Final Public Notice: Street Department Building and Content - FEMA Funding for Repairs

The City of St. Louis has applied for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance (PA) funding through Missouri State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives, and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. EO 12898 also requires FEMA to provide the opportunity for public participation in the planning process and to consider potential impacts to minority and low-income populations. This notice may also fulfill requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements and conditions.

Subrecipient: City of St. Louis

Project Title: FEMA-4665-DR-MO-246 [685618]; Street Department Building and Contents

Location of Proposed Work: 1900 Hampton Ave, St. Louis, MO 63139 (38.6205825803, -90.284358799). See Figure 1 at the end of the notice.

Special Flood Hazard Area Zone: 
The Street Department of St. Louis is located in an AE Zone Special Flood Hazard Area. Confirmation of location within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) was determined by the City of St. Louis, 2903850081C, dated 05/24/2011 (Figure 1). There is a potential for the facility to be impacted by future flooding events due to its location adjacent to the floodway. The proposed work will not take place in wetlands per the United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory.

Proposed Work and Purpose:
The applicant utilized force account labor to repair the Street Department Buildings with additional floodproofing elements. The repaired damages include carpet, ceiling tile, base board, sheetrock, floor tile, doors, and equipment. Mitigation requested by the applicant includes raising electric outlets; elevating the HVAC systems, transformer, cabling, breaker box; and replacing interior framing from wood to metal.

This work allows for the department to continue using the existing building while reducing the potential for future flood loss. 

Project Alternatives:

Alternative #1 (No action): Not funding the repairs to the Street Department would leave the City of St. Louis without an essential public service. Towing, permits, inspections, traffic control, and lighting are all managed out of the same building, with much of the equipment available on site. The public is able to utilize the in-person benefits of discussing their concerns or applying for permits when the office is open. Relying solely on online portals can create an accessibility concern and create a larger burden on the public. 

Alternative #2 (Relocate the structure outside of the floodplain): Relocating the Street Department outside of the floodplain could result in significant wait times for essential services such as snowplows, towing, and repairing potholes. Since St. Louis is extensively developed, finding another industrial building would post a significant burden to the City. If the only available location was not developed, building a new structure would create a much more significant environment impact than repairing the building in its existing location. While it is at risk for potential flood damage in the future, the central location is essential to continue providing necessary services. 

Comment Period:

Comments are solicited from the public, local, state or federal agencies, and other interested parties in order to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project on the community. Interested parties may submit comments, questions, or request a map of this specific project by writing to: Regional Environmental Officer Teri Toye, Environmental and Historic Preservation Branch, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region 7, 11224 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO, 64131, or by email to Regional Environmental Officer Teri Toye at fema-r7-ehp-publiccomment@fema.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line: FEMA-4665-DR-MO-246 11988 Street Department COMMENT.

All comments are due by no later than 15 days of the posted date of this notice.

POSTED ON: February 26, 2025

End of Notice

Figure 1