The City of Allentown, acting in its capacity as a Responsible Entity, is working with the Region 3 Office of the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to sign on to the statewide Programmatic Agreement (PA) that will apply to Section 106 review of projects in the City of Allentown that are subject to Part 58 and Part 50 of HUD’s environmental regulations (24 CFR Part 58 and 24 CFR Part 50). The PA will cover review of HUD-assisted projects in Community Development Block Grant, Emergency Solutions Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships Programs. The purpose of the PA is to improve the efficiency of Section 106 review of HUD projects while fostering the protection of historic properties that might be affected by the projects.

As the Responsible Entity for Part 58 reviews, we would like to invite interested parties and the public to provide comments on the proposed PA, as part of the Section 106 consultation process.

The proposed PA is posted on the City of Allentown website at https://www.allentownpa.gov/HUD-PA Written Comments should be addressed to Historic Preservation Planning, City of Allentown, 435 Hamilton St, 4th Floor, Allentown, PA 18101 or submitted via email to historic@allentownpa.gov by August 23, 2024, at 4:30 p.m.

The PA will cover projects that involve public facilities, public improvements, housing development and housing rehabilitation. The PA exempts from Section 106 review a list of types of activities that do not cause effects to historic resources, like refinancing of existing buildings without any rehabilitation, replacement of heating systems, bathroom and kitchen remodeling and repair of roofs and windows. Projects that include activities other than those types of exempted activities, like substantial rehabilitation and new construction, will undergo a complete Section 106 review, including consultation with SHPO, tribes and other consulting parties.

The streamlined process outlined in the PA will apply to HUD offices and Responsible Entities (units of state and general local government and tribes) such as the City of Allentown that conduct Section 106 review of HUD projects and that have signed the PA as Signatory Parties.

More information on the Section 106 review process is available at https://www.hudexchange.info/environmental-review/historic-preservation/