Harvey Mitigation Competition Application CDBG-MIT Public Notice October 12, 2020

Project: Nueces County Living Breakwater Introduction: Nueces County is giving notice of its intent to submit an application to the General Land Office (GLO) for funds through the Community Development Block Grant – Mitigation (CDBG-MIT) program as lead applicant, with the Port of Corpus Christi as a joint applicant. In particular, the County will seek funding for public infrastructure and flood mitigation measures for their Living Breakwater Project. The proposed project will improve the resiliency of the County and surrounding communities that sustained damage Hurricane Harvey. The CDBG-MIT program is funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered at the state level by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). Applications are due to GLO by October 28, 2020 and awards are expected in 2021. Nueces County will receive public comments for fourteen (14) days from the date of this posting until October 26, 2020. The public is encouraged to submit comments to Maria Bedia via email at [email protected] or at Nueces County Court House, 901 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX, 78401. All comments must be received by 5:00pm on October 26, 2020. Comments will be incorporated into the draft application documents, as appropriate. The application will prioritize the mitigation of the devastating effects of natural disasters, as well as ensure the project is in line with environmental regulations, affirmatively furthering fair housing activities, and, if applicable, minimizing displacement of persons by project activities. Upon the expiration of this comment period, Nueces County will review and address the public comments in the proposed application. For more information, contact Maria Bedia at (361) 888-0224.

Scope: Nueces County and the entire area are vulnerable to a variety of coastal hazards, including hurricanes/tropical storms, coastal flooding, and erosion, as described in their multi- jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan. Several major storms have hit the area in the last several years. Hurricane Harvey passed almost directly over the Corpus Christi Bay in 2017, causing surge inundation and major shoreline damage. More recently, made landfall in July 2020, resulting in significant water levels and wave heights that further compromised the shorelines, roadways, and

private structures around the Bay. Select, key mitigation interventions are needed around the Bay to augment and leverage the range of shoreline stabilization and erosion control projects that have been constructed throughout the Corpus Christi Bay area to protect the communities from storm-related hazards. The shoreline at North Beach is particularly vulnerable to storm surge. North Beach also suffers from frequent flooding due low elevation and drainage challenges. The North Beach area is an economic development asset to the region and is home to the Texas State Aquarium and the USS Lexington. Construction of living breakwaters off of North Beach will stabilize the shoreline, helping to mitigate potential erosion and storm surge inundation to protect homes and public infrastructure in the area while providing critical habitat. This infrastructure project would protect and enhance those assets already located in North Beach, a main source of economic benefits for the region, and would foster new investment. Another critical area of Corpus Christi Bay is the Port Aransas shoreline. This area has been experiencing increased erosion over the last decade, up to 2-3 feet per year, to its vulnerable location near the . Implementation of a living breakwater in this location would stabilize the shoreline, reduce erosion and the impacts of coastal flooding, protect homes and public infrastructure in the area, and encourage natural colonization of critical habitat. Ingleside on the Bay is also particularly vulnerable flooding from tropical storms and sea level change. Portions of the Ingleside on the Bay shoreline are also vulnerable to wave overtopping due to vessel activity in the La Quinta Channel. Installation of elevated bulkheads, living breakwaters, or other mitigation structures in this area would reduce regular nuisance flooding and reduce the severity of storm surge flooding during tropical events. Nueces County, with the Port of Corpus Christi, is requesting CDBG-MIT funding to mitigate flood and storm impacts through the construction of coastal resilience improvements in strategic locations around Corpus Christi Bay. The funding would be used for data collection, design, permitting, preparation of construction specifications, and construction of structures that will help mitigate coastal hazards while providing habitat in the form of submerged aquatic substrate and intertidal wetlands. The proposed interventions are also complimentary to ongoing marsh restoration efforts and the Indian Point shoreline erosion protection project.

National Objective: Urgent Need – Mitigation. This project meets the Urgent Need Mitigation National Objective as it will result in measurable and verifiable reductions in the risk of loss of life and property from future disasters and yield community development benefits. While the Low to Moderate Income (LMI) population throughout the entire benefitting area is lower than the required 51% and the project does not qualify under an LMI National Objective, there are still significant concentrations of LMI

populations throughout the benefitting jurisdictions. The entire service area contains LMI census tracts with significant concentration of LMI populations.

