General Services Administration and Department of Homeland Security THE DHS HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION AT ST. ELIZABETHS DRAFT SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT WASHINGTON, DC MAY 2020 DRAFT DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS CONSOLIDATION AT ST. ELIZABETHS MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT 2 SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT PREPARED BY: U.S. General Services Administration National Capital Region IN COOPERATION WITH: Department of Homeland Security National Capital Planning Commission District of Columbia Department of Transportation May 8, 2020 This page intentionally left blank. Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Department Of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Master Plan Amendment 2 Responsible Agency: U.S. General Services Administration National Capital Region 1800 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20407 In Cooperation With: Department of Homeland Security National Capital Planning Commission District of Columbia Department of Transportation The U.S. General Services Administration is studying the impacts resulting from implementation of the proposed amendment (Master Plan Amendment 2) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters Consolidation Master Plan in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. Master Plan Amendment 2 re-evaluates development on the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Southeast Washington, DC, to accommodate 4.1 million gross square feet (gsf) of secure office and shared-use space, and 1.6 million gsf of associated parking. This Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement evaluates the No Action Alternative and two Action Alternatives. Questions or comments on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement should be addressed to: Attention: Mr. Paul Gyamfi Office of Planning and Design Quality Public Buildings Service – National Capital Region U.S. General Services Administration 1800 F Street, NW, Room 4400 Washington, DC 20407 [email protected] If you wish to comment on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, you may submit comments electronically or directly by mail. Comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS must be postmarked or sent electronically by July 2, 2020. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made public at any time. While you may request in your comment that your personal identifying information be withheld from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. This page intentionally left blank. DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Master Plan Amendment 2 Executive Summary INTRODUCTION The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) prepared this Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess impacts of the proposed amendment (Master Plan Amendment 2) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters Consolidation Master Plan (Master Plan) at St. Elizabeths in Southeast Washington, DC. The No Action alternative and the proposed action alternatives at the St. Elizabeths West Campus are studied in detail in the Draft Supplemental EIS. The Draft Supplemental EIS has been prepared pursuant to: • The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) • Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations to implement NEPA contained in Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 1500 to 1508 • GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide The original Master Plan was completed in December 2008 and called for DHS Headquarters components to be co-located in 4.5 million gross square feet (gsf) of office and ancillary space along with 1.5 million gsf of associated parking on the St. Elizabeths West and East Campuses in Southeast Washington, DC (GSA, 2008a). The Master Plan was amended in 2012 (Master Plan Amendment 1) to specify the development of 750,000 gsf of the 4.5 million gsf office space, plus associated parking, on the St. Elizabeths East Campus (East Campus) North Parcel to house the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (GSA, 2012b). Master Plan Amendment 2 eliminates development on the East Campus and re-evaluates development on the St. Elizabeths West Campus (West Campus) to accommodate 4.1 million gsf of secure office and shared-use space, and 1.6 million gsf of associated parking on the West Campus only. ES.1 PURPOSE AND NEED The GSA has prepared this Draft Supplemental EIS to assess impacts of the proposed Master Plan Amendment 2 to the Master Plan) (GSA, 2008a; GSA, 2012). The proposed Master Plan Amendment 2 eliminates development on the East Campus and re-evaluates development on the West Campus to accommodate 4.1 million gsf of secure office and shared-use space, and 1.6 million gsf of associated parking on the West Campus only. Draft Supplemental EIS i May 2020 DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Master Plan Amendment 2 As this document is a supplement to the Master Plan Amendment 1 EIS (2012 EIS), it focuses on the impacts of building on the plateau site of the West Campus as well as impacts of constructing a facility on the Sweetgum Lane site on the western side of the West Campus as shown in Figure 1-1. This Draft Supplemental EIS does not include impacts from site-specific actions already included in the 2008 Record of Decision (ROD) for the 2008 Final EIS on the St. Elizabeths Campus Master Plan for the Consolidated Headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security (2008 EIS). GSA’s purpose for this proposed action is to support the continued consolidation of the DHS Headquarters offices at the West Campus. The proposed action is needed for efficiency, to reflect the current condition of the historic buildings, to reduce costs, and to accelerate completion of the DHS consolidation. ES.2 ALTERNATIVES GSA has developed alternatives to construct 1.2 million gsf of secure office space on the plateau site, and 175,000 gsf of secure office space on the Sweetgum Lane site. The alternative development process resulted in the following alternatives being studied in detail in the Draft Supplemental EIS. ES.2.1 No Action Alternative No Action—GSA would develop the West Campus as described in the Master Plan as approved by NCPC on January 8, 2009. This would provide for the following on St. Elizabeths: • Development of 1,141,133 gsf of office and related space on the plateau site • No development on the Sweetgum Lane site • Parking at a ratio of one space for every four employees (1:4) resulting in 1.3 million gsf of parking above and below grade The development of office space and parking on the North Parcel of the East Campus, originally included in Master Plan Amendment 1, is no longer feasible and not part of the No Action Alternative. ES.2.2 Action Alternatives Alternative A—GSA would develop the plateau and Sweetgum Lane sites on the West Campus as follows: • 1.2 million gsf of secure office space within the plateau site organized into three separate office structures • 175,000 gsf of office space on the Sweetgum Lane site Draft Supplemental EIS ii May 2020 DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Master Plan Amendment 2 Alternative B—GSA would develop the plateau and Sweetgum Lane sites on the West Campus as follows: • 1.2 million gsf of secure office space within the plateau site in two separate office structures with enclosed courtyards • 175,000 gsf of office space on the Sweetgum Lane site Alternative A and Alternative B would each include the following improvements: • An additional 1,014 employee parking spaces on the West Campus resulting in a 1:4 parking ratio • Sidewalk along streets and walkways between buildings • Specific improvements to the ravine including enhanced pedestrian connections and landscaping • Engineering for stabilization of steep slopes including building foundations • Realignment of site drainages and landscaping in response to building design • Shuttle bus drop-off locations • Shipping/receiving areas for buildings • Electric power, communications, and utility corridors designed for buildings and site improvements • Stormwater management controls ES.3 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES Potential direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with each of the alternatives are assessed in this Draft Supplemental EIS. A comparison of these impacts for each alternative is provided below. Detailed information on impacts is located in Chapter 4, Environmental Consequences. Draft Supplemental EIS iii May 2020 DHS Headquarters Consolidation at St. Elizabeths Master Plan Amendment 2 Issue No Action Alternative Alternatives A and B Natural Resources • No impacts to geology • No impacts to geology • Direct, long-term, negligible, adverse • Direct, long-term, minor adverse impacts to impacts to topography from grading topography and construction activities • Direct and indirect, long-term, minor, • Direct, long-term, minor, adverse adverse impacts from the removal of soils impact from removal of soils • Disturbance of 1 acre of soil by demolition • Total soil disturbance of 6 acres • Total soil disturbance from construction of • Direct, long-term, negligible adverse 8 acres under Alternative A and 9 acres impact from soil erosion under Alternative B Geology, • • Direct, long-term, moderate, adverse Topography, No indirect impact to geology and impacts due to soil erosion and risk of slope and Soils topography failure (Section 4.2.1) • Indirect, minor, adverse impact from soil erosion • No indirect