Final Public Notice: K&K Court

The Federal Emergency Management Agency hereby gives notice to the public of its intent to dispose by sale the manufactured housing units (MHUs) at the K&K Court, a commercial housing park located at 605 10^th Street, Rock Valley, Iowa, as part of its ongoing response to the flooding and severe storms of FEMA-4796-DR-IA. This action will sell units to current residents of the park only. 

Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),federal actions must be reviewed and evaluated for feasible alternatives and for social, economic, historic, environmental, legal, and safety considerations. Under Executive Order (EO) 11988 and EO 11990, FEMA is required to consider alternatives, and to provide a public notice of any proposed actions in or affecting floodplains or wetlands. Funding for the proposed project will be conditional upon compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and local laws, regulations, floodplain standards, permit requirements, and conditions.

Project Title: Disposal of MHUs at K&K Court

Location of Proposed Work:

The K&K Court, at 605 10^th Street, Rock Valley, is located on the west end of Rock Valley, north of Highway 18 (GPS: 43.200124, -96.308917), Sioux County, Iowa. 

Special Flood Hazard Area Zone: 

FEMA is conducting a floodplain review for the disposal and sale to current residents of up to 40 MHUs at the K&K Court. The K&K Court is partially located in a Zone A Special Flood Hazard Area, otherwise known as 1% annual chance floodplain, as viewed on Rock Valley Flood Insurance Rate Map 19167C0233D, dated 8/2/2022. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources supplied a supplemental statement on 7/24/2024 certifying the base flood elevation (BFE), or the level of a 1% annual flood risk, is 1,239.1 feet elevation above sea level. 

Proposed Work and Purpose:

FEMA intends to dispose by sale up to forty (40) MHUs currently set up in the K&K Court to house disaster survivors. As the program for FEMA to operate the housing is time-limited, FEMA opts to sell units to current occupants and to return the operation of the K&K Court to its private owner. No units will be rolled off, and all sold units will remain in place upon transfer of title. Each MHU was installed to have the floor of each unit elevated above the mapped floodplain, and each unit has been anchored in place to withstand floods to the 1% annual chance BFE. 

Project Alternatives:

Alternative #1, No Action: 

The K&K Court currently contains 40 MHUs operated by FEMA. The No Action alternative would leave the units in FEMA’s responsibility to maintain. As the duration of the Direct Housing Program is required to expire, without sale the units would be forced to be evacuated and made safe in current configuration, depriving the town of housing opportunities and precluding future use of a fully developed housing site. 

Alternative #2, Relocation of MHUs to a non-floodplain location: 

The relocation of MHUs to a non-floodplain location prior to sale would move units to a FEMA staging yard in Sioux City, Iowa, but sale to current residents would require the new owners to bring the units back to Rock Valley, Iowa, at their own expense. The City of Rock Valley does not have land suitable for immediate placement of up to 40 MHUs to replicate the housing capacity outside of the floodplain. The other FEMA Direct Housing site, the Rock Ridge Group Housing Site, is currently at capacity and does not have space to relocate units or residents from the K&K Court site. This alternative is not being pursued. 

Comment Period:

Comment are solicited from the public, local, state, or federal agencies, and other interested parties to consider and evaluate the impacts of the proposed project. The comments should be made in writing and addressed to the following email: fema-r7-ehp-publiccoment@FEMA.dhs.gov. Please send comments with the subject line [DR-4796 K&K Court Floodplain Comment].

All comments are due by no later than 15 days after the posted date of this notice.

POSTED ON: April 17, 2025