Medina to serve as responsible party for Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority's environmental review

MEDINA — Medina will serve as the responsible party for the Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority as it conducts an environmental review for the future site of the Lafayette. On Monday, Medina City Council passed an ordinance authorizing Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the housing authority. The agreement states that the city would act as the responsible party for environmental review for the housing authority's project, the Lafayette. The Lafayette, 881 Lafayette Road, will feature 10 one-bedroom apartments for residents, as well as an apartment for a staff member who will reside on the premises. The units are designed for people who have a federally defined disability and are at risk or experiencing homelessness. Some of the funding secured for the project came from a Community Project Funding grant awarded by Congress and is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a grant recipient, the housing authority has to conduct an environmental review for the project's site. The housing authority has contracted with August Mack Environmental Inc. to conduct the review. "Why it's before you is nonprofits such as MMHA cannot act as a responsible entity for the environmental review," Medina Community Development Director Andrew Dutton said. According to the agreement, HUD's environmental review regulations require that a local government serve as the responsible entity for an environmental review. The agreement also states that the responsible entity is traditionally the municipality in which the project is located. As the agreement was discussed at the Medina Finance Committee meeting, Council President John Coyne talked about an additional agreement, which would establish that the housing authority would cover any incurred costs. Due to the strict timeline, the agreement was brought forward to the Medina Finance Committee on Monday and immediately went onto Council's agenda. The ordinance was passed with the emergency clause, subject to the law director's approval. Contact reporter Sara Crawford at (330) 721-4063 or scrawford@medina-gazette.com.