Once again, I must take issue with your reporting, or should I call it cheerleading, for the Clear Space development on Rehoboth Avenue. Your headline reads “Clear Space secures federal funds for Rehoboth project.” Nothing could be further from the truth. USDA will not fund a project until it is fully permitted by the local jurisdiction - which it is not. In addition, USDA does not close on a loan until the project is complete. In other words, Clear Space is years away from securing USDA funding or seeing a single dollar from the USDA. The Cape Gazette’s public would be better served by the newspaper doing some research rather than just echoing Clear Space press releases.
Regarding the bravado that the USDA environmental impact study concluded a “Finding of No Significant Impact” - that is meaningless. Particularly, when you consider what the USDA environmental impact study considers: Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; Clean Air Act; Endangered Species Act; Clean Water Act; Executive Order 11988 - Floodplains; Executive Order 11990 - Wetlands/Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act; Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; Farmland Protection Policy Act; Wild & Scenic Rivers Act; and finally, Executive Order 12898 - Environmental Justice.
It does not come as a surprise that the Clear Space project does not hinder endangered species, air or water quality, scenic rivers or floodplains.
What the USDA environmental study does not consider are the detrimental impacts on neighbors, traffic patterns, pedestrian and cyclist safety, green energy (blocking solar panels of nearby buildings), or compliance with the city’s 2010 Comprehensive Development Plan. Consideration of these items (and more) is the work of the planning commission. Unfortunately, the planning commission leadership and legal counsel have repeatedly demonstrated that they are deficient to the task before them and they too prefer to echo Clear Space press releases rather than do their job. As such, I suspect Clear Space is a long way from the next hurdle for USDA funding - permits. A very long way.
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