Budget: The anticipated total cost for this project is $99,856,213.50. Nueces County and the Port of Corpus Christi have committed to providing 1% leverage, $998,562.13. $98,857,651.40 in CDBG-MIT funding is being requested. A detailed cost estimate is attached.

Service Area: The service area for this project is Corpus Christi Bay area, including the Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, and Aransas-Pass Ingleside CCDs. A service area map is attached. CDBG-MIT: Budget Justification of Retail Costs (Former Table 2) Cost Verification Controls must be in place to assure that construction costs are reasonable and consistent with market costs at the time and place of construction. Applicant/Subrecipient: Nueces County Site/Activity Title: GLO Submerged Lands - Corpus Christi Bay Eligible Activity: Natural or Green Infrastructure Materials/Facilities/Services $/Unit Unit Quantity Construction Acquisition Total North Beach Breakwaters Mobilization & Demobilization $ 10,000,000.00 LS 1 $ 10,000,000.00 $ - $ 10,000,000.00 Construction Surveying $ 500,000.00 LS 1 $ 500,000.00 $ - $ 500,000.00 Hazard Surveying $ 300,000.00 LS 1 $ 300,000.00 $ - $ 300,000.00 BMP's $ 300,000.00 LS 1 $ 300,000.00 $ - $ 300,000.00 $ 21.00 CY 950,000 $ 19,950,000.00 $ - $ 19,950,000.00 Armor Stone $ 265.00 CY 110,000 $ 29,150,000.00 $ - $ 29,150,000.00 Bedding Stone $ 180.00 CY 55,000 $ 9,900,000.00 $ - $ 9,900,000.00 Geotextile $ 8.00 SY 20,000 $ 160,000.00 $ - $ 160,000.00 Landscaping $ 5,900,000.00 LS 1 $ 5,900,000.00 $ - $ 5,900,000.00 Port Aransas Breakwater $ - 0 $ - $ - $ - Mobilization & Demobilization $ 400,000.00 LS 1 $ 400,000.00 $ - $ 400,000.00 Construction Surveying $ 60,000.00 LS 1 $ 60,000.00 $ - $ 60,000.00 BMP's $ 25,000.00 LS 1 $ 25,000.00 $ - $ 25,000.00 Armor Stone $ 265.00 CY 5,200 $ 1,378,000.00 $ - $ 1,378,000.00 Bedding Stone $ 180.00 CY 2,000 $ 360,000.00 $ - $ 360,000.00 Geotextile $ 8.00 SY 4,500 $ 36,000.00 $ - $ 36,000.00 Ingleside on the Bay Bulkhead Mobilization & Demobilization $ 250,000.00 LS 1 $ 250,000.00 $ - $ 250,000.00 Construction Surveying $ 50,000.00 LS 1 $ 50,000.00 $ - $ 50,000.00 BMP's $ 25,000.00 LS 1 $ 25,000.00 $ - $ 25,000.00 Bulkhead $ 2,350.00 LF 1,350 $ 3,172,500.00 $ - $ 3,172,500.00

TOTAL $ 17,813,277.00 $ 81,916,500.00 $ - $ 81,916,500.00

1. Identify and explain the annual projected operation and maintenance costs associated with the proposed activities. No anticipated operations and maintenance costs 2. Identify and explain any special engineering activities. Not anticipated

Date: Phone Number:

Signature of Registered Engineer/Architect Responsible For Seal Budget Justification:

Engineering 15% of Construction $12,287,475 Administration 6% of Total Project $5,652,238.50

Total Project Budget $99,856,213.50 Living Breakwaters Coastal Protection Nueces County, TX

Project Area Project Area

Project Area

Total Beneficiary Population: 310,215

Geographies Nueces County

Project Areas Source: HUD Low-Moderate Income Dataset, American Community Survey (2011-2015). Basemap: Esri, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS 0 3.5 7 Miles ± Living Breakwaters Coastal ProtectionProtectio n Nueces County, TX

Geographies Total Beneficiary Population: 329,180

Nueces County Source: HUD Low-Moderate Income Dataset, American Community Survey (2011-2015). 0 3 6 County Subdivision Beneficiaries Basemap: Esri, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS km ±