Environmental Reviews
The City of Rockford is the Responsible Entity(RE) for any Housing and Urban Development(HUD) funded projects planned within city limits. An Environmental Review (ER) is the process of reviewing a project and its potential environmental impacts to determine whether it meets federal, state, and local environmental standards. The environmental review process is required for all HUD-assisted projects to ensure that the proposed project does not negatively impact the surrounding environment, and that the project site itself will not have an adverse environmental or health effect on end users. There are four different levels of ERs, each requiring different levels of examination in order to be compliant with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and all other local, state, and federal associated laws and authorities triggered by HUD Part 58 ER. More information about HUD's guidance documents may be found here.
All federally-funded projects undertaken by the City of Rockford’s Community and Economic Development (CED) department, or in partnership with a community organization, are reviewed to ensure they comply with NEPA. CED also reviews projects planned by local organizations when they receive HUD federal funds directly.
If you are receiving HUD federal funding, please contact Christine Manley (779-348-7488 or Christine.Manley@RockfordIL.gov) to find out your next steps as soon as possible. Depending upon the level of examination required, the ER process can take anywhere from 45 days to 9+ months to complete, even when no adverse environmental impacts are found. Depending on a project’s scope, a risk assessment and/or testing for hazards such as radon, lead, and asbestos may be required. Reviewing your project plan with the RE early can assist with avoiding delays that this may cause in the environmental review.
NOTE: Choice-limiting actions are prohibited prior to the completion of the ER.
A choice-limiting action is any activity undertaken, including committing or expending federal or non-federal funds, associated with the project that reduces or eliminates the opportunity to choose project alternatives that would avoid or minimize environmental impacts or enhance the quality of the human environment.
Examples of choice-limiting actions include, but are not limited to, acquisition, transfer, or disposition of real property, execution of a lease, contract, or other written commitment (that is not conditioned on successful completion of the environmental review process), or onset of rehabilitation, construction, or demolition activities.
In addition, to be sure you are compliant with federal funding environmental review requirements, please always contact Christine if any actions on or adjustments to a project are being considered.