Senate Panels Back Federal Grants For Sustainable Communities

CQ (8/4, Carter) reports that the Senate, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee on Tuesday backed a bill (S 1619) that "would establish within the Department of Housing and Urban Development an office to develop initiatives to help urban, suburban, and rural communities plan for and create affordable places to live and work." The bill "is about helping our communities meet vital future needs, in a flexible, fiscally responsible and environmentally sustainable way, while also increasing transportation and housing choices for our citizens,'" said committee chairman and bill "sponsor" Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT).

On August 6th, 2009, S. 1619 was introduced by Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut. S. 1619 would facilitate and improve the coordination of housing, community development, transportation, energy and environmental policy across policy areas which have been traditionally separated. The bill seeks to encourage regional planning across jurisdictions and provide for energy efficient housing options and transportation systems which help create sustainable communities. Further, S. 1619 would provide grant funding for local governments from FY 2010 to FY 2013 to support these efforts.

S. 1619 would establish in the executive branch of the federal government an independent Interagency Council on Sustainable Communities. This council would establish a grant funding program which would make comprehensive Planning Grants and Sustainability Challenge Grants to local governments working in partnership with other local governments or with a metropolitan or rural planning organization, a regional council or their respective states to support the development of sustainable communities.
S. 1619 proposes $300 million in Planning Grants which would support:

1. Local projects to coordinate land use, transportation and infrastructure planning processes across jurisdictions;


2. Creation of regional partnerships for developing and implementing a comprehensive regional plan for sustainable development (i.e. Smart Growth efforts);


3. Conducting or updating housing, infrastructure, transportation, energy and environmental assessments to determine regional needs and promote sustainable development;


4. The development or updating of existing regional plans;


5. The implementation of local zoning or other code changes necessary to implement comprehensive regional plans which promote sustainable development.

Grants would require a 20% local match and for Sonoma County the maximum eligible funding would be $1.5 million.  S. 1619 also proposes $3.75 billion for Sustainability Challenge Grants which would:

1. Promote integrated transportation, housing, energy, and economic development activities carried out across policyand governmental jurisdictions;


2. Promote sustainable and location-efficient development (i.e. transit-oriented development or "Smart growth" efforts;


3. Implement projects identified in a comprehensive regional plan.

Challenge Grants would also require a 20% local match.  S. 1619 is currently in the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee and is expected to be reviewed in Committee later this fall. The National Associations of Counties has already taken a position of support.