SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Meetings

No prior registration is required to speak at the meetings. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request to the contact individual noted above.

Draft EIS

NCPC, acting as lead federal agency, along with SI, as the project owner, and in cooperation with the National Park Service, has prepared the DEIS to evaluate potential environmental impacts associated with implementing the South Mall Campus Master Plan. The DEIS has been prepared in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA). SI proposes to prepare a Master Plan for its South Mall Campus to guide future short-term and long-term renovation and development of the 12-acre campus by establishing holistic planning and design principles. The campus currently includes five principle buildings and four designed gardens, located on the southern side of the National Mall within the monumental core of downtown Washington, DC. The Master Plan would be implemented over a 20 to 30 year period. The purpose of the Master Plan is to guide future short-term and long-term renovation of the South Mall Campus. The Master Plan is needed to meet SI's long-term space requirements, and to address operational deficiencies across the campus that impact visitor use and experience, as well as SI's ability to implement its programs effectively and safely. The project goals are to preserve and protect the historic buildings and features of the campus, improve and expand visitor services and education, create clear accessible entrances and connections between the museums, gardens and surrounding context, and replace aging and inefficient building systems in order to better protect collections and decrease SI's carbon footprint. The DEIS evaluates three master plan action alternatives, along with a no-action alternative.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4371-4375; 1 CFR 602.23(c).

82 FR 52943