80 FR 10159 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Alcatraz Ferry Embarkation Plan, San Francisco County, California.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 37 (February 25, 2015)

The National Park Service (NPS) has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Alcatraz Ferry Embarkation project. The project would establish a new, long-term ferry embarkation site for passenger service between the northern San Francisco waterfront and Alcatraz Island. It would also establish occasional special ferry service between the selected Alcatraz ferry embarkation site and the existing Fort Baker pier, as well as between Fort Mason and other destinations in San Francisco Bay.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 37 (Wednesday, February 25, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10159-10161]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-03847]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-PWR-PWRO-17253; PX.PD077160I.00.4]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Alcatraz Ferry 
Embarkation Plan, San Francisco County, California.

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) has prepared a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Alcatraz Ferry 
Embarkation project. The project would establish a new, long-term ferry 
embarkation site for passenger service between the northern San 
Francisco waterfront and Alcatraz Island. It would also establish 
occasional special ferry service between the selected Alcatraz ferry 
embarkation site and the existing Fort Baker pier, as well as between 
Fort Mason and other destinations in San Francisco Bay.

DATES: All comments must be postmarked or transmitted not later than 90 
days from the date of publication in the Federal Register of the 
Environmental Protection Agency's notice of filing and release of the 
DEIS. Upon confirmation of this date, we will notify all entities on 
the project mailing list, and public announcements about the DEIS 
review period will be posted on the project Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ALCAembarkation) and distributed via local and 
regional press media.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact the Golden Gate 
National Recreation Area Planning Division at (415) 561-4930 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose and need for the project is 
driven by the following factors: (1) Alcatraz Island ferry service has 
been subject to location changes every 10 years, which has led to 
visitor confusion, community concerns, and inconsistency in visitor 
support services. The site and associated connections should be a 
consistent feature for visitors to Golden Gate National Recreation Area 
(GGNRA). (2)

