Federal officials have approved a public hearing for northwestern Indiana residents worried about the potential impact of the planned demolition of a lead-tainted public housing complex.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released findings May 26 concluding that razing the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago would have "no significant impact on the human environment."
But attorneys for nearby Calumet and East Calumet neighborhood residents sought a public hearing on the demolition, saying concerns remained about the potential of airborne contaminants, groundwater impacts and further exposure to lead- and arsenic-contaminated soils.
The Northwest Indiana Times reports HUD granted that request and set a June 26 public hearing at East Chicago's former Carrie Gosch Elementary School.
Demolition of the housing complex is expected to start this fall.
