Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program

The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program (Program) supports metropolitan and multijurisdictional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments in a manner that empowers jurisdictions to consider the interdependent challenges of: (1) economic competitiveness and revitalization; (2) social equity, inclusion, and access to opportunity; (3) energy use and climate change; and (4) public health and environmental impact. The Program places a priority on investing in partnerships, including nontraditional partnerships (e.g., arts and culture, recreation, public health, food systems, regional planning agencies and public education entities) that translate the Livability Principles (Section I.C.1) into strategies that direct long-term development and reinvestment, demonstrate a commitment to addressing issues of regional significance, use data to set and monitor progress toward performance goals, and engage stakeholders and residents in meaningful decision-making roles. Funding from this Program will support the development and implementation of Regional Plans for Sustainable Development (RPSD) that: a. Identify affordable housing, transportation, water infrastructure, economic development, land use planning, environmental conservation, energy systems, open space, and other infrastructure priorities for the region; b. Clearly define a single, integrated plan for regional development that addresses potential population growth or decline over a minimum 20-year time frame, sets appropriate 3- to 5-year benchmark performance targets, and delineates strategies to meet established performance goals; c. Establish performance goals and measures that are, at a minimum, consistent with the Sustainability Partnership's Livability Principles; d. Use geo-coded data sets and other metrics in developing, implementing, monitoring, and assessing the performance goals of various reinvestment scenarios; e. Provide detailed plans, maps, policies, and implementation strategies to be adopted by all participating jurisdictions over time to meet planning goals; f. Prioritize projects that facilitate the implementation of the regional plan and identify responsible implementing entities (public, nonprofit, or private) and funding sources; g. Show how the proposed plan will establish consistency with HUD, Department of Transportation (DOT), and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) programs and policies, such as Consolidated Plans, Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice, Long Range Transportation Plans, Indian Housing Plans, and Asset Management Plans, including strategies to modify existing plans, where appropriate; and h. Engage residents and other stakeholders substantively and meaningfully in the development of the shared vision and its implementation early and throughout the process, including communities traditionally marginalized from such processes, while accommodating limited English speakers, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.