IES assembles Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) reports for client property acquisitions, transfers, and due diligence. All Phase I ESA reports are prepared and conducted in accordance with the ASTM International Standard E 1527-13, Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process (ASTM International 2013). Within the IES main scope of work for these reports, environmental and historical records are reviewed, a site visit is conducted, interviews with local regulatory personnel and persons familiar with property history are made, and a letter report is prepared. If the property contains of age structures, our scope of work can involve managing a licensed subconsultant to perform a limited asbestos survey.

IES was hired by Sachse Economic Development Corporation (EDC) to complete multiple Phase I ESA reports for the parcels being acquired within the Old Town area of the City of Sachse. Old Town is the oldest part of Sachse and is recognized as the “heart” of the community. It has been reserved as a new downtown development as part of the 2001 and 2017 Comprehensive Plans for the City of Sachse. The Phase I ESA reports for these parcels consisted of different variables in each report such as managing a licensed subconsultant to perform a limited asbestos survey for multiple properties, including an education facility and a single-family residence. Each Phase I ESA report was initiated when the properties were being acquired; and all, but one had multiple parcels. These reports successfully met timelines in place for the Sachse EDC to successfully complete purchase of the desired parcels.

DFW Tranche Surveys

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Commercial Development developed a strategic plan for the growing development demand at the Airport. Development at DFW has additional steps over private land, which includes preparing a NEPA document for any changes in the Airport Layout Plan (ALP). Although the NEPA process cannot begin until a project is identified, Commercial Development retained IES to prepare baseline cultural and environmental surveys on over 2,000 acres so that the data was available when a tenant identified a development parcel. IES prepared a habitat survey of all state and federal protected species and a delineation of all aquatic features. The delineation identified 11.445 acres of waters of the United States, which included 56,013 linear feet of tributaries. This data has allowed DFW to move more quickly and competitively in a very competitive market.

HUD Financing Wetland Delineation Support

IES supported a multi-family developer through the overall development process in obtaining a verification letter from the USACE under NWP 29 for impacts to 299 linear feet of ephemeral tributary. Subsequently the developer applied for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) financing, which relies primarily on the Executive Order (EO) 11990 No Net Loss of Wetlands. HUD routinely utilizes U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) National Wetland Inventory (NWI) maps to determine wetland presence. The NWI map incorrectly identified a large forested wetland within the site. IES supported the client through HUD reviews providing documentation from IES and USACE field surveys that the wetland in question did not exist. HUD ultimately agreed with our findings and processed the financing.

ALTA Survey Wetland Delineation Support

IES has supported a number of ALTA Surveys by certifying the wetland delineation category. IES was retained by the surveyor completing the survey on One Lincoln Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Although the site was a completely urban area, the certification that there were no wetlands present assisted the land owner in the loan processing and percentage points. This due diligence effort was very minimal effort on IES’ part with a couple day turnaround, which saved the landowner significant amount of money on their refinancing.