
    Public Act 00-140 requires the Capital City Economic Development 
Authority (CCEDA) to prepare an Environmental Impact Evaluation (EIE) 
pursuant to the Connecticut Environmental Policy Act (CEPA) for the 
Project. The Act also authorizes CCEDA to assist the City of Hartford 
in preparing and processing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on 
behalf of any Federal agency under the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) for any activities subject to NEPA.
    Additionally, the Project will require the acquisition of air 
rights from the Connecticut Department of Transportation, with 
concurrence by the Federal Highway Administration. The Federal Highway 
Administration has accepted Cooperating Agency status in the 
preparation of the NEPA EIS so that the analysis satisfies its 
requirements for the issuance of air rights.
    While the substantive requirements of the evaluations are similar, 
CEPA anticipates, but does not require, separate evaluations in the 
event that an EIS is performed pursuant to federal law. Similarly, NEPA 
anticipates, but does not require, separate evaluations be performed 
for state or local environmental evaluation requirements. It provides 
that any environmental document in compliance with NEPA may be combined 
with other agency documents to reduce duplication and paperwork.
    Consistent with both CEPA and NEPA, CCEDA and the City of Hartford 
have worked to increase efficiency and reduce duplication of effort and 
paperwork by cooperating to fulfill their respective EIE and EIS 
responsibilities through release of a single draft document. In 
fulfillment of its statutory requirements under CEPA, CCEDA has worked 
to prepare a draft EIE/EIS for the Project, while concurrently 
assisting the City in ensuring that the combined EIE/EIS document 
fulfills NEPA requirements. While the NEPA and CEPA processes were 
running concurrently to an extent, the state EIE process has been 
completed prior to the federal EIS process, based in part on the 
separate timeframes imposed by the respective statutes.
    Independently justified activities covered by the state EIE which 
do not limit or prejudice the choice of reasonable alternatives for the 
federal activities (including issuance of air rights over the Grove 
Street ramps) were initiated upon completion of the EIE process set 
forth in Public Act 00-140. Federal elements of the overall Project 
will not be initiated until after the EIS process is completed.
    The original notice of intent to issue the Draft EIS (DEIS) was 
published in the Federal Register on April 1, 1999 (64 FR 15778) and a 
notice of availability of the DEIS was published in the Federal 
Register on February 13, 2001 (66 FR 10034). After the publication of 
the DEIS, the Residential/Entertainment/Retail Component of the 
Recommended Alternative as defined in the DEIS was revisited. This

[[Page 61243]]

Component, to be built in phases, was revised and currently consists of 
approximately 248,840 SF of retail space, including specialty shops, 
restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, cinemas, and other entertainment 
venues; 200 to 267 units of residential rental units; and 1,384-car 
parking garage in Phase I. The Entertainment/Retail Phase I Component 
is now being referred to as Meeting House Square. The amount of 
Entertainment/Retail space remains roughly the same as under the DEIS 
scenario. Likewise, the number of parking spaces associated with the 
parking garages is similar. The elimination of the Office Space from 
the DEIS scenario will revise the result of the Secondary Impact 
Analysis presented in the Final EIS.
    The Final EIS covers the following subjects: traffic and parking 
impacts, land uses, socioeconomics, historic and archeological 
resources, air quality, noise, visual and aesthetic character, 
terrestrial ecology, wildlife, fisheries, water resources (including 
water quality, stormwater runoff, wells, and aquifers), floodplains, 
wetlands, water body modifications, environmental site assessment, 
threatened and endangered species, considerations relating to 
pedestrians and bicyclists, construction and engineering 
considerations, utilities, energy consumption, secondary and cumulative 
impacts. The Final EIS discusses alternatives and the proposed 
mitigation measures to address environmental impacts of the Project.
    Questions may be directed to the individual named above under the 
heading For Further Information Contact.

    Dated: September 23, 2002.
Donna M. Abbenante,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 02-24618 Filed 9-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4491-08-P

 
 

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