MITIGATED COMBINED NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFCANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

MITIGATED COMBINED NOTICE OF FINDING OF NO SIGNIFCANT IMPACT AND NOTICE OF INTENT TO REQUEST RELEASE OF FUNDS

STATE OF VERMONT

June 5, 2019

Dominic Cloud, City Manager
City of St. Albans
PO Box 867, 100 North Main St.
St. Albans, VT 05478
Phone: 802-223-9502, ext. 254

Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development
Josh Hanford, Acting Commissioner, VT Department of Housing and Community Development
One National Life Drive, Davis Building, 6th Floor
Montpelier, VT 05620
802-828-1357   

The purpose of this notice is to satisfy two separate but related procedural requirements for activities to be undertaken by the City of St. Albans and the State of Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development (the Agency).

Request for Release of Funds

On or about June 20, 2019, the City of  St. Albans will submit a request to the Agency to release Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (PL93-383), the National Affordable Housing Act as amended; and the Agency will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) to release HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) funds under Title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, as amended, to undertake a project known as Maiden Lane Affordable Housing for the purpose of demolishing an existing 23 unit apartment building and construction of 30 affordable housing units at 10 Maiden Lane, in ST. Albans, Vermont.  The estimated total cost of the project is approximately $8,524,078 including anticipated amounts of approximately $1,000,000 in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Funds and approximately $400,000 in HOME funds.  The project will also be applying for Section 8 project based vouchers.

Mitigating factors to reduce human exposure to existing site hazards include abatement of asbestos containing materials prior to building demolition. After building demolition, mitigating factors include completion of the provisions in the Corrective Action Plan (residual contaminated soil management, construction of various isolation caps, subslab depressurization systems (SSDS) under the building foundations, and institutional controls). Adequate building materials and construction techniques will be used to achieve 45 decibel day-night average interior noise levels upon completion.  Post-construction radon tests will be completed to assure that the SSDS effectively mitigates radon intrusion. And finally, the redevelopment must comply with conditions of the approved historic Standard Mitigations Measures Agreement.

Finding of No Significant Impact

The City of St. Albans and the Agency have determined that the project will have no significant impact on the human environment. Therefore, an Environmental Impact Statement under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is not required. Additional project information is contained in the Environmental Review Record (ERR) on file at the municipal offices of the City of Saint Albans, 100 North Main Street, Saint Albans, Vermont and may be examined or copied on Monday through Friday from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm – and at the Agency’s office located at National Life Building, 6th floor, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, Vermont, and may be examined or copied Monday through Friday from 7:45 am - 4:30 pm.

Public Comments

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments on the ERR to the City of St. Albans regarding the use of CDBG funds, attn. Dominic Cloud, City Manager, PO Box 867, 100 North Main St., St. Albans, VT 05478, or to the Agency for the use of HOME funds, Attn: Environmental Officer, Department of Housing and Community Development, National Life Building, One National Life Drive, Davis Building 6th floor, Montpelier, Vermont 05620.  All comments received by June 20, 2019 will be considered by the City of St. Albans and the Agency prior to authorizing the submission of a request for release of funds. Comments must specify which Notice they are addressing—the Finding of No Significant Impact or the Request for the Release of Funds.

Environmental Certification

The City of St. Albans is certifying to the Agency that the City of St. Albans and Dominic Cloud, in his official capacity as City Manager, and the Agency is certifying to HUD that the Agency and Josh Hanford, in is official capacity as Acting Commissioner of the VT Department of Housing and Community Development, consent to accept the jurisdiction of the Federal Courts if an action is brought to enforce responsibilities in relation to the environmental review process and that these responsibilities have been satisfied.  The Agency’s/HUD's approval of the certification satisfies its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act and related laws and authorities and allows the City of St. Albans to use CDBG funds and the Agency to use the HOME funds.

Objections to Release of Funds

The Agency will accept objections to its approval of the release of funds and acceptance of the City of St. Albans’s certification, and HUD will accept an objection to its approval of the release of funds and the State’s certification for a period of fifteen days following the anticipated submission date or its actual receipt of the request (whichever is later) only if they are on one of the following bases: (a) the certification was not executed by the Certifying Officers Dominic Cloud / Josh Hanford; (b) the City/Agency has omitted a step or failed to make a decision or finding required by HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58; (c) the grant recipient or other participants in the development process have committed funds, incurred costs or undertaken activities not authorized by 24 CFR Part 58 before approval of a release of funds by the Agency/HUD; or (d) another Federal agency acting pursuant to 40 CFR Part 1504 has submitted a written finding that the project is unsatisfactory from the standpoint of environmental quality.

Objections must be prepared and submitted in accordance with the required procedures (24 CFR Part 58, Sec. 58.76) and shall be addressed to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development, Department of Housing and Community Development, Attn: Environmental Officer, One National Life Drive, Davis Building, 6th Floor, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-0501 for the CDBG funds, or to the US Department of HUD – Boston Field Office, Community Planning and Development, Thomas P. O’Neill, Jr. Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02222-1092 for the HOME funds. Potential objectors should contact the Agency/HUD to verify the last day of the objection period.