US Customs and Border Protection Ajo Housing Development ... - GSA

RE: GSA Ajo Housing objection 12-2010
December 16, 2010
Ms. Gene Gibson, GSA Public Affairs, 450 Golden Gate Ave 3'd FI E., San Francisco, 94102
Gene.Gibson@GSA.gov 415-264-9401 FAX 415-522-3226
Mr. Osmahn Kadri, GSA NEPA Project Mg.
Osmahn.Kadri@GSA.gov FAX 415-522-3215
Dear GSA, Ms. Gibson and Mr. Kadri:
Please consider this an official objection to the proposed Ajo housing project. Objections are enumerated below. The
DEIS is totally inadequate and must be mitigated properly from scratch. The entire DEIS must be recirculated and
reviewed in its entirety for adequate cross reference of subject matter and proper notice to the Ajo community.
Included, but not limited to, reasons for objections are:
#1. Illegal and/or improper and insufficient notices to public and improper public hearings in Ajo and area.
#2. Failure of GSA to properly survey rental housing and housing available for sale in the Ajo, Why and Lukeville
communities prior to seeking to purchase land and house federal employees in Ajo. Many local business owners and
individuals believe that there is more than sufficient existing housing available in Ajo for the GSA's goals to house federal
workers in Ajo. Included among these individuals are owners of motels, lodging, real estate professionals, owners of
rental properties, retail, construction and others.
#3. Failure of GSA to have sufficient representatives of (GSA's contractor) EcoPlan staff present at meetings.
#4. Failure of GSA to gather data and details on the historic building(s) in the 55 Sahuaro, Ajo area.
#5. Failure of GSA to adequately consider the environmental impact on the 55 Sahuaro, Ajo property.
#6. Failure of GSA to adequately address Social and Economic Impacts. Ajo has a far higher percentage of minority
residents and low-economic status residents and they will be negatively and adversely impacted long-term.
#7. Failure of GSA to meet legal requirements to notice, contact and solicit comments from the representative groups
that will be negatively, adversely impacted from the proposed project.
#8. Failure of GSA to properly notice, survey, conduct meetings and gather required documentation in Ajo, Why and
Lukeville regarding the 55 Sahuaro project.
#9. Boom and bust has occurred in Ajo previously. The boom in 1980 and prior, when the copper mine was operating
and more than 10,000 residents lived in Ajo. The bust occurred in the early 1980's when the copper mine closed, leaving
Ajo economically, socially, and environmentally destroyed. GSA and the federal government will create a similar
boom/bust cycle, leaving Ajo negatively and adversely impacted with this proposed project. GSA selectively said, for
sample, that "Ajo had about 6,000 residents" but that was after the bust.
Linda Sharp Box 865 Ajo, AZ 85321 Lsha rp@alaska.net