Knoxville — The Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking your thoughts regarding the proposed enhanced use lease of the Knoxville VA campus. This time, it relates to how you believe the EUL will impact the site and its historical significance.
Comments will be accepted through July 26. They can be e-mailed to David.Huffman@va.gov.
As for the EUL, when we last spoke with the Knoxville Veterans Alliance, the new target date to sign the EUL is Sept. 30. This is also the last day of the federal fiscal year.
Knoxville Manufacturing, one half of the KVA, is also seeking assistance from Knoxville's Revolving Loan Fund to purchase equipment to help maintain the campus and $30,000 from the City's hotel/motel tax to install a security system on the campus.
The text of the VA's request for comments is pasted below.
PUBLIC COMMENTS SOUGHT REGARDING NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT SECTION 106 CONSULTATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF A PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT FOR THE PROPOSED ENHANCED USE LEASE FOR A MIXED USE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER IN KNOXVILLE, IOWA
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is continuing consultation regarding the Enhanced Use Lease (EUL) for construction, redevelopment and management of a new multi-phase mixed use development on a portion of underutilized VA-owned property at the former VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Knoxville, Iowa. The proposed undertaking includes renovations and reuse of historic buildings to fulfill the EUL goals of improving and revitalizing the area. The proposed undertaking will broaden the range of support services to community members and veterans alike and offer a state-of-the-art, resident-friendly environment.
VA is seeking public comment and participation as part of its responsibility under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The regulations implementing the law (36 CFR Part 800) require VA to seek ways to avoid, minimize, or mitigate adverse effects the proposed mixed use redevelopment may have on properties eligible for or listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). On May 1, 2012, the Knoxville VAMC campus was listed on the NRHP. VA, in consultation with the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and other consulting parties, has determined that the proposed undertaking may result in adverse effects to historic properties and is consulting to develop a Programmatic Agreement to mitigate these potential impacts – primarily renovation of historic buildings and new construction. A draft copy of the Programmatic Agreement can be found at the VA Medical Center, 1515 W. Pleasant Street Knoxville, IA 50138 or online at www.va.gov/AssetManagement/EnhancedUse/knoxville/
Anyone who wishes to do so is encouraged to provide comments on how the project may affect historic properties and ways that these effects may be avoided, minimized, or mitigated. Interested members of the public are also invited to volunteer to participate as consulting parties in the ongoing work toward the Programmatic Agreement. You may provide comments or request consulting party status until July 26, 2012 in writing to David Huffman at David.Huffman@va.gov.
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