NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF DRAFT EIS
AND PUBLIC HEARING
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Housing Privatization
Phase II at Hickam Air Force Base and Bellows Air Force Station,
Oahu, Hawaii (Including Privatization of Historic Housing in Districts
Eligible for Inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places)
The United States Air Force (Air Force), as Lead Agency, is issuing this Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that assesses the potential environmental impacts of the privatization of the second phase of military family housing on Hickam Air Force Base (AFB) and Bellows Air Force Station (AFS), Oahu, Hawaii.
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United States Code 4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), and Air Forces Environmental Impact Analysis Process as implemented by 32 CFR Part 989, the Air Force has prepared a Draft EIS for Housing Privatization Phase II at Hickam AFB and Bellows AFS (Including Privatization of Housing in Historic Districts Eligible for Inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places). The Air Force proposes to transfer up to 1,330 housing units on Hickam AFB and Bellows AFS, and associated facilities (e.g., sidewalks and roads), to a Selected Offeror (SO) and implement a long-term lease to the SO for up to 361 acres of land associated with the housing units. The Draft EIS evaluates three alternatives:
(1) The No Action Alternative.
(2) Alternative 1: Lease of approximately 361 acres of land to the SO for 50 years. Privatization of the remaining 1,330 Government-owned military housing units on Hickam AFB, which includes 623 historic housing units in the Hickam Historic District; the deletion (demolition, removal from the site, redesignation as non-residential units, or a combination of these three sub-alternatives) of 31 of the 33 historic homes from the housing inventory in the Fort Kamehameha Historic District; and the privatization of six family housing units on Bellows AFS.
(3) Alternative 2: Lease of approximately 335.25 acres of land to the SO for 50 years. Privatization of 1,297 of the remaining 1,330 Government-owned military housing units on Hickam AFB, which includes 623 historic housing units in the Hickam Historic District; excludes 33 historic homes that remain under government control in the Fort Kamehameha Historic District; and privatizes six family housing units on Bellows AFS.
A copy of the Draft EIS is available at: the Hawaii State Library (Main); Salt Lake/Moanalua Public Library; University of Hawaii, Manoa, Hamilton Library; and, Waimanalo Public & School Library. The Draft EIS is also available online at www.HickamHousingPvtz2.com.
The Air Force will conduct a Public Hearing from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2006, at the Ala Moana Hotel, 410 Atkinson Drive, Honolulu. The public is invited to attend this public hearing to obtain information and provide comments on the findings of the Draft EIS.
Written comments should be addressed to: Mr. Ron Lanier, Chief, Environmental Flight, 15 CES/CEV, 75 H Street, Hickam AFB, HI 96853-5233.
The public comment period for the Draft EIS will close on June 7, 2006. All comments received at the meeting, and all written comments postmarked by June 7, 2006 will be considered in preparing the Final EIS.
(SB05522474 4/21, 4/22, 4/23/06)
