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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 23-674

NOTICES

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Proposed Mitigation Land Bank with the Department of Transportation

[53 Pa.B. 2745]
[Saturday, May 20, 2023]

 The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (Department), Bureau of State Parks and the Department of Transportation (PennDOT) are proposing to mitigate small transportation project impacts to State park land by creating a land mitigation bank, as follows:

 Proposed legislation will authorize the Department and PennDOT to create a land bank for purposes of mitigating transportation improvement projects that may require the transfer of administrative jurisdiction from the Department to PennDOT. The conversion of State park land requires replacement land as mitigation for those portions of State park land removed from park use, which said replacement land will be equal to or greater in both acreage and appraised value. The proposed legislation will allow the jurisdictional transfer of State park land to PennDOT, free of restrictions imposed by section 20 of the Project 70 Land Acquisition and Borrowing Act (Project 70 Act) (72 P.S. § 3946.20).

 PennDOT will convey to the Department a tract of land containing approximately 19.51 acres of land (Replacement Property) to the Commonwealth to be added to Maurice K. Goddard State Park. The Replacement Property will be used as mitigation for any highway improvement impacts to State parks which would require the Department to transfer administrative jurisdiction to PennDOT, as authorized by the proposed legislation.

 A comprehensive appraisal report dated March 14, 2022, was performed on the Replacement Property. The appraisal requires that the property is evaluated for the highest and best use, then a market value is determined. The market value was determined to be $70,000.

 The transfer of administrative jurisdiction of State park lands from the Department to PennDOT would consist of small portions of State park land, ranging from approximately 0.03 acre to 1.5 acres per PennDOT project. An appraisal report will be performed on State park property proposed to be permanently impacted by highway improvements projects, requiring the transfer of administrative jurisdiction to PennDOT.

 The land bank being proposed in the legislation represents a worthwhile recreational replacement parcel to serve as replacement land for a bundle of small-acreage PennDOT highway improvement projects impacting State park land. The proposal will significantly save both agencies time and money, resulting in a quality parcel addition to a State park. The Replacement Property will fulfill the replacement land requirement for a number of PennDOT highway improvement projects impacting State parks over the next 5 years. It will also satisfy Project 70 Act impact implications.

Review and Comment:

 As is the policy of the Department, the public is hereby notified of this proposed exchange. Project documents will be available for review from May 20, 2023, until July 10, 2023, at the Maurice K. Goddard State Park office.

 Oral or written comments or questions concerning this proposed exchange may be addressed to John Hallas, Director, Bureau of State Parks, Attn: RMPD—Planning Section, P.O. Box 8551, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8551, (717) 787-6640, RA-Park-Operations@pa.gov. Comments must be received within 30 days following publication of this notice. Oral or written comments, or both, will become part of the official document used in the final decision process.

 If, in the duration of the comment period, a significant amount of public concern develops, the Secretary of the Department may schedule a public informational meeting.

CINDY ADAMS DUNN, 
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 23-674. Filed for public inspection May 19, 2023, 9:00 a.m.]


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