Memphis Housing Authority Needs Environmental Assessment
Issue: The Memphis Housing Authority was faced with a need to address public housing developments located throughout the Memphis area. Options included renovating existing public housing developments where possible and establishing an Operating Subsidy Only site at select locations. Due to the need to fulfill Housing Urban Development (HUD) requirements contained in Title 24 CFR Part 58, the Memphis Housing Authority was required to have Environmental Assessments performed on project sites prior to the start of renovation activities or the establishment of an Operating Subsidy Only site. The Environmental Assessment was conducted to identify environmental conditions and/or impacts associated with proposed projects.
Approach: Site visits to document site and area conditions were performed and information packets developed for the purpose of requesting comment from local, state, and federal agencies regarding various NEPA issues. When necessary, meetings with state officials were performed for the purpose of further determining the actual impact of the proposed project on NEPA issues such as historic properties. Following receipt of requested information and a review and evaluation of the project in light of various issues outside the scope of the written requests to local, state, and federal agencies, a document detailing the findings of the NEPA studies were provided for the Housing Authority as part of their supporting documentation to their applications.
Tasks:
- Perform site visits of project sites and document site and area conditions as they relate to the NEPA/EA issues of Part 58
- Submit information requests to various local, state, and federal agencies for comment on impacts to such issues as, but not limited to, endangered species, historic places, and wetlands.
- Perform site visits with representatives of these agencies as needed to evaluate the condition of the site as it related to the governing agency interest in NEPA issues.
- Develop and provide an EA document that detailed the project, project alternatives, evaluation of project alternatives, and the findings to the various EA issues evaluated as required by Part 58.
Project Timeline: Various times - Each project timeframe was approximately one month
Result: In each case, the final EA product was provided in a timely fashion to allow the Housing Authority to complete their application packets. To date, no proposed project has identified environmental impacts or other impacts associated with the proposed project.