Lake Park Crescent Redevelopment Plan

An environmental assessment (EA) was performed for the Chicago Department of Environment (CDOE) and the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) in connection with the City of Chicago’s redevelopment plan for the Lake Park Crescent (LPC) community. The LPC redevelopment area was approximately 16 acres of former housing developments and surrounding properties that were abandoned, blighted, or vacant. The redevelopment of these properties transformed this site into an economically integrated community that included 510 new housing units The redevelopment project integrated the CHA’s public housing development into surrounding neighborhoods.

The EA was prepared in accordance with the final rule 24 CFR Part 58, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Form 4128 and the HUD Handbook 1390.2 to document compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and included the following:

• Planning Considerations and Requirements;
• Compliance Factors;
• Neighborhood Environmental Factors;
• Environmental Factors; and
• References.

Phase II environmental site assessment (ESA) was performed in support of the EA activity. The Phase II ESA targeted areas of concern identified from a previous Phase I ESA. The results of the Phase II ESA indicated the need for additional investigation. The site was enrolled in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s (IEPA) Site Remediation Program (SRP) on behalf of the City, and the site received a letter of No Further Remediation (NFR) from the Illinois EPA.

The project team worked closely with CDOE, CHA and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to develop a work plan that would meet the IEPA’s requirements allowing CHA to initiate site development.