The Columbus Redevelopment Authority is considering how to move forward with conducting an environmental and flood plain study before beginning on $6 million worth of infrastructure work at Burns Bottom.
City Engineer Kevin Stafford presented the idea to the board Wednesday. He told board members that if CRA received up to $3 million in federal grants it applied for in the spring, those studies would be needed before any of the money is spent on the project.
“That’s phase one, which is looking for any hazardous materials, threatened and endangered species in the area,” Stafford said. “You have to check that box. There are also some areas that are not in the floodplain that may not have an issue, but if y’all are going to use federal money anywhere on that property, all those boxes have to be checked, too.”
The environmental study would need to be approved by both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Stafford said the environmental study would outline any impact the Burns Bottom redevelopment project would have in the five-block area near the Lowndes County Soccer Complex — between Third and Fourth Streets and Second and Seventh Avenues.
The CRA has been in discussions with several prospective developers on projects that could include residential and commercial.
Stafford said that before CRA can start on grading work, which would fill in dirt in low areas near Fifth Street North and cut down hills throughout the site, it will need a No-Rise certification, which would prove that construction would not cause additional flooding.
While Stafford said the No-Rise certification would cost about $30,000, he did not have an estimate for the board Wednesday for the environmental study.
Board President Marthalie Porter told The Dispatch that before now, CRA conducted a Cultural Resource study in 2018 that determined there were no artifacts or historical landmarks within the site area. The board has also focused on purchasing lots, demolishing structures and lobbying for funds to complete infrastructure work.
“Getting the ownership of the part 72 parcels down there was our biggest focus,” Porter said. “Now that we’ve gotten the majority of the property, we can move into this other phase. So it’s kind of another set of hoops to go through this whole process.”
The CRA was established in 2015 to target redevelopment in the city’s urban renewal zone, which includes Burns Bottom. The city council in 2017 approved issuing a $3.2 million bond for CRA for land acquisition, site prep and marketing in Burns Bottom. Earlier this year, the legislature approved giving another $3 million to the project to help toward building water, sewer, road and broadband infrastructure. The federal grant, if received, would also help complete that work.
Starting on infrastructure work
Once those studies are complete, Porter said the board will hire an engineer to outline the infrastructure work still needed at the site.
Porter said that part of the project will be necessary before a developer can start building in the project area and that the studies and subsequent infrastructure needs have not caused a delay in dealings with prospective developers.
“We are still talking to interested developers,” she said. “I don’t foresee this holding us back. What it’s going to do is it’s going to make the project more attractive because we are going down and getting these items taken care of on our checklist.”
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