Environmental Impact Hearings for NASA Ames Development Plan Set

NASA officials will conduct four public hearings next week to explain
and discuss potential environmental impacts of the proposed NASA Ames
Development Plan (NADP) for Moffett Field, located in the heart of
California’s Silicon Valley.

During the hearings, the public will have an opportunity to comment
on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). NASA’s
goal is to develop portions of Moffett Field into the NASA Research
Park (NRP), a world-class, shared-use research and development campus
in association with academia, industry and non-profit organizations.

“Over the next 10 years, the NADP allows for our partners to create
more than 7,000 new high-quality research and education jobs at the
NASA Research Park and to provide housing for more than 2,800
employees on site,” said Michael Marlaire, Assistant Director for
Development at NASA Ames Research Center. “Our NADP is responsive
to the local community, our partners, and the high-tech needs of the
state and nation, ” he said.

In 1997, Mountain View and Sunnyvale established the Community
Advisory Committee (CAC) to recommend uses at Moffett Field. The CAC
worked closely with NASA and made its recommendations to the two
cities. “Our NADP matches the recommendations of the CAC. Over the
past 3 years, we have established several R&D and education
partnerships that provide for research laboratories, office space,
classrooms, exhibit halls and other public facilities, such as
museums. We are now ready to show our neighbors how the NRP proposed
programs can be realized if the EIS is approved,” Marlaire said.

University partners include the University of California at Santa
Cruz, San Jose State University, Carnegie Mellon University, and
Foothill-DeAnza Community College District. Students attending
NRP university academic programs would increase Silicon Valley’s
high-tech workforce of the future.
By integrating NASA, university, and private sector R&D efforts, the
NRP would serve as a new world-class R&D campus for the nation,
enhance scientific research, technology advancement and the transfer
of research knowledge to the commercial sector. Through new dynamic
non-profit science and technology learning centers, like the
California Air and Space Center and the Computer History Museum,
public involvement and understanding of science, technology and space
exploration will be increased.

The proposed NADP also has received encouragement from briefings made
to a variety of federal organizations, including the Office of
Management and Budget, the General Services Administration and the
non-profit National Research Council.

The NADP addresses proposed new development in NASA Research Park,
the Bay View and Eastside/Airfield areas, as well as potential
replacement of existing NASA facilities at the Ames Campus. No new
wind tunnels or increased aircraft operations are proposed. The
existing burrowing owl habitat would be protected.

Specific areas proposed for development in the NADP include: