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

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INTERNATIONAL SONORAN DESERT ALLIANCE • ALiANZA INTERNACIONAl DEL DESIERTO SONORENSE 401 W Esperanza Ave, Ajo, P;z 85321 • 520·387·6823 • www.isdanet.org December 17) 2010 OsmalUl Kadri NEPA Project Manger Pacific Rim Division General Services Administration 450 Golden Gate Ave. San Francisco) CA 94102 Dear Mr. Kadri, The International Sonoran Desert Alliance (lSDA) is a community-based non-profit organization located in Ajot Arizona. Our mission is to protect and enhance the environment, culture, and economy ofthe Sonoran Desert. To that end, we have restored multiple historic buildings in Ajo including many on the award-winning Curley School campus redevelopment. We are currently working on the restoration of the historic town plaza. I am writing for two reasons. First is to obtain your help in obtaining the feasibility study and housing market analysis promised us at the November 22 public hearing on the environmental assessment of GSA's proposed housing development project in Ajo that I, myself attended. Second is to raise several concerns about the proposed development of this new CBP housing project. These are outlined below, but in slim: The proposed housing development is inconsistent with good urban design principles. As proposed, it is separate from the community physically, aesthetically, and functionally. It is an enclave in a small rural community. As such, we believe the proposed project, while meeting housing demands of Border Patrol agents, undermines the local housing market, introduces housing products that are not environmentally appropriate. and weakens thc fabric ofcommunity relations bctwcen residents and agents who would be housed there. More specifically: 1) Ajo is a remote, rural community where community matters. There is widespread perception that government employees working on the border, whether Border Patrol or Customs and Border Protection, do not wish to be part of the Ajo community. Creating a separate "enclave" of houses for these agents will only exacerbate this situation. On the other hand, if you were to build scattered site homes the location of the housing throughout our town would promote communitythe agents would be far more likely to know their neighbors and patiicipate in community affairs. This may seem "soft" or peripheral to the twin aims ofaddressing our porous border and adequately housing agents stationed here, but I can assme you the community of 3.500 year round residents here constitutes a valuable asset in the aims ofCBP. It only makes sense to usc every ISDA - working to preserve and enrich the environment. culture. and economy of the Sonoran Desert
oPP011unity there is to tighten not loosen the possible community ties among agents and residents, each ofwhich desires an air-tight bordel·. 2) Ajo has a very high rate of unemployment (16% last month)-local jobs matter. By bringing modular houses to Ajo, GSA is promoting jobs elsewhere. Our local community would benefit from a housing development project built by local qualified contractors who would provide local jobs during construction. ISOA is a local nonprofit developer. When we created 30 award-winning apartments in the Curley School (a $9.6 M project), our contractor was able to hire 29 people from Ajo on the project. Moreover, the multiplier on rehabilitated as well as infill housing development far surpasses new construction in the form of a planned unit development. 3) The project as proposed is adjacent to the Ajo Townsite Historic District, almost directly behind the historic Curley School Campus. Our District is listed 011 the National Register of Historic Places at the national level ofsignificance, with many ofour buildings such as the Curley School also listed individually. In this particular location, design matters acutely. With the completion of the restoration of the historic district, modular homes as GSA is proposing would be completely out ofsync with the surrounding district. This undermines our local economic recovery trajectory that is based 011 eeo-tourism. Moreover, the introduction ofunits responsive to agent demand today stands to become a blight on om market in the future. We are very concerned that the design ofthese units (whether modular or stick-built) fit in our rural southwest setting and that they complement the urban design framework of Ajo's historic district. 4) The proposed project is very far along, yet there has been little community process. There have been quite a few letters from community residents and fi'om our representatives at the County and Federal level raising a number ofconcerns. None ofthe letters have been supportive ofthe proposed project. Zero. GSA has not provided substantive responses to these concerns-growing the local perception that GSA is steallU'olling this project through with little regard for the local community, for the local economy, or for the environment All ofthis seems a needless clash. There is legitimate demand for new housing in Ajo suitable for agent requirements. There is legitimate opportunity to meet this demand through a variety of creative ways, none necessarily more time-consuming or costly. In fact, demand for new housing appropriate for CBP agents and their families could be planned, sited, designed, constructed, and managed in ways that are mutually beneficial, strengthening the local economy, protecting the environment, and generating a substantial win-win opportunity for the community and the agents as we all take pride in coming together. Though our own organization, ISDA, is well versed in all of these processes-from planning and design to market analysis-we need not be involved per se. We are not writing to seek our organizational pm1icipation in any part of this process, though we would be delighted to pal1ner in any way. What we are pressing for is a project that is mutually beneficial in the short and long term to Border Protection and the Ajo community, environment) and economy. What we are pressing for is a partnership from GSA and fi'om CBP with the Ajo community, not what we presently have, which is a relationship defined by growing and needless antagonism. (SDA - working to preserve and enrich the environment, culture. and economy of the Sonoran Desert 2
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Final Environmental Assessment for
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Chapter 7 Conclusion...............