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The ability to make improvements at the existing site is constrained by 
lease provisions between the Port of San Francisco and the 
concessioner. The site should allow for efficiency in making facility 
improvements when necessary and for consistency in projecting facility 
costs. (3) Condition of existing facilities constrains and negatively 
affects NPS and the concessioner's abilities to create a quality 
visitor experience. The site and associated facilities should serve as 
a gateway to GGNRA, reflecting the NPS's identity and providing a 
quality experience for recreational visitors. (4) The current facility 
has insufficient space to appropriately orient visitors to Alcatraz 
Island or provide information to the many visitors who are unable to 
visit the island. The site should provide the space, circulation, and 
interpretive materials to appropriately and effectively orient 
recreational visitors to Alcatraz Island and GGNRA. (5) There is 
currently very limited opportunity to provide cross-bay ferry service 
to other GGNRA areas.
    Key project objectives include: (1) Establish a long-term (50 years 
or more) primary location that is economically feasible and 
sustainable, and enables substantial reinvestment in Alcatraz Island 
and other park facilities and visitor programs; (2) provide visitor 
access to Alcatraz Island that is compatible with nearby land uses, 
including neighborhoods, businesses, and transportation services; (3) 
accommodate the critical facilities and programs needed for the safety 
and comfort of visitors and staff, and provide for efficient ferry 
operations; (4) locate within a reasonable crossing time from Alcatraz 
Island and meet specific basic program element requirements for 
logistics; (5) provide an identifiable area for a quality welcome, 
orientation, and interpretation of the natural, cultural, scenic, and 
recreational resources of Alcatraz Island, other GGNRA system 
parklands, and the larger national park system; and (6) provide 
facilities for expanded ferry service to accommodate existing and 
future visitor demand for travel to Alcatraz Island and other GGNRA 
sites and NPS units.
    Alternatives: The DEIS describes and analyzes the following four 
alternatives:
    No Action Alternative: Ferry service to Alcatraz Island would 
continue from Pier 31\1/2\, controlled by the Port of San Francisco, 
with no changes to management or site operations and infrastructure. 
This alternative serves as the environmental baseline from which 
potential effects of the three ``action'' alternatives were compared.
    Pier 31\1/2\ Alternative: Retrofit existing structures (parts of 
piers 31, 33 and associated bulkhead buildings) and establish long-term 
ferry service and embarkation site operations at Pier 31\1/2\ along the 
Embarcadero. A third berth would be constructed to support ferry travel 
to other GGNRA sites. This has been determined to be the 
``environmentally preferred'' alternative.
    Pier 41 Alternative: Retrofit and expand existing structures and 
establish long-term ferry service and embarkation site operations at 
Pier 41, controlled by the Port of San Francisco in Fisherman's Wharf. 
A third berth would be constructed to support ferry travel to other 
GGNRA sites.
    Pier 3 Alternative: Retrofit existing structures and establish a 
long-term embarkation site at Pier 3 in Fort Mason, a federal property 
managed by GGNRA. A third berth between Piers 1 and 2 would also be 
constructed.
    All action alternatives analyzed in the DEIS would also provide the 
aforementioned occasional, special ferry service operated to/from Fort 
Baker and to/from Fort Mason. At this time, the ``Preferred 
Alternative'' has not been identified. Determination of which 
alternative is preferred will be informed by public comment on the DEIS 
and the outcome of ongoing discussions with the Port which may affect 
cost and logistics at the potential Port sites--Piers 31\1/2\ and 41. 
The ``Preferred Alternative'' will be identified in the Final EIS.
    Public Involvement: The Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS was 
published in the Federal Register on June 1, 2012. Two public meetings 
were held; on June 26, 2012, at Fort Mason in San Francisco, and on 
June 28, 2012, in Sausalito. Both meetings presented information about 
the purpose, need, and objectives of the project and concepts for 
possible alternatives in an open-house format. The primary goal of 
these meetings was to solicit public input on the preliminary 
alternatives. A summary of all comments received during the initial 60-
day scoping period was documented by the Park Service in a report 
titled ``Public Scoping Comment Summary.'' Comments from these 
meetings, as well from additional stakeholder and agency outreach 
meetings and subsequent internal planning workshops, were used to 
further refine the alternatives and identify the key topics to be 
addressed in the DEIS.
    In preparing the DEIS, the NPS consulted with elected officials in 
San Francisco and Sausalito, representatives of the Port of San 
Francisco, the Fort Mason Center, the State Office of Historic 
Preservation, and numerous other stakeholders, among them neighborhood 
associations, ferry boat operators and Native American tribes. The NPS 
completed over a dozen working papers and reports for this DEIS, 
including a feasibility analysis, visitor flow survey report, wind-wave 
analysis, value analysis report, and transportation and circulation 
study.
    During the public review and comment period, visits to alternative 
sites will be offered and a public meeting will be conducted in San 
Francisco. The date, time, and location of the meeting and site visits 
will be publicized through local and regional news media, via the 
project Web site (http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ALCAembarkation), and 
email to the park mailing list. Interested individuals, organizations, 
and agencies are invited to attend this meeting to discuss the DEIS 
with the planning team and/or provide written comments.
    Copies of the DEIS (printed and electronic) will be distributed to 
congressional delegations, state and local elected officials, federal 
and state agencies, tribes, organizations, local businesses, public 
libraries, and the news media. Printed copies (in limited quantity) and 
CDs will be supplied in response to email, phone or mail requests. 
Printed copies will be available at public libraries in San Francisco 
and Sausalito.
    How to Comment: Written comments may be transmitted electronically 
through the project Web site (noted above). If preferred, comments may 
be mailed to the General Superintendent, GGNRA, Attn: Alcatraz Ferry 
Embarkation DEIS, Fort Mason, Building 201, San Francisco, CA, 94123. 
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Decision Process: All comments received on the DEIS will be duly 
considered in preparing the Final EIS, which is expected to be 
available in late 2015. Availability of the Final EIS will be announced 
in the Federal Register, as well as through regional and local press 
media and park Web site postings. A Record of Decision will be prepared 
not sooner than 30 days after release of the Final EIS. As a delegated 
EIS, the NPS official responsible for approval of the project is the 
Regional Director, Pacific West Region. The official

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responsible for project implementation is the Superintendent, Golden 
Gate National Recreation Area.

    Dated: January 29, 2015.
Christine S. Lehnertz,
Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-03847 Filed 2-24-15; 8:45 am]
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