HUD 2011 Sustainable Communities Grant Summaries

A PROMISING FUTURE FOR THE WESTERN STATES

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded over $97 million in Sustainable Communities Grants to communities working to connect housing with good jobs, quality schools, and transportation to create economic opportunity. These awards will lead to inspiring projects that turn blighted, underutilized land into sustainable development and create healthier communities. Community Challenge Grants aim to reform and reduce barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital and sustainable communities. The funds are awarded to communities, large and small, to address local challenges to integrating transportation and housing. The Regional Planning Grant program encourages grantees to support regional planning efforts that integrate housing, land-use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure developments in a manner that empowers regions to consider how all of these factors work together to create more jobs and economic opportunities.

More information about the grantees and the program can be found on HUD's website - the source of these summaries. 

ARIZONA

The Hopi Tribe will be awarded $150,000 for Planning the Development of the Tawa'ovi Community on the Hopi Reservation. The tribe will use the funds to develop planning and zoning codes and economic development feasibility studies for the proposed community. This approach will lead the way for a sustainable community of up to 1,500 people with the necessary community services and jobs to sustain its residents over the next 10 years. Currently, the Hopi Tribe faces a need for new housing, employment and economic opportunities, planning and zoning codes, plans for community and economic development that will reduce the Tribes unemployment rate and poverty rates which exceed 20%. The development to the Tawa'ovi Community will be a blue print for the development of additional communities that will provide the Hopi people with the homes and jobs they need to meet the needs of all 13,077 members of the Hopi Tribe.

The City of Phoenix will be awarded $2,935,634 for Reinvent Phoenix: Cultivating Equity, Engagement, Economic Development and Design Excellence with TOD. The City will create a new model for urban development in Phoenix - one that increases quality of life while maintaining desirability and attainability for the entire spectrum of incomes, ages, family sizes, and physical and developmental abilities along the light rail corridor. The Reinvent Phoenix program will eliminate physical and institutional barriers to TOD and catalyze livable, sustainable development through planning, regulatory reform, innovative infrastructure designs, economic development incentives, capacity building, and affordable housing implementation activities; demonstrate regional benefits of transit oriented development through the design and implementation of pilot projects for economic development, housing and infrastructure; and involve residents in identifying strategic improvements that will enhance safe, convenient access to quality, affordable housing; well-paying jobs; education and training programs; fresh food and healthcare services.

CALIFORNIA

The Housing Authority of the County of Sacramento will be awarded $150,000 for the Sacramento Area TOD Loan Fund & Food Distribution. The County will provide financing for strategic property acquisition in current and future transit corridors and to preserve and expand affordable housing opportunities in proximity to public transit. Partnering with nonprofit and for-profit developers, this new program will capitalize on historically low land values and address the current lack of available credit to acquire land for affordable housing. Building upon local planning and policy initiatives that promote equitable TODs, the TOD Loan Fund will help secure scarce developable properties near transit and position Sacramento for equitable development and inclusive TOD communities when the market returns. The commitments made through the TOD Loan Fund will ultimately leverage other public and private investment into the local housing market. In partnership with Soil Born Farms, this grant will also evaluate the opportunity for creating a food distribution hub near a TOD neighborhood. In addition to providing jobs for local residents, the food hub will also provide access to local fresh fruit and vegetables in urban neighborhoods currently lacking full service grocery stores.

The Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles will be awarded $2,250,000. The Northeast Los Angeles (NELA) Collaborative will bring together the Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, the Department of City Planning, and the Department of Transportation to create an implementation strategy for the redevelopment of 2,200 acres of the Glendale Narrows portion of the Los Angeles River, guided by the policy and vision of the 2007 LA River Revitalization Master Plan. This effort will include updating the 1990s NELA community plan to include consideration of land use, especially industrial and commercial zoning refinement, creation of integrated mobility hubs to support carpooling, bicycle use, and light rail ridership, perform a feasibility study for the creation of a regional food hub, and convene a working group of business leaders and workforce development professionals to oversee a needs assessment and develop training curricula for workforce development. The project will focus on proactive outreach to communities who would not normally participate in the planning process.

The City of Santa Monica will be awarded $652,500. Santa Monica will develop a master plan to transform 140 acres of industrial land into a transit-oriented, mixed-use neighborhood that features affordable, workforce, and market-rate housing, creative arts employment and exhibition, performance and incubator space, strong connections to light rail and bus transit, bicycle and pedestrian connections, new parks and public space, and upgraded and expanded infrastructure. The master plan is a critical component of the citywide vision to integrate land use and transportation to achieve reduced greenhouse gas emissions, reduce per capita vehicle miles traveled, and create a sustainable local community. The master plan will connect the Bergamot Station, Transit Village, and Mixed-Use Creative District to the new Exposition Light Rail, which will connect Santa Monica to the densely populated Los Angeles Westside, including Culver City, West Los Angeles, and Downtown Los Angeles.

