DEFINE THE PROJECT SCOPE AND DETERMINE THE PROJECT AREA OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS. (APE). It is important to properly define the scope of the undertaking in its entirety at the very outset to ensure that all the review and compliance obligations are met in a timely and efficient manner. Incomplete or inaccurate project scoping can extend the consultation process unnecessarily resulting in project delays and cost overruns. Additionally, comprehensive project scoping is critical in accurately defining the project area of potential effects. The rules governing the Section 106 process define ‘Area of Potential Effects’ or APE as, “..the geographical area or areas within which an undertaking may directly or indirectly cause alterations in the character of use of historic properties, if any such properties exist. The areas of potential effects is influenced by the scale and nature of an undertaking and may be different for different kinds of effects caused by the undertaking’ [36CFR Part 800.16(d)]. The area of potential effects is three dimensional meaning that it has length, width, and depth. Defining the APE is very important because it establishes the physical parameters for historic properties identification procedures outlined in Step 3. In many cases, the APE will be quite localized, and, depending on the scope of the project, will include just the area directly affected by the project activities. One example would be property lines or lot boundaries in instances of infill construction or house rehabilitation when planned activities are confined by those physical boundaries. In other instances, however, the APE may be defined in larger terms to include neighborhoods, districts, or other areas with arbitrary, non-physically boundaries - once again, depending on the scope of the undertaking. For instance, the footprint of a new telecommunication facility is relatively small so its potential for direct physical impacts on historic properties is correspondingly small. However, its potential to cause indirect, adverse, visual effects on historic properties that lie beyond its footprint, lot line, or property line is far greater and increases in magnitude with its height and relative proximity to those historic properties. The APE of a project must encompass the areas of any activity or ancillary project whose construction, while not federally funded, is integrally connected to the federally funded undertaking and which could not exist but-for the federal undertaking. For instance, a road built by a developer within a sub- division using priv...
