HUD, EPA REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS HIGHLIGHT NEW HAMPSHIRE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES FUNDING
Grants will create jobs, improve housing, transportation and economic vitality of urban and rural regions

BOSTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) New England Regional Administrator Barbara Fields and Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Curt Spaulding today joined state and local officials to talk about the Sustainable Communities Grants awarded to New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and Nashua Regional Planning Commission on behalf of the State's Nine Regional Planning Commissions. Twenty-seven communities and organizations across the country have been awarded Community Challenge grants and 29 regional areas will receive Regional Planning grants. The goal of the Sustainable Communities grants is to help communities and regions improve their economic competitiveness by connecting housing with good jobs, quality schools and transportation.

"With this funding HUD is proud to help New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority and the New Hampshire Regional Planning Commissions achieve new visions for communities to better plan for housing, transportation and workforce development that will improve the quality of life of residents for generations to come," said Barbara Fields, HUD New England Regional Administrator.

"Promoting energy efficiency as part of HUD's Sustainable Communities funding program makes good economic sense for New Hampshire communities, and makes good sense for a cleaner and healthier environment," said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New England office. "Improving energy efficiency can mean good skilled jobs in our communities, it means cleaner air and it means saving money by lowering energy consumption. It just makes good sense all the way around."

In New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority will be awarded a Community Challenge Grant in the amount of $1,000,000 for the New Hampshire Community Planning Grant Program. The Authority will use the funds to create a statewide, multi-agency consortium to develop and facilitate a competitive grant program for New Hampshire municipalities, called the New Hampshire Community Planning Grant Program (the CPG Program). The Nashua Regional Planning Commission will be awarded a Regional Planning Grant in the amount of $3,369,648 for the New Hampshire Sustainable Communities Initiative. The project will increase the capacity of the state's regional planning commissions to create integrated, coordinated, and sustainable regional plans, establish a consistent planning and policy framework, and coordinate local plans into an overall statewide strategy. (Please see below for more information on the grants).

"For the past decade New Hampshire Housing has taken a leading role in providing information to our citizens and decision makers about the importance of a balanced and adequate supply of housing as an essential element in economic development and sustainable community design," said Dean J. Christon, Executive Director of New Hampshire Housing. "With this grant from HUD, we and our partners will now be able to provide financial resources and technical support to many communities throughout the state as they seek to plan for a stronger and economically vibrant future."

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.

"The nine NH Regional Planning Commissions are thrilled to be able to undertake this innovative effort," said Kerrie Diers, Executive Director of the Nashua Regional Planning Commission. "We will be working with local communities, regional and state partners to take a comprehensive look at planning for New Hampshire's future. Housing, transportation, water infrastructure, natural resources, economic development, climate change and adaptation, and energy efficiency are all interdependent issues that we need to look at from local, regional and statewide perspectives."

The program will place a priority on partnerships, including the collaboration of arts and culture, philanthropy, and innovative ideas to the regional planning process. Recognizing that areas are in different stages of sustainability planning, HUD has established two categories for the Regional Planning Grant program. The first supports communities that are beginning the conversation about how best to align their housing, transportation, environment, and other infrastructure investments. The second recognizes that some communities have already achieved significant momentum and are prepared to move toward completion and implementation of regional plans for sustainable development.

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.

As was the case last year, the demand for both programs far exceeded the available funding. This year HUD received over $500 million in funding requests from communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico for the $97 million in available funding. 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.

Community Challenge Grants and Regional Planning 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 the 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 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. This interagency collaboration gets better results for communities and uses taxpayer money more efficiently.

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.

Sustainable Community Grants Awarded in New Hampshire
Community Challenge Grant Award

The New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority will be awarded $1,000,000 for the New Hampshire Community Planning Grant Program. The Authority will use the funds to create a statewide, multi-agency consortium to develop and facilitate a competitive grant program for New Hampshire municipalities, called the New Hampshire Community Planning Grant Program (the CPG Program). The CPG Program will provide matching competitive grants for communities to conduct work that supports the creation of local regulations that will foster sustainable community development and implement more than a decade of statewide research and reports promoting smart growth and sustainable development.

Anticipated Project Benefits:

• Building of codes for energy-efficient rehabilitation of older structures; corridor planning to increase mixed-income housing near employment nodes, pedestrian- and transit-oriented development.
• Affordable housing and economic development connecting housing and transportation investments and local adoption of the "Community Revitalization Tax Relief Incentive."
• Support for local communities in the creation of form-based codes; mixed-use and inclusionary zoning, lot-size averaging, and infill development.
• Implementation of "Neighborhood Heritage Districts" in cooperation with the NH Preservation Alliance.
• Outreach projects to resident-owned manufactured housing parks to identify effective means of involving residents in the local planning process.

Funding Amount: $1,000,000

Core Partners: New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority, New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, New Hampshire Department of Transportation, New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority, Plan NH - The Foundation for Shaping the Built Environment, New Hampshire Municipal Association, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, New Hampshire Legal Assistance, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension

Regional Planning Grant Award

Nashua Regional Planning Commission will be awarded $3,369,648 for the New Hampshire Sustainable Communities Initiative. The project will increase the capacity of the state's regional planning commissions to create integrated, coordinated, and sustainable regional plans, establish a consistent planning and policy framework, and coordinate local plans into an overall statewide strategy. The Initiative will capitalize on and incorporate shared principles included in existing plans to fulfill local and regional priorities. These practices will make it possible for large communities and small villages throughout the state to achieve economic vitality while safeguarding natural resources, character and rural landscape.

Anticipated Project Benefits:

• Reduced social and economic disparities for low-income and communities of color within the region.
• Increase in affordable housing units located close to major employment centers, parks green space, and vital amenities such as hospitals and schools.
• Increased share of residential and commercial construction on underutilized infill development sites encouraging revitalization.
• Improved health outcomes that result from creating safer, more walkable neighborhoods.
• Increased number of communities prepared for flooding/other climate change related impacts.
• Increased investments in water infrastructure for drinking water, wastewater, and storm water systems.

Funding Amount: $3,369,648

Core Partners: Conservation Law Foundation, Healthy Eating Active Living NH, NH Charitable Foundation, NH Energy and Climate Collaborative, NH Creative Communities Network, Family Assistance Advisory Council of NH, Plan NH, University of New Hampshire Carsey Institute, NH GRANIT, Carbon Solutions of New England, Cooperative Extension

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