COLORADO

Denver Regional Council of Governments will be awarded $4,500,000 for the Metro Vision - From Regional Framework to Strategic Action Plan. Due to the recent construction of 6 new fix-rail corridors, DRCOG anticipates a region with greater access to job opportunities across the entire income spectrum, lower combined transportation and housing costs, reduced consumption of fossil fuels, and ultimately the development of concentrated, mixed-use, pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly "urban centers" along transit lines that allow residents to easily access their daily needs. The planning process is divided into five main categories, with the first three (regional, corridor, and site specific) representing district interrelated planning levels and the remaining two (stakeholder engagement and outcomes assessment; knowledge sharing) cut across and support planning efforts at all three levels. The overall goal of this proposal is to align investments, programs and policies to generate benefits beyond the transit lines themselves.

The City & County of Denver Community Planning and Development will be awarded $2,953,372. The Denver TOD Program - Strategic Implementation will support construction of Denver's scheduled 2013 opening of the West Corridor light rail line by integrating housing and commercial development with transportation planning. The Grant funds will be used to implement Transit-Oriented Development programs, including a comprehensive, multi-modal plan for future nearby transit stations and high frequency bus corridors. The planning process will include affordable housing land banking, station area plan implementation, preliminary design, and public outreach. The partnership between Denver, the Urban Land Conservancy, Enterprise Community Partners, and private investors created a $15 million development fund to support the affordable housing land banking.

The Colorado Department of Local Affairs will be awarded $1,831,965. The Colorado Sustainable Main Streets Initiative will help three smaller Colorado communities pursue a unique joint planning initiative to redevelop their downtowns and overcome barriers of aging infrastructure. Plans will cover: pedestrianfriendly and transit-oriented development; historic preservation; arts and culture; land use changes; energy efficiency; downtown revitalization; affordable housing; land acquisition; and the design and engineering of transportation projects. Grant dollars will be targeted to planning the renewal, renovation, reconstruction and reconfiguration of properties to produce a sustainable future in small, agricultural communities.

HAWAII

The City and County of Honolulu will be awarded $2,383,424. Honolulu will develop and implement a Transit‐Oriented Housing Strategy around a new rail transit system in the urban core in order to maintain and promote housing for low- and moderate-income families. The project will bring together city, county and state officials and public, non-profit and private partners. Honolulu will create a strategic plan to guide an analysis of existing and proposed policy tools to determine which are the most useful for overcoming the challenges of high costs to preserve affordable and workforce housing units. The group will study the need, feasibility, and mechanisms for creating a Transit-Oriented Development housing fund with a new dedicated public revenue source. Project staff will draft and submit the requisite bills and resolutions for each recommended policy that requires legislative approval. The City will then lead a catalytic demonstration project using the newly adopted tools and in partnership with the private sector.

IDAHO

Fremont County, Idaho is awarded $1,500,000 to develop the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development for the Western Greater Yellowstone Area. This will include a Greater Yellowstone Framework for Sustainable Development, a Comprehensive Resource Plan and Sustainability Strategy, and a Model Development Code. The effort will connect an area that extends across two states and two national parks. The outcome of these studies and pilot jurisdictions will create a clear framework from which the consortium can move forward into the implementation stage of the plan. This framework will allow a group of local governments that share a common landscape come together to create a standardized code by which they can develop meaningful and effective plans for their respective jurisdictions. The consortium members understand the long-term benefits that will come from a well- structured and well-executed sustainability plan that reflects the cross-cutting lessons across jurisdictional boundaries.

MONTANA

Opportunity Link will be awarded $1,500,000 to develop the Northcentral Montana Regional Planning for Sustainable Development. This process will engage regional governments, planners, stakeholders and residents throughout a 36-month period to develop a high road approach to emerging jobs and contracts, and a series of baseline and benchmark metrics that can guide evaluation of progress. Opportunity Link will provide GIS-based scenario planning, training in comprehensive sustainable plan, and one-on-one follow-up technical assistance to government planning offices. Training opportunities will be provided throughout the project period with current data and new resources made available to residents, organizations and planners online through the Northcentral Montana Sustainable Communities Clearinghouse.

NEVADA

The City of Henderson Department of Community Development, on behalf of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition (SNRPC), in Clark County, NV, is awarded $3,488,000 to conduct the Southern Nevada Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Initiative. The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition serves as the Strategic Planning Authority for local governments in the greater Las Vegas Metropolitan Area region. SNRPC is organized to promote regional collaboration and planning for quality of life issues transcending governmental jurisdictional boundaries. A ten member governing Board, guided by a Technical Committee, focuses on planning for balanced economic, social, physical, environmental and fiscal development and orderly management of the region's growth.

