Public Information Session

for the Proposed Construction of a New

Federal Courthouse Des Moines, Iowa

Draft Environmental Assessment

(EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

July 17, 2017

Please note that both audio and video

recordings may be made for the duration of the meeting.

Karla Carmichael

Regional Environmental Quality Advisor (REQA)

General Services Administration 819 Taylor Street

Fort Worth, Texas 76102 karla.carmichael@gsa.gov

.

Meeting Format • Findings of the Draft Environmental Assessment

Purpose and Need

Proposed Action and Alternatives

Relevant Issues

Anticipated Impacts

• Opportunity to Provide Feedback Written: Comment Sheets (Preferred) Email: karla.carmichael@gsa.gov Mail: Karla Carmichael, Regional Environmental Quality Advisor General Services Administration 819 Taylor Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102 Verbal: Each person wishing to speak will be allotted 2 MINUTES. This is not a “Question and Answer” session. Any comments made will be included in the formal project record and addressed (as warranted) in the Final EA.

Please note that a project summary handout (Draft EA Executive Summary and Draft FONSI) and comment sheets are available at the front of the room.

Purpose and Need Purpose • Based on the Long-Range Facility Plan for the U.S. District Courts, Southern District of Iowa, the purpose of the proposed action is to meet the court’s 30-year projected space needs. Why is this necessary? • The existing U.S. Courthouse does not meet the U.S. Courts Design Guide (USCDG) standards and lacks adequate security. • There is no separate access or secure elevators for judicial officers. There is a prisoner sallyport and secured elevator in the existing historic courthouse; however, it only directly accesses half of the courtrooms. • Secured parking is available to only a portion of the courts, in the leased Courthouse Annex, across a parking lot from the historic courthouse. • Due to the inadequate facilities and lack of available expansion space in the existing historic courthouse, several court functions and court-related agencies currently occupy space in the adjacent leased Courthouse Annex. • A new courthouse is necessary to improve the efficiency and security of court operations.

What Alternatives were Considered?

Alternatives Originally Considered: As part of the on-going planning for the needs of the U.S. District Courts, Southern District of Iowa, a multitude of options have been considered by the GSA. These alternatives can be grouped into four categories: •Renovation of the Existing Facility •Renovation and Use of Another Federal Facility/Structure •Leased Space •New Construction Alternatives Eliminated from Further Consideration: •Renovation of the Existing Facility •Renovation and Use of Another Federal Facility/Structure •Leased Space

Alternatives Carried Forward

New Construction was considered to best fulfill the Purpose and Need. Four sites were considered: •Existing Federal Building Courthouse/Annex Site (Existing Courthouse Site) •Former Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) Site (Former YMCA Site) •Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway North Site (North MLK Site) •Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway South Site (South MLK Site) Although the “No Action” alternative does not satisfy the Purpose and Need, it was carried forward as the baseline to which potential impacts of the action alternative could be measured.

Location of Sites Considered

Project Details

Total Authorized Funding: $136,602,000 • Funding includes site acquisition, design, construction, and related expenses Building Size: 229,000 Gross Square Feet •Includes 42 inside parking spaces •Tenant Agencies will include U.S. District Court; Court of Appeals; U.S. Magistrate Court; Probation/Pretrial Services; Bankruptcy; United States Marshals Service; trial preparation space for the Federal Public Defender and U.S. Attorney; and GSA.

Project Team •Design Team: Newmann Monson Architects (Architect of Record) from Des Moines in conjunction with Mack Scoggin Merrill Elam Architects (Lead Designer) from Atlanta •Construction Manager Agency Team: Jacobs Technology from Tullahoma, TN •Construction Manager as Contractor: TBD

Schedule •Design Start: Fall 2017 •Design Complete: Summer 2019 •Construction Start: Spring 2019 •Building Occupancy: Spring 2022

What is NEPA?

•The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States Code [USC] 4321 to 4370d), as implemented by the regulations promulgated by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] §1500-1508) •The principal objectives of NEPA are to ensure the careful consideration of environmental aspects of Proposed Actions in Federal decision-making processes and to make environmental information available to decision makers and the public before decisions are made and actions are taken.

What objectives were used to compare the alternatives?

Guidelines were established as part of the NEPA process in an effort to best compare and contrast alternative ways of fulfilling the overall objectives of the proposed action. The objectives were: - Provide a space/facility that meets the needs of the U.S. District Courts and the community. - Provide a space/facility that satisfies the necessary design criteria. - Provide a space/facility that is located outside the 100-year floodplain, and when possible, outside the 500-year floodplain. The U.S. Courts, in accordance with Executive Order 11988 (and EO 13690 which amended EO 11988) have designated its Federal Courthouse operations as a “Critical Action Category IV Facility.” A “Critical Action” is an action for which even a slight chance of flooding is too great.

