Harris County CDBG – Mitigation

Public Notice: Precinct 3 Projects

PUBLIC NOTICE

HARRIS COUNTY COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

PROJECT PROPOSED FOR FUNDING THROUGH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FOR MITIGATION (CDBG-MIT) PROGRAM

The Harris County Community Services Department is preparing four applications for the upcoming Cypress Creek Estates, Dowdell Woods, Barwood, and Tower Oaks Meadows Subdivision Drainage Projects (Precinct 3). These projects total $37.5 million through the Community Development Block Grant for Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) Program. These projects, as well as upcoming CDBG-MIT projects will be available on the Community Services Department website at https://www.harrisrecovery.org/CDBG-MIT or onsite at the HCCSD Planning Section, 13105 Northwest Freeway, Suite 400, Houston, Texas 77040 on business days between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

The United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) has allocated funding through the CDBG-MIT program to the state of Texas. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has been designated to administer the CDBG-MIT funds on behalf of the state of Texas. Harris County is a direct recipient of CDBG-MIT funds from the GLO. The CDBG-MIT funds allocated toward these projects is focused on improving the local drainage system to allow runoff to drain more quickly and reduce community flooding.

This notice serves as an opportunity for the public to review and comment on the intended proposed project.

Written comments must be submitted to the Harris County Community Services Department, Attn: HCCSD Planning Section, 13105 Northwest Freeway, Suite 400, Houston, Texas 77040 or by email to DRplancomments@csd.hctx.net, during the 15-day public comment period beginning on April 17, 2024, and ending on May 2, 2024 at 5:00 p.m.

For additional information, please contact DRplancomments@csd.hctx.net or (832) 927-8200.

(Spanish / Vietnamese / Chinese Public Notice Translation Links)

Infrastructure Program: Project Status

The initial proposed project list for CDBG-MIT applications were submitted to Harris County Commissioners Court in August 2023 and were approved unanimously. Formal applications will be submitted to the GLO on a rolling basis beginning in February 2024. The GLO must formally review and approve the proposed projects. Please see project list below:

Substantially Complete Project Applications:

North Forest (Precinct 1) Project Overview

Ralston Acres (Precinct 1) Project Overview

Pine Trails (Precinct 2) Project Overview

Cypress Creek (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Dowdell Woods (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Barwood (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Tower Oaks (Precinct 3) Project Overview

Upcoming Project List:*

Anderson Park (Precinct 4)
Chimney Rock (Precinct 4)
Evacuations Routes & Signal Improvements (Precinct 4)

*Applications for the project above are still under development with the GLO. Once they reach a level of that is substantially complete they will also undergo a Public Notice at a future date.

CDBG-MIT Background

Following the devastating impacts of flooding from the 2015, 2016, and 2017 extreme weather flooding events, the state of Texas received an allocation of Community Development Block Grant Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

CDBG-MIT funds represent unique opportunity to provide assistance in areas impacted by recent disasters and carry out strategic and high-impact activities to mitigate disaster risks and reduce future losses in areas impacted by recent disasters. HUD defines mitigation activities as: “Those activities that increase resilience to disasters and reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of loss of life, injury, damage to and loss of property, and suffering and hardship, by lessoning the impact of future disasters.”

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has been designated to administer the CDBG-MIT funds on behalf of Texas. GLO’s CDBG Mitigation Action Plan: Building Stronger for a Resilient Future (the Action Plan) outlines the use of funds, programs, eligible applicants, and eligibility criteria for these CDBG-MIT funds.

GLO’s Mitigation State Action Plan

Method of Distribution

On March 31, 2022, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved Harris County’s Method of Distribution (MOD) for the allocation of $750,000,000 in CDBG-MIT funding to help mitigate and increase future resilience from the adverse impacts posed by hurricanes, tropical storms and depressions, flooding, wind and other hazards to develop disaster-resistant infrastructure. The approved CDBG-MIT MOD includes the amount of funding for eligible entities to carry out risk mitigation projects.

Approved CDBG-MIT Method of Distribution

Developing the Method of Distribution

Developing-MOD-Figure-1024x1024

On November 1, 2023, a contractual amendment was signed between Harris County and the GLO which effectively repositioned a portion of the original $750 million allocation directly to the Harris County Flood Control District. As a direct recipient, the Harris County Flood Control District directly administers $502.5 million in CDBG-MIT and $302 million in CDBG-DR towards eligible Flood Control District Projects. For more information, click here: Harris County Flood Control CDBG Projects