Federal Railroad Administration November 9, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FRA is issuing this notice to advise the public that it will jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) with the New York State Urban Development Corporation d/b/a Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) to assess the proposed Expanded Moynihan/Penn Station Redevelopment Project (the project) in New York City. The project is a comprehensive public/private development initiative to adaptively reuse the historic James A. Farley Building and the Western Annex (collectively referred to as the Farley Complex) as a new train station (Moynihan West) and relocated Madison Square Garden, to reconstruct critical station and circulation elements at the existing Pennsylvania Station (Penn Station) referred to herein as Moynihan East, and to implement transit-oriented private development. FRA is issuing this notice to solicit public and agency input into the development of the scope of the EIS and to advise the public that outreach activities conducted by ESDC and its representatives will be considered in the preparation of the EIS. The EIS will be prepared in accordance the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the applicable regulations implementing NEPA as set forth in 40 CFR 1500-1508, FRA's Procedures for Considering Environmental Impacts found at 64 FR 28545 (May 26, 1999), and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) and its implementing regulations found at 6 New York Code of Rules and Regulations Part 617. The EIS will also address as necessary Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966 (49 U.S.C. 303) (DOT Act) and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The EIS will evaluate a ``Preferred Alternative,'' a ``No Action Alternative'' and various build alternatives that modify elements of the Preferred Alternative. There are two options under consideration for the Preferred Alternative. Under either of these options, the development of the Project would occur at the Farley Complex (Block 755) owned by ESDC and bounded by Ninth Avenue to the west, Eighth Avenue to the east, West 31st Street to the south and West 33rd Street to the north; the Penn Station Block (Block 781) bounded by Eighth Avenue to the west, Seventh Avenue to the east, West 31st Street to the south and West 33rd Street to the north; the Railroad Service Building (Block 780, Lot 60) located mid-block on West 31st Street across the street from Penn Station; the eastern and western portions of the One Penn Plaza Block (Block 783) bounded by Eighth and Seventh Avenues and West 33rd to West 34th Streets; and the United States Postal Service (USPS) Morgan Facility and Annex located on two full blocks (Blocks 726 and 727) bounded by Tenth Avenue to the west, Ninth Avenue to the east and between West 28th and West 30th Streets ESDC may also acquire properties on one or more blocks immediately adjacent to the Penn Station Block to facilitate the construction of a loading dock and other support facilities for Moynihan Station, and to otherwise further the goals of the project. In addition, under one of the two options being considered, the City of New York would establish a new zoning subdistrict (the Subdistrict Option). This Subdistrict Option would allow development rights from the Penn Station Block to be transferred under certain specified conditions to receiving sites located within the subdistrict and at prescribed maximum floor areas. It is anticipated that the boundaries of the proposed subdistrict would include approximately 20 city blocks surrounding the Penn Station Block, extending as far south as West 28th Street, as far north as West 36th Street, as far east as within 200 feet west of Fifth Avenue, and as far west as 200 feet west of Ninth Avenue. In a related zoning action to be examined in the EIS, the City, in connection with the Subdistrict Option only, has proposed to change the underlying zoning classifications for a number of lots or blocks within the proposed subdistrict from manufacturing and commercial uses (M1-5, M1-6, C6-3X, C6-4X and C6-4M) to C6-4. This zoning change, if adopted by the City, would allow residential uses in certain areas where such uses are not currently permitted by zoning.