Public to weigh in on Canandaigua VA building plan

Tuesday

May 6, 2014 at 1:23 PM

The plan calls for tearing down two buildings on the historic Canandaigua VA campus.

Julie Sherwood

A public meeting at 6 p.m. at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center will address the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' proposal for renovation, construction and demolition on the campus at 400 Fort Hill Ave.The project would demolish Buildings 33 and 34; remodel existing Building 9 into a new 50-bed Domiciliary; construct a new Community Living Center consisting of 10, one-story detached cottages and a Community Center interconnected by enclosed walkways; reconnect and/or reconstruct other enclosed walkways; construct a new Outpatient Clinic created by infill and renovate three historic buildings (Buildings 1, 3, and 4); modernize and improve outdated utilities and circulation to improve safety and upgrade service; and make other improvements.The meeting from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in Building 5 Auditorium will give the public a chance to comment on the proposal’s Draft Environmental Assessment. The project is subject to review of the National Historic Preservation Act.The VA has developed a draft Memorandum Agreement (MOA) that the Canandaigua VA director, the state historical preservation officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation intend to sign.

VA intends to issue a "Finding of No Significant Impact" following a 30-day comment period in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations providing there are no substantive comments which warrant further evaluation, according to a legal notice.The public is encouraged to provide hard copies of oral presentations.

The project with an estimated cost of $370 million is the result of a major reconstruction overhaul for the Canandaigua campus announced in 2007. For more information or to obtain copies of the documents pertaining to the project, contact Dan Ryan, public affairs specialist at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, 400 Fort Hill Ave., Canandaigua, NY 14424; Daniel.Ryan@va.gov; (585) 393-7209; www.canandaigua.va.gov