National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Master Plan Amendment 2 for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters consolidation at the St. Elizabeths West Campus in Southeast Washington, DC, on October 29, 2020. The ROD was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), and the GSA Public Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide of 1999.

GSA has chosen to implement Alternative B as defined in the Master Plan Amendment 2 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), issued August 2020. This decision is based on analyses contained in the Master Plan Amendment 2 Draft EIS issued in May 2020, the Master Plan Amendment 2 Final EIS issued in August 2020, the Programmatic Agreement executed in December 2008, the Memorandum of Agreement executed on September 29, 2020, and the comments of Federal and state agencies, stakeholder organizations, members of the public, and elected officials, and other information in the Administrative Record.

Alternative B includes the addition of 1.2 million gross square feet of office space in two separate office structures organized around two enclosed courtyards on the plateau site at the West Campus. The new office buildings will range from three to eight stories, and the largest part of the structures will have an east-west orientation to optimize the use of daylight. The courtyards will be secured to provide open space for building occupants. Building B1 will be stepped down into the ravine near Building 56/57 to stabilize the slope in that area. Building 56/57 will be integrated into the design of Building B1 to provide a connection between the historic and new construction. Buildings 52 and 64 will be retained, rehabilitated, and adaptively reused.

Alternative B also includes the addition of 175,000 gross square feet of office space on the Sweetgum Lane site (proposed Building C1), organized into primarily below-grade construction, with one two-story building constructed to mirror the northwest corner of the Munro Building. The building would include up to three below-grade levels, which would take advantage of the site slope from east to west, allowing the western edge of the building to receive daylight. A central courtyard would provide internal daylighting.

Alternative B will also consist of the following:

An additional 1,014 employee parking spaces added to the previously proposed underground parking garages at Gates 1 and 2 on the east side of the West Campus;
Demolition of Buildings 60, 66, 67, 68, and 69, which total 65,295 gross square feet of space, at the plateau site;
Demolition of Building 15, which totals 2,749 gross square feet of space, at the Sweetgum Lane site;
Sidewalks and walkways, including enhanced pedestrian connections at the ravine;
Engineering for stabilization of steep slopes, including building foundations;
Realignment of site drainages and incorporation of landscaping and stormwater management;
Shuttle bus drop-off locations;
Shipping/receiving areas for buildings;
Electric power, communications, and utility corridors designed for buildings and site improvements; and
Remediation of contaminated soils.

The ROD can be found on GSA’s website at www.gsa.gov/ncrnepa or at the project website at www.stelizabethsdevelopment.com/nepa.html. The ROD documents the specific components of, and rationale for, GSA’s decision. If you have any questions, please contact Paul Gyamfi, NEPA Compliance Specialist at (202) 440-3405, or via email at paul.gyamfi@gsa.gov.