83 FR 64431 - Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the West Los Angeles Medical Center Campus Draft Master Plan

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 240 (December 14, 2018)

VA announces the availability of the draft PEIS for the VA West Los Angeles Medical Center Campus (WLA) draft Master Plan for public comment. The draft PEIS identifies, analyzes, and documents the potential environmental, cultural, socioeconomic, and cumulative impacts of the proposed improvements and alternatives for redevelopment as set forth in the WLA draft Master Plan.

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 240 (Friday, December 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64431-64432]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-27126]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement (PEIS) for the West Los Angeles Medical Center Campus 
Draft Master Plan

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: VA announces the availability of the draft PEIS for the VA 
West Los Angeles Medical Center Campus (WLA) draft Master Plan for 
public comment. The draft PEIS identifies, analyzes, and documents the 
potential environmental, cultural, socioeconomic, and cumulative 
impacts of the proposed improvements and alternatives for redevelopment 
as set forth in the WLA draft Master Plan.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments in writing on 
the WLA draft PEIS by January 29, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through http://www.regulations.gov; by mail or hand delivery to the Director, Office 
of Regulation Policy and Management (00REG), Department of Veterans 
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Room 1063B, Washington DC 20420; or by 
fax to 202-273-9026. Comments should indicate that they are submitted 
in response to ``Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the West Los Angeles Medical 
Center Campus Draft Master Plan''. During the comment period, comments 
may also be viewed online through the Federal Docket Management System 
at www.regulations.gov. The draft PEIS and other draft Master Plan 
documentation is available for viewing on the website 
www.losangeles.va.gov/masterplan/. Copies of the draft PEIS are also 
available at the following locations:
     Los Angeles City Hall, 200 N Spring Street, Los Angeles, 
CA 90012, (213) 473-3231.
     Donald Bruce Kaufman: Brentwood Branch Library, 11820 San 
Vicente Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90049, (310) 575-8273.
     West Los Angeles Regional Library, 11360 Santa Monica 
Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025, (310) 575-8323.
     Westwood Branch Library, 1246 Glendon Avenue, Los Angeles, 
CA 90024, (310) 474-1739.
     VA GLAHS WLA Medical Center: 11301 Wilshire Boulevard, Los 
Angeles, CA 90073, Building 500/Room 6429K.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: WLA draft PEIS team, VA Greater Los 
Angeles Healthcare System, at the address above, or by email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The draft PEIS was developed pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United 
States Code (U.S.C.) Sec.  4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental 
Quality's (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural provisions 
of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 1500-1508), and 
VA's NEPA regulations titled ``Environmental Effects of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs Actions'' (38 CFR part 26). The draft PEIS uses the 
substitution approach for integrating compliance with Section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act into the NEPA process in 
accordance with Sec.  36 CFR 800.8(c), and in keeping with the joint 
CEQ-Advisory Council on Historic Preservation guidance on how to use 
NEPA in lieu of the procedures set forth in Sec.  36 CFR Part 800.
    WLA is one of the largest medical center campuses in the VA system, 
providing a full range of medical services to eligible Veterans, 
including state-of-the-art hospital and outpatient care, 
rehabilitation, residential care, reintegration services, and long-term 
care. The draft Master Plan released on January 28, 2016, evaluates 
potential ways to reconfigure and redevelop the existing WLA Campus and 
provide additional housing to homeless Veterans to better serve the 
health care needs and distribution of Veterans in the GLAHS service 
area over the next 20 to 30 years. VA has prepared this draft PEIS to 
identify, analyze, and document the potential environmental, cultural, 
socioeconomic, and cumulative impacts of the proposed improvements and 
alternatives for redevelopment of the WLA Campus as set forth in the 
draft Master Plan. The proposed improvements and redevelopment 
constitute the proposed action.
    The purpose of VA's proposed action is to revitalize the WLA Campus 
to provide a safe and vibrant Veteran-centric community where Veterans 
in the Greater Los Angeles area can access improved and expanded 
services. The proposed action is needed because the existing campus 
infrastructure is not sufficient to serve the current and future needs 
of the regional Veteran population, including health care, homeless 
housing, and supportive services. It would involve multiple concurrent 
and/or subsequent revitalization projects. The projects would provide 
modernized facilities that are compliant with applicable seismic, 
accessibility, and life safety requirements; facilitate access to care 
by consolidating services and functions; and respond to the housing and 
support needs of vulnerable Veterans populations, including Veterans 
who are homeless, aging, female, or have significant medical needs. 
Following a public scoping process from May 19, 2017, to June 30, 2017, 
VA refined its originally proposed alternatives to be analyzed in the 
PEIS to the following:
     Alternative A: Renovation of select existing buildings for 
same or new functions; up to 821 new units of supportive housing for 
homeless Veterans created.
     Alternative B: Demolition of select existing buildings and 
relocation of existing tenants and services to other remaining 
buildings; no new units of supportive housing for homeless Veterans 
created.
     Alternative C: Demolition and replacement of select 
existing buildings and additional construction of new buildings on open 
land; up to 1,622 new units of supportive housing for homeless Veterans 
created.
     Alternative D: Renovation or demolition/replacement of 
select existing buildings and additional construction of new buildings 
on open land; up to 1,622 new units of supportive housing for homeless 
Veterans created.
     Alternative E: No action or the ``status quo'' 
alternative.
    Environmental topics that have been addressed in the draft PEIS 
include the following: Aesthetics; air quality; cultural resources 
including historic properties; geology and soils; hydrology and water 
quality; wildlife and habitat; noise and vibration; land use; 
floodplains, wetlands, and coastal zone; socioeconomics; community 
services; solid waste and hazardous materials;

[[Page 64432]]

transportation and parking; utilities; and environmental justice. 
Cumulative impacts resulting from VA's proposed action and other 
concurrent projects, such as, but not limited to, LA Metro's Purple 
Line Extension Project, are also identified and analyzed. Relevant and 
reasonable mitigation measures that could alleviate environmental 
effects have been considered and are included where relevant within the 
draft PEIS.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert L. 
Wilkie, Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on December 7, 2018, for publication.

    Dated: December 7, 2018.
Luvenia Potts,
Program Specialist, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, Office of 
the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-27126 Filed 12-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P