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[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 52943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-24650]

[[Page 52943]]

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NATIONAL CAPITAL PLANNING COMMISSION

Draft Environmental Impact Statement--South Mall Campus Master 
Plan

AGENCY: National Capital Planning Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment; notice of public 
meetings.

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SUMMARY: The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC or Commission) 
has released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the 
Smithsonian Institution's (SI) South Mall Campus Master Plan. The DEIS 
is available for comment as of the date of this notice.

DATES: Submit comments on or before by January 16, 2018. Two public 
meetings will be held to discuss the DEIS:
    1. Monday, December 11, 2017, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.; and
    2. Monday, December 18, 2017, from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held at the National Capital 
Planning Commission, 401 9th Street NW., Suite 500, Washington, DC 
20004.
    A copy of the DEIS is available for review at NCPC, or at: https://www.ncpc.gov/ and http://www.southmallcampus.si.edu/
    You may submit written comments on the DEIS by either of the 
methods listed below.
    1. U.S. mail, courier, or hand delivery: Urban Design & Plan Review 
Division/National Capital Planning Commission, 401 9th Street NW., 
Suite 500, Washington, DC 20004.
    2. Electronically: [email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Flis, Senior Urban Designer at 
(202) 482-7236 or [email protected].

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).

    Dated: November 8, 2017.
Anne R. Schuyler,
General Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2017-24650 Filed 11-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7520-01-P
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