HUD AND DOT AWARD $2,522,145 TO CREATE SUSTAINABLE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES IN GEORGIA
Unprecedented joint funding to foster integrated approach to housing, jobs and transportation

ATLANTA - In an unprecedented collaboration between two federal agencies, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today jointly awarded $2,522,145 to
help stimulate a new generation of sustainable and livable communities in the state of Georgia, connect housing, employment and economic development with transportation and other infrastructure improvements. The joint HUD-DOT funding will support 62 local and regional partnerships seeking to create a more holistic and integrated
approach to connecting affordable housing, job opportunities and transportation corridors.

"Today two federal agencies come together to produce a win-win for local communities around the country," said
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "We're helping local and regional planners connect all the dots in their efforts to
make their communities more sustainable and livable. These grants will help communities to hit on all cylinders, producing more affordable housing near good jobs and commercial centers which will help to reduce our energy consumption and increase competitiveness."

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, "With the investments HUD and DOT are making today,
we are strengthening neighborhoods by connecting housing with affordable and sustainable transportation choices. This is a win-win for people who live in these communities because they will have travel options to better serve them."

HUD is awarding $40 million in new Sustainable Community Challenge Grants to help support local planning designed
to integrate affordable housing, good jobs and public transportation. Meanwhile, DOT is awarding nearly $28 million
in TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) II Planning Grants to implement localized
plans that ultimately lead to projects that integrate transportation, housing and economic development.

HUD is awarding the following grants in Georgia:

Augusta-Richmond County will be awarded $1,802,076. The Augusta Sustainable Development Implementation Program will develop a plan for the Priority Development Corridor, a 4.5 mile north-south "spine" in the core of the Augusta, Georgia, home to a large number of low-income residents and deteriorating housing stock. The project
will create an implementation program for a multi-modal transportation corridor, revise current codes to facilitate
vibrant, mixed-use, mixed-income development, and create an implementation plan for green, affordable housing
in this corridor in Georgia's second largest city.

Anticipated Project Benefits

• Program recommendations will focus on connectivity, infill development, multi-modal transportation,
  affordable housing and local market creation in a corridor that has been a historic barrier.
  
  
• The project supports equitable and affordable housing on 1,100 acres in two neighboring urban
  neighborhoods, with a focus on providing energy and water utility cost savings for residents through
  development and adoption of green building overlay district.
  
  
• Apply context sensitive solutions, in coordination with Georgia DOT on 15th Street Corridor.

Project Highlights

• EXPAND TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS: Implementation plan creates greater connectivity along the corridor
  for all modes of transportation.
  
  
• REDUCE REGULATORY BARRIERS: Develop a green building policy for affordable housing construction in
  the Corridor including standards and incentives for energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air
  quality, waste recycling and other sustainability measures.
  
  
• CREATE LOCATION-EFFICIENT, INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES: Develop a comprehensive land acquisition plan
  for the corridor to support long-term affordable housing and mixed-income development.

Core Partners: City of Augusta, Augusta-Richmond County Planning Commission, Augusta Tomorrow, Inc.,
Augusta State University

Leverage: $1,166,921

HUD's Sustainable Communities Challenge Grants will foster reform and reduce barriers to achieving affordable, economically vital and sustainable communities. These funds will be used by communities, large and small, to
address local challenges to integrating transportation and housing. When these activities are done in conjunction
with transportation projects, they can greatly increase the efficiency and access of local transportation while encouraging mixed-use or transit-oriented development. Such efforts may include amending or updating local master plans, zoning codes, and building codes to support private sector investment in mixed-use development, affordable housing and the re-use of older buildings. Other local efforts may include retrofitting main streets to provide safer routes for children and seniors, or preserving affordable housing and local businesses near new transit stations.

TIGER II Planning Grants will prepare or design surface transportation projects that would be eligible for funding
under the TIGER II Discretionary Grant program. These projects include highways, bridges, transit, railways, ports
or bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Rather than require applicants to navigate two separate grant application procedures that might be on different timelines and with different requirements, HUD and DOT joined their two new discretionary planning program to
create one point of entry to federal resources for local, innovative sustainable community planning projects.

The Community Challenge grants compliment the 45 Sustainable Communities Regional Grants announced last week
by HUD. The Challenge Grants help to support local communities seeking to integrate housing, transportation, and environmental strategies that will enhance local economic development, provide greater housing and transportation choices, and develop long-range visions for how they want their community to grow.

The new HUD-DOT program also builds on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, an innovative new interagency collaboration, launched by President Obama in June 2009, between the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Guided by six Livability Principles, the Partnership is designed to remove the traditional federal government silos that exist between departments and strategically target the agencies' transportation, land use, environmental, housing
and community development resources to provide communities the resources they need to build more livable, sustainable communities.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.