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SR 85 State Route 85 SWPPP Storm Wa
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^ Du "10 nt W'1IJtIl o G !lUll I ON
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The need to staff the POE for 24-ho
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The CBP Housing Program Feasibility
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Lukeville, Why, and Ajo areas. Thre
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3.1.3 Lukeville Alternative 3 Lukev
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Perro De Nieve S. Sahuaro St. Monte
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3.2.2 No Action Alternative Under t
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environmental justice concerns. Dat
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The median household income of Ajo
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Gila woodpeckers, ravens, roadrunne
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Species Habitat Potential Occurrenc
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Section 106 of the NHPA requires fe
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Federally funded projects are subje
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ecognizes that major modifications
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No Action Alternative The No Action
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Chapter 5 Cumulative Impacts Cumula
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Arizona Game and Fish Department Th
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GSA response: Discussed in Chapter
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Approximately 60 people attended th
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Comment 7. Involve local developers
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Comment 16. What is the cumulative
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Comment 31. Notes apparent contradi
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Comment 45. There is a clear misund
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Chapter 7 Conclusion 7.1 Summary of
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Chapter 8 Project Preparers and Con
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Parkhurst, Janet H. 2001. Ajo: A Mo
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Appendix A USFWS Threatened, Endang
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Appendix A. USFWS threatened, endan
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Appendix B Scoping Letter and Maili
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On General Services Administration
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Project Vicinity U.S. Customs and B
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.' GSA Pacific Rim Region October
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cc: Kirsten Brinker-Kulis Advisory
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Arizona's On-line Environmental Rev
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Arizona's On~line Environmental Rev
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Page 83 and 84: GUIDELINES FOR HANDLING SONORAN DES
Page 85 and 86: Mr, Mr. Michael ODawson .....son Ae
Page 87 and 88: G_a' US Mr. Michael Oewson Dawson R
Page 89 and 90: U.S. CUSTOMS & BORDER PROTECTION NO
Page 91 and 92: 111'1 EcoPlan Associates, Inc. .. C
Page 93 and 94: Dear Representative Grijalva: Thank
Page 95 and 96: Page ;? Mr. Robert Frankeberger UC1
Page 97 and 98: U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATIO
Page 99 and 100: Appendix E Public Scoping Meeting a
Page 101 and 102: GSA CBP Ajo Housing Development Pro
Page 103 and 104: Pacific Rim Region Public Hearing A
Page 105 and 106: Appendix F Public Comments
Page 107 and 108: Page two of two Jim and Linda Sharp
Page 109 and 110: file:///W|/07-033%20GSA/Task%20013-
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Page 117 and 118: A..t~ II·Pacific Rim Region Public
Page 119 and 120: Page 10f2 Mike Dawson From: Sent: T
Page 121 and 122: ·. From: osmahn.kadri@gsa.gov [mai
Page 123 and 124: ---------- Forwarded message ------
Page 125 and 126: Page 1 of 1 Mike Dawson From: osmah
Page 127 and 128: Page lof? Mike Dawson From: Sent: T
Page 129 and 130: Page 30f7 human nutritive value, or
Page 131 and 132: Page 5 of? Survey stated that the A
Page 133: Page 7 of7 the property which can p
Page 137 and 138: INTERNATIONAL SONORAN DESERT ALLIAN
Page 139 and 140: Mr. Osmahn Kadri Re: U.S. General S
Page 141 and 142: The Draft EA does not contain any c
Page 143 and 144: Chapter 4.5 Cultural Resources Ther
Page 145 and 146: should be done at the EA stage so t
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