- Provide a space/facility solution within the Des Moines Central Business District (CBD) that provides a positive influence on local development/redevelopment.

- Provide a space/facility that allows for increased efficiency between courts and court-related functions.

- Provide the required space/facility, while minimizing disruption of current Judiciary activities.

- Provide a space/facility in close proximity to local amenities and access to available parking and public transportation.

- Provide a space/facility solution away from potential environmental hazards, sources of noise, and one where site/facility development and operation minimizes impacts to the human and natural environment.

- Provide a space/facility that provides for reasonable acquisition, development, and future operational costs.

Relevant Issues

The following issues were identified through scoping and analyzed in the Environmental Assessment. Additional issues may be identified for analysis based on the public involvement conducted as part of the overall NEPA process. A detailed study of the impact of site selection, demolition, construction, and operation has been conducted relative to the following: •Hazardous Materials, Waste, and/or Site Contamination •Socioeconomics (including Environmental Justice and Protection of Children) •Public Services and Utilities •Surface Waters, Groundwater, and Floodplains •Land Use and Zoning •Roads, Traffic, and Parking •Air Quality; Noise and Vibration •Cultural and Historic Resources

EA & FONSI

• A Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) have been prepared and are available for public review and comment.

• The EA is a concise public document that describes the likely environmental consequences of building and operating the proposed new Federal Courthouse under each of the alternative scenarios considered.

• The FONSI is the EA decision document that outlines the determination that the proposed new Federal Courthouse will not have a significant impact on the human and natural environment and identifies the preferred site as a result of the NEPA analysis.

Table ES-1 in your handout provides a summary of the environmental consequences associated with implementing the Proposed Action through the selection of the action alternatives or through selection of the No Action alternative.

Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) One build alternative in particular – Construction of a New Courthouse at the Former

YMCA Site—appears to best fulfill the purpose and need of the project. The site also offers the following benefits over the other alternative site locations considered: • It is the only site that is outside the 100- and 500-year floodplains and, therefore, would not require developing and implementing extensive on- and/or off-site mitigative measures designed to engineer the new Courthouse out of the 500-year floodplain. • It is the only site that would not require a Phase 2 Environmental Site Assessment (and possible mitigation) to identify and characterize potential historical site contamination issues. • It has the closest proximity to existing available parking, public transit, and other facilities, services, and amenities for use by employees and visitors. There is currently insufficient available parking, limited public transportation options, and limited amenities in the vicinity of the North and South MLK sites. • It has no potential archaeological or historic building issues that would likely require additional investigations and/or mitigation.

We Hear You Saying…..

• The Principal Riverwalk unites downtown and provides opportunities for outdoor recreation. That’s important.

GSA recognizes the significance of this amenity. Regardless of what site is ultimately

selected, pedestrian traffic won’t be impeded. We know “walkability” is important and we’re committed to preserving it.

• We’re concerned about the building design……. Building design is site-specific, so design efforts will commence once a final site is selected.

The new Courthouse will be a LEED Gold building and will be in keeping with GSA’s Design Excellence Program. The architects will take the character and context of surrounding buildings and amenities into consideration. It’s our responsibility and privilege to deliver a new Courthouse that will serve the community for generations.

GSA will be providing updates on design and construction efforts on the project website,

which is https://www.gsa.gov/desmoinescourthouse. • Isn’t the Former YMCA site too small for this project? The project includes 42 inside parking spaces, surface parking is not included in the project

scope or budget. Test fits indicate that the site can accommodate the building and security setbacks. The likely result, if this site were to be selected, would be a building of approximately 8-10 stories.

Public Involvement

• The Draft EA and Draft FONSI are available for public review and comment until 5 p.m. on July 27, 2017.

• Hard copies are available at the Central Library: City of Des Moines Central Library 1000 Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa 50309 515-283-4152 • Electronic copies are also available by contacting the GSA REQA: Karla Carmichael

General Services Administration Regional Environmental Quality Advisor 819 Taylor Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102

karla.carmichael@gsa.gov

Next Steps

• Address/include public comments in the Final EA. • Address any outstanding issues and include any remaining

outstanding data, findings, and/or conclusions (e.g., State Historic Preservation Officer, Tribal consultations, etc.) in the Final EA.

• Sign the Final FONSI indicating the decision and make the FONSI

available to the public. • Proceed with site acquisition activities.

Comments?

Written: Comment Sheets – Please leave at the table at the front of the room. Email: karla.carmichael@gsa.gov Mail: Karla Carmichael General Services Administration Regional Environmental Quality Advisor 819 Taylor Street Fort Worth, Texas 76102 Media inquiries may be directed to: Tanya Roman General Services Administration Regional Public Affairs Officer tanya.roman@gsa.gov

Thank you very much for your attendance and participation!