Northeast Kansas Veterans Home Environmental Assessment Public Comment

Northeast Kansas Veterans Home Environmental Assessment Public Comment The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing the availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment (DEA) for the potential issuance of a State Veterans Home Grant to the Kansas Office of Veterans Services (KOVS) for the purpose of constructing a new Veterans' home. The proposed location of the project building is 3107 SW 21st Street, Topeka, Kansas, adjacent to the existing Colmery-O'Neil Veterans' Administration Medical Center. The proposed facility would provide resources for Veterans in the northeast portion of Kansas, which is the most populated area of the State of Kansas. The building will be a 72-bed Long Term Care Home and constructed using the VA Small House Design. This design incorporates 4 households with 18 beds each, 2 neighborhoods, and a Community Center. One household will be a memory care unit. Each household will have a hardened area that will serve as a safe space during a storm, and each resident room will have a large window and a bathroom. Each neighborhood will include activity, dining, and kitchen spaces. The Community Center will include administrative offices, activity space, and physical therapy areas. The DEA has been prepared per provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), (Public Law 91-19042 U.S.C. §§ 4321-4347, January 1, 1970), its associated amendments, and VA's implementing regulations (38 CFR, Part 26). VA intends to issue a "Finding of No Significant Impact" (FONSI) following a 30-day comment period, providing there are no substantive comments that warrant further evaluation. Further information, including an electronic copy of the DEA may be found online, on the following website: https://tinyurl.com/yc3r2u8b A hardcopy of the DEA document is available for review at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, located at: 1515 SW 10th Ave, Topeka Rm, Topeka, KS 66604. Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide written comments on the DEA. The 30-day public comment period for the DEA ends on January 5, 2026. Questions or comments concerning the DEA should be directed to: Rob Leicht, Director of Operations, Kansas Office of Veterans Services, 700 S.W. Jackson Street, Suite 1004, Topeka, KS 66603-3743, rob.leicht@ks.gov December 7 2025 LHUT0409498