Notice of Intent; Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Riverport Development and Proposed New Interchange on I-95 in Jasper County, South Carolina

Topics:  Interstate Highway System

John T. Litz
Department of Defense
August 1, 2014

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 148 (Friday, August 1, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44756-44757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-18270]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent; Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) for the Riverport Development and Proposed New 
Interchange on I-95 in Jasper County, South Carolina

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District (as the 
lead agency) and the Federal Highway Administration and Fish and 
Wildlife Service (as cooperating agencies) intend to prepare a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to assess the likely social, 
economic and environmental effects of the proposed construction of a 
mixed use industrial, commercial and residential development with the 
potential to impact Waters of the United States near Hardeeville in 
Jasper County, South Carolina. Associated with this development will be 
the possible construction of a new interchange on I-95, in the vicinity 
of the mile marker 3 in South Carolina. The DEIS will assess potential 
effects of a range of alternatives.

DATES: Public Scoping Meeting: One public scoping meeting is planned 
for Tuesday, August 19th at the Hardeeville City Hall, 205 East Main 
Street, Hardeeville, SC 29927. An informal open-house information 
session will be held between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the City 
Council Chambers, followed by a formal scoping meeting beginning at 
7:00 p.m. and continuing until all comments have been heard in the 
Community Room. The formal meeting will include an overview of the 
project as well as an opportunity for members of the public to provide 
comments. Individuals and organizations that are interested in the 
proposed activity or whose interests may be affected by the proposed 
work are encouraged to attend the Scoping Meeting and to submit written 
comments to the Corps.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or 
questions about the proposed project and DEIS, please contact Mr. Shawn 
Boone, Project Manager, by telephone: 843-

[[Page 44757]]

329-8158, or toll-free 1-866-329-8187, or by mail: Mr. Shawn Boone, 
Project Manager, Regulatory Division, 69-A Hagood Avenue, Charleston, 
SC 29403. For inquiries from the media, please contact the Corps, 
Charleston District Corporate Communications Officer (CCO), Ms. Glenn 
Jeffries by telephone: (843) 329-8123.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps is evaluating a proposal from 
Stratford Land, the City of Hardeeville and Jasper County for a new 
development, Riverport, and a new interchange on I-95 (Exit 3) in 
accordance with Corps regulations and the policies and procedures that 
are established in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Based 
on the available information, the Corps has determined that the 
Riverport development and the proposed new interchange on I-95 have the 
potential to significantly affect the quality of the human environment 
and therefore warrant the preparation of an EIS. Additional information 
about the proposed project and the NEPA process is available on the 
project Web site at: www.RiverPort-Exit3EIS.com.
    1. Description of Proposed Project. The project proposed by 
Stratford Land is to develop the approximately 5,000 acre tract in 
Hardeeville, SC as the Riverport mixed-use residential, commercial and 
business park/light industrial site. Riverport will consist of a 1,755-
acre business park, 840-acre commercial village, and 2,390-acre mixed 
use (residential and commercial) village. The Business Park is to be 
one of the largest logistics and industrial sites in the Southeast. It 
is intended to handle some of the container traffic into the Savannah 
port resulting from the introduction of the post-Panamax Canal ships. 
As a result of vehicular traffic projected from this industrial park, 
the City of Hardeeville and Jasper County propose a new interchange at 
I-95 that connects with the proposed Riverport Parkway to accommodate 
the increased traffic projected to occur. The Business Park and 
commercial development will provide a significant economic impact to 
the area by providing thousands of construction jobs during the 
building phases and over 24,000 permanent jobs by year 30 of the 
development.
    2. Alternatives. A range of alternatives to the proposed action 
will be identified, and those found to be reasonable alternatives will 
be fully evaluated in the DEIS, including: the no-action alternative, 
the applicant's proposed alternative, alternative site locations, 
alternatives that may result in avoidance and minimization of impacts, 
and mitigation measures not in the proposed action. However, this list 
is not exclusive and additional alternatives may be considered for 
inclusion.
    3. Scoping and Public Involvement Process. A scoping meeting will 
be conducted to gather information on the scope of the project and 
alternatives to be addressed in the DEIS. Additional public and agency 
involvement will be sought through the implementation of a public 
involvement plan and through an agency coordination team.
    4. Significant Issues. Issues associated with the proposed project 
to be given detailed analysis in the DEIS are likely to include, but 
are not necessarily limited to, the potential impacts of the proposed 
development on surface and groundwater quality, aquatic habitat and 
biota, wetlands and stream habitats, federal and state listed species 
of concern, indirect and cumulative impacts, the Savannah River 
Wildlife Refuge, threatened and endangered species, environmental 
justice, mitigation, emergency response and contingency plans, noise, 
conservation, economics, cultural resources, aesthetics, general 
environmental concerns, historic properties, fish and wildlife values, 
flood hazards, land use, recreation, water supply and conservation, 
water quality, energy needs, safety, the transportation network, and in 
general, the needs and welfare of the people.
    5. Additional Review and Consultation. Additional review and 
consultation which will be incorporated into the preparation of this 
DEIS will include, but will not necessarily be limited to, Section 401 
of Clean Water Act; Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation 
requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act; the National Environmental Policy Act; the Endangered 
Species Act; and the National Historic Preservation Act.
    6. Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is anticipated to be 
available late in 2015. A Public Hearing will be conducted following 
the release of the DEIS.

 John T. Litz,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District.
[FR Doc. 2014-18270 Filed 7-31-14; 8:45 am]
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