83 FR 39753 - Notice of Availability and Announcement of Meeting for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, San Diego, California

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 155 (August 10, 2018)

This notice announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which examines the potential impacts of a proposal by the General Services Administration (GSA) to modernize and expand the existing Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) located at the United States (U.S.)-Mexico border in the City of San Diego community of Otay Mesa, in San Diego County, California. The DEIS describes the reason the project is being proposed, the alternatives being considered, the potential impacts of each of the alternatives on the existing environment, and avoidance, minimization, and/or mitigation measures. As the lead agency in this undertaking, GSA is acting on behalf of its major tenant at this facility, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 155 (Friday, August 10, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39753-39754]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-17211]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2018-06; Docket No. 2018-0002; Sequence No. 18]


Notice of Availability and Announcement of Meeting for the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, San 
Diego, California

AGENCY: Public Building Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Notice of availability; announcement of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which examines the potential 
impacts of a proposal by the General Services Administration (GSA) to 
modernize and expand the existing Otay Mesa Land Port of Entry (LPOE) 
located at the United States (U.S.)-Mexico border in the City of San 
Diego community of Otay Mesa, in San Diego County, California. The DEIS 
describes the reason the project is being proposed, the alternatives 
being considered, the potential impacts of each of the alternatives on 
the existing environment, and avoidance, minimization, and/or 
mitigation measures.
    As the lead agency in this undertaking, GSA is acting on behalf of 
its major tenant at this facility, the Department of Homeland 
Security's (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

DATES: A public meeting for the DEIS will be held on Thursday, August 
9th, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Pacific Time (PT). Interested 
parties are encouraged to attend and provide written comments on the 
DEIS. The comment period for the DEIS ends Friday, August 31, 2018. 
After this date, GSA will prepare the Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn Express and 
Suites San Diego, 2296 Niels Bohr Court, San Diego, CA, 92154, 
telephone 619-710-0900.
    Further information, including an electronic copy of the DEIS, may 
be found online on the following website: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/
regions/

[[Page 39754]]

welcome-to-the-pacific-rim-region-9/land-ports-of-entry/otay-mesa-land-
port-of-entry. Questions or comments concerning the DEIS should be 
directed to: Osmahn Kadri, NEPA Project Manager, 50 United Nations 
Plaza, 3345, Mailbox #9, San Francisco, CA, 94102, or via email to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Osmahn A. Kadri, NEPA Project Manager, 
GSA, at 415-522-3617. Please also call this number if special 
assistance is needed to attend and participate in the public meeting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Otay Mesa LPOE is located approximately 17 miles southeast of 
downtown San Diego, just north of the U.S. border and the Baja 
California Peninsula of Mexico. When it was constructed in 1983, its 
primary purpose was to divert growing commercial truck traffic from the 
increasingly busy San Ysidro LPOE to the west, at the southern terminus 
of Interstate 5. The Otay Mesa LPOE processes commercial and privately-
owned vehicle and pedestrian traffic. Since the LPOE opened, vehicle 
and pedestrian traffic and the population and general development in 
the area have grown. It is now one of the ten busiest land ports in the 
country and is the busiest commercial port on the California-Mexico 
border, processing the second highest volume of trucks, and third 
highest dollar volume of trade among all U.S.-Mexico LPOEs. Ever-
increasing traffic loads and new security initiatives require increased 
capacity and new inspection technology to be installed and implemented 
at existing facilities.
    The Project's purpose is to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, 
security and safety at the existing Otay Mesa LPOE. The Project's need, 
or the need to which the GSA is responding, is to increase the LPOE's 
capacity due to increased demand, and to address public and employee 
safety and border security concerns.
    The DEIS considers two ``action'' alternatives and one ``no 
action'' alternative. The Preferred Alternative would include the 
development of an approximately 10-acre GSA-owned plot of land to the 
immediate east of the existing commercial import lot. The new lot would 
be used to construct commercial inspection buildings and additional 
commercial import lanes. It would also include improvements to existing 
pedestrian lanes and personal vehicle inspection lanes; relocation of 
personnel currently housed in the Pedestrian, Commercial Import and 
Commercial Export buildings; renovation of existing facilities 
throughout the Otay Mesa LPOE; and demolition of facilities that would 
no longer be needed would also occur. New construction would include 
commercial import and exit booths, six additional pedestrian lanes in 
the Pedestrian Building, a Commercial Annex Building (CAB), a return-
to-Mexico lane for commercial traffic, a pedestrian ramp and parking 
areas for the new commercial lot. Building renovations would include 
the installation of energy conservation measures and water conservation 
measures across the Otay Mesa LPOE, the correction of deficiencies 
throughout existing facilities (e.g., updating security systems, 
updating HVAC systems, improving lighting and repaving old asphalt 
surfaces), and refurbishing the interiors of the pedestrian, commercial 
import and commercial export buildings including repainting and 
replacing flooring.
    The Reduced Build Alternative would include many of the same 
activities as under the Preferred Alternative; however, the overall 
activity level would be lower. Notably, no new construction would occur 
on the 10-acre GSA-owned plot of land, and the Commercial Annex 
Building would not be constructed; instead, the plot of land would be 
paved and used as additional space for the commercial vehicle 
inspection booths which would be reconfigured to increase traffic flow. 
Renovation of existing facilities would still occur, but activities 
would be limited to updating security and HVAC systems and repainting 
interiors.
    The No Action alternative assumes that modernization and expansion 
of the existing LPOE would not occur and that a new facility would not 
be constructed adjacent to the existing LPOE. The LPOE would continue 
to operate under current conditions.

Public Meeting

    The meeting will be conducted in an open house format, where 
project information will be presented and distributed. Comments must be 
received by August 31, 2018, and emailed to [email protected] or 
sent to the address listed above.

    Dated: August 2, 2018.
Matthew Jear,
Director, Portfolio Management Division, Pacific Rim Region, Public 
Buildings Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-17211 Filed 8-9-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6820-YF-P