Byline Relocation Agreement Made Easy

Byline relocation agreement

Hi Bill, I am glad I caught you in your office. The boss has just informed me that our Agency is receiving a HUD grant to assist us in rehabilitating that old apartment building on First Street for an affordable housing development. It looks like I am the one who will be handling the project. He mentioned something about the URA and our need to develop a Relocation Plan for the project and then he suggested I talk to you. Can you help me? Well it has been a year or two since I worked on a project like this under the URA. In fact, I did a presentation about it for our Board of Directors a while back. Let me find that presentation and it will help me to walk you through what the law generally requires. Sure...here it is my presentation on the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. The title is long, but most people just call it the Uniform Act, or URA, for short. So how did a law like that come into being? Ah, a good question. It seems that Congress wanted to establish uniformity among Federal agencies and their funding recipients when acquiring real property and relocating persons for Federally funded projects Thus the name, Uniform Act. A key objective of the URA is fair and equitable treatment of those who are impacted by the project. The URA rules generally apply whether it's a federal agency buying the property or a local agency like ours using federal funds for acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition activities If there's federal money in the project, then the URA likely applies although there are some limited exceptions And one important thing to keep in mind is that even if the federal funds are not used specifically to fund these activities the URA rules may still apply. Ohh... So, that would include a lot of projects and potentially a lot of situations. Yes, I think that might have been the intent of Congress when they passed the law. And it goes beyond just affecting how you buy property, it also provides relocation assistance and payments to people who must move permanently or temporarily because of the project. This includes owners, tenants and businesses. This provision was intended to lessen the project's impact on existing occupants. It assures that they will receive fair and equitable treatment. This is great Bill, but I need to take some notes. So, the URA is more properly referred to as the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended. It was intended to encourage amicable agreement with owners for the purchase of property and assure that owners and occupants are well informed throughout the process. I think you mentioned fairness and consistency as being important. And lastly, the URA seeks to provide uniform, fair, and equitable treatment, as well as avoid disproportionate impacts to people who must move because of the project. It accomplishes this through wr, advisory services and payments. You have the key points, but I will add a few more clarifications for your notes. Like most laws, this one has been amended several times. The most recent amendment was in 2012. And keep in mind that the URA has specific requirements based on whether an acquisition is involuntary - under the threat or use of eminent domain - or voluntary. Some of those requirements include a need for unbiased appraisals, a review of those appraisals, written offers, and negotiations in good faith. There's a lot more you need to know about before getting started. Relocation assistance includes advisory services and reimbursement for the costs of moving personal property for owners, tenants, and businesses. Persons displaced from their dwelling are also assured that replacement housing is available through replacement housing payments And don't forget, the URA has different requirements if someone must move temporarily for a project, and will be able to move back. Wh atWe tllyp,e typically require our agency to follow the URA? d First, remember we said that generally acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition fo a Federally-funded project requires us to follow the URA. There is a long list of URA projects we have completed, but it includes our recent CDBG funded water & sewer line improvement project, our HOME funded 1st time homebuyer assistance program, and the HOME funded acquisition and demolition of the old motel on Second Ave for new construction of affordable hous. Although our Office doesn't handle all the City's HUD funded projects, other projects could be covered, for instance, by the Metro Public Housing Authority. Keep in mind, if there is a need to buy real estate or relocate people for a Federally-funded project,