HUD AWARDS $442,422 TO THE PARISH OF ST. CHARLES FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Grant will support housing, economic and transportation development

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Regional Administrator C. Donald Babers announced that St. Charles Parish will receive a $442,422 Sustainable Communities Challenge Grant. Only 56 Sustainability Grants were awarded nationwide. The goal of the program is to help communities and regions improve their economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation.

Senator Mary Landrieu said, "I congratulate St. Charles Parish on their efforts to improve local transportation infrastructure, connectivity and economic potential in this hardworking community. Today's announcement reaffirms that Louisiana officials need these types of funds to build smarter, more livable communities. I have long fought for these funds and I will work with my colleagues to overcome House objections that eliminated these grants in the upcoming fiscal year."

"Our nation's ability to compete in a global economy and create jobs depends upon how quickly and efficiently we can connect our workers and families to education and employment opportunities," said Mr. Babers. "This grant will help St. Charles Parish to create new visions for housing, transportation, workforce development and the quality of life of their residents for generations to come."

HUD's 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. 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. See the St. Charles Parish grant description below for partners and full details.

Nationally, HUD received over $500 million in funding requests from communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the $96 million available. This year's grants will impact 45.8 million Americans by helping their communities and regions become more efficient and competitive while improving quality of life. Combined with
the 87 grants funded last year, this program is providing opportunities for the more than 133 million Americans who live in regions and communities working to shape local plans for how their communities will grow and develop over the next 50 years.

This year's grantees continue to reflect a diverse group of states, regions and communities that believe in sustainability. Grants were awarded in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

Sustainable Communities grants are also significantly complimented and leveraged by local, state and private resources. This year, HUD's investment of $95.8 million is garnering $115 million in matching and in-kind contributions
- which is over 120% of the Federal investment - from the 56 selected grantees. This brings to total public and private investment for this round of grants to over $211 million.

These grants are part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which is represents an association between HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the agencies' policies, programs, and funding consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental protection together. Coordinating federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services meets multiple economic, environmental, and community objectives with each dollar spent. The Partnership is helping communities across the country to create more housing choices, make transportation more efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses.

Grant Summary:

The Parish of St. Charles will be awarded $442,422 for the LA 52 Corridor Revitalization Plan. The goal of the plan
is to encourage the redevelopment of LA 52 to improve safety and connectivity for drivers, transit users, cyclists and pedestrians. The plan will revitalize the LA 52 Corridor, oriented around a major 2.6-mile north-south connector. The Parish's Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Plan 2030, adopted in July 2011, considers the revitalization of LA 52 as key to promoting sustainable development in the Parish. The plan will focus on engaging with the community to re-envision the corridor as a destination that connects the surrounding neighborhoods, rather than a barrier that separates
them.

Anticipated Project Benefits:

• Enhance economic competitiveness of all property owners along the corridor by encouraging public and private investment.
   
• Provide more transportation choices with the addition of pedestrian and cyclist pathways along the road.
   
• Create added value to communities and neighborhoods by planning for investments to develop healthy, safe
  and walkable neighborhoods connected to each other.

Funding Amount: $442,422

Core Partners: Center for Planning Excellence; the St. Charles Parish Hospital; St. Charles Parish School Board; Family Resources of New Orleans; Louisiana Workforce Commission-River Parishes Workforce Investment Act Area 14; New Orleans Regional Planning Commission; River Parish Transit Authority For a complete listing of this year's
grantees and their proposals, please visit HUD's website.

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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 http://espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.