NORTH DAKOTA

Rural Economic Area Partnership Investment Fund will be awarded $1,500,000 to develop a Western North Dakota Sustainability Plan. Western North Dakota is seeking to conduct a regional sustainability planning process to address unprecedented growth dynamics resulting from the dramatic expansion of the oil production industry. The Region is proposing a seven-fold initiative designed to address immediate needs resulting from emerging growth challenges. It is the aim of this regional sustainability planning effort to conduct a series of initiatives, all designed to support a sustainable future and diversified economy for the region.

OREGON

The City of Beaverton will be awarded $1,000,000 for the Beaverton Creekside District Master Plan. The plan will accelerate planning and implementation for the Creekside District project and produce a development program that integrates suitable and affordable housing with efficient transportation, green infrastructure and local amenities. The plan will also improve mobility and access to transit and employment. In April 2011, the City adopted its Civic Plan Central City Strategy, a comprehensive analysis and strategic planning framework for Beaverton's Central City. Taking cues from community aspirations developed through Beaverton's award-winning visioning process, the plan provides a framework for a new understanding of the city core. It describes opportunities for addressing the major challenges to forging an identifiable and functional Central City, and lays out both the initial steps and the long-term strategies for implementing change.

Washington County will be awarded $2,000,000. The Aloha-Reedville Study and Livable Community Plan
will develop the county's capacity for analysis and planning and produce cooperative agreements between communities. The project will facilitate strategic corridor and town center economic development, corridor and town center land use and streetscape improvements, a bicycle and pedestrian plan, and a housing equity and opportunity strategy in the unincorporated urban area of Washington County between Hillsboro and Beaverton. The plan will investigate causes and develop strategies to reverse economic and physical decline. The area is served by light rail transit and home to many low-income and minority residents and a significant portion of the County's subsidized housing stock.

UTAH

The Salt Lake City Corporation will be awarded $22,620 to plan for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) around three stations on its central city light rail line, TRAX. The City will conduct an extensive public process, including visioning workshops for each station area along the corridor, workshops to identify desirable development, and meetings with stakeholder, community, business, and other special interest groups that represent a broad range of citizens. As part of the vision process, a least one community meeting will be held to educate the community and partner organizations on the public planning process and TOD best practices. This process will enable the City to identify community needs and concerns and integrate them into land use policies. These policies will remove zoning barriers that discourage private investment in the corridor, allowing the City to accommodate anticipated growth.

WASHINGTON

The City of Seattle will be awarded $2,999,257 for the Neighborhood Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Initiative (NET Initiative). The project will increased the ability of existing communities to benefit from a new light rail section, scheduled to open in 2016, which will link downtown Seattle with the University of Washington and then to Northgate, a commercial and services hub. Once Seattle's north/south line is complete, light rail will link residents to over a million jobs region-wide as well as community colleges and universities, medical facilities, retail opportunities, and recreation. The plan will encourage mixed use, transit-oriented development through an inclusive process designed to sustain the community organizing capacity of these communities. The NET Initiative is based on the theory that creating affordable residential, commercial, and community space provides stability to current residents and businesses vulnerable to the displacement pressures of private investment and development at new light rail stations. Building off of recently-completed TOD plans for station areas, the NET Initiative will promote equitable development through integrated community development strategies.

The Spokane Tribe of Indians will be awarded $1,500,000. The Spokane Tribe of Indians will develop a Sustainable Community Master Plan (SCMP) and Strategic Action Plan. The planning process will start with stakeholder meetings and the creation of economic and population analyses. The Plan will include a Community Profile & Vision, Housing, Transportation, Land Use, Parks, Recreation & Natural Areas, Capital Facilities &Utilities, and Economic Development. The plan will identify areas for new affordable housing on the reservation that would not require expansion of infrastructure without concentrating "poverty" housing. The Tribe will also develop culturally relevant energy efficient design options for affordable housing units and produce a zoning code for the reservation to prevent further sprawl.

WYOMING

A team from Wyoming is partnered with Fremont County, Idaho to develop the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development for the Western Greater Yellowstone Area. This will include a Greater Yellowstone Framework for Sustainable Development, a Comprehensive Resource Plan and Sustainability Strategy, and a Model Development Code. The effort will connect an area that extends across two states and two national parks. The outcome of these studies and pilot jurisdictions will create a clear framework from which the consortium can move forward into the implementation stage of the plan. This framework will allow a group of local governments that share a common landscape come together to create a standardized code by which they can develop meaningful and effective plans for their respective jurisdictions. The consortium members understand the long-term benefits that will come from a well- structured and well-executed sustainability plan that reflects the cross-cutting lessons across jurisdictional boundaries.

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