HUD AWARDS TWO GRANTS TOTALLING $6.5 MILLION TO PROMOTE SMARTER, MORE SUSTAINABLE PLANNING FOR JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN PUGET SOUND
Thurston Planning Council & Puget Sound Regional Council two of just 45 groups to win HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant
Sought by more than 1,000 communities nationwide

SEATTLE - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, and HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Mary E. McBride today announced the award of $1.5 million to
the Thurston County Planning Council and $4,999,700 to the Puget Sound Regional Council to support regional planning for more livable, prosperous and sustainable communities in the Puget Sound area.

The awards were made under HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program that was funded for the first time this year. Some 45 organizations received awards today, competitively selected from a pool of
more than 1,000 applicants from across the country.

"Regions that embrace sustainable communities will have a built-in competitive edge in attracting jobs and private investment," said Deputy Secretary Sims. "Planning our communities smarter means parents will spend less time
driving and more time with their children; more families will live in safe, stable communities near good schools and jobs; and more businesses will have access to the capital and talent they need to grow and prosper. In awarding these grants we were committed to using insight and innovation from our stakeholders and local partners to develop
a 'bottom-up' approach to changing federal policy as opposed to 'top-down.' Rather than sticking to the old Washington playbook of dictating how communities can invest their grants, HUD's application process encouraged creative, locally focused thinking."

"This funding is about creating economic opportunities for communities throughout the Puget Sound and Thurston County," said Senator Murray, chairman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Committee. "This funding will bring transit closer to commuters and commuters closer to their jobs and families. I funded this program because
we need to think comprehensively about how we plan our communities. This funding will help Washington families
have an affordable place to work and live."

"Every region, big or small, urban or rural, has its strengths and weaknesses," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator McBride. "These first-ever HUD sustainability grants encourage jurisdictions within each region to sit down and develop a shared, ground-up vision of how to foster those strengths and address those weaknesses through collaborative housing, economic, transportation and community development strategies that best serve not just our generation, but those to come. There are few regions in the country better suited to this challenge than these two consortia. When it comes to sustainability, they have been and will remain at the cutting edge."

"We're very grateful to the Obama Administration for its leadership and its role in securing these grant funds," said
Ray Stephanson, President of the Puget Sound Regional Council and Mayor of Everett. "Here in the Puget Sound region, we're leading the way when it comes to growing our economy. This grant award will help shape the future of our region in ways that create a more livable and prosperous future for all of us. We're taking a big picture approach to creating job opportunities closer to where people live, while promoting a healthy environment and a healthy economy."

The Puget Sound Regional Council sustainability initiative will receive $1,499,700. Partners include King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, the cities of Bellevue, Des Moines, Everett, Federal Way, Kent, Lynwood, Mercer Island, Montlake Terrace, Redmond, Seattle, SeaTac, Shoreline and Tacoma as well as Sound Transit, the University of Washington, the Cascade Land Trust, Impact Capital, the Community Development Collaborative, the Urban Land Institute, the Quality Growth Alliance and the King County and Seattle housing authorities.

"We are honored and very excited to be 1 of the 45 awards nationally," said Lon Wyrick, Executive Director of the Thurston Regional Planning Council. "Over 1000 applications were submitted and to be given this opportunity is incredible. We believe TRPC was successful because of the remarkable regional partnerships and vision of our members. Our policy makers have long recognized that transportation, land use, and economic development are inseparable and must be integrated in the planning process."

The Thurston Regional Planning Council will receive $1.5 million and will focus its sustainability effort on Thurston County. Partners in the effort include Thurston County, the cities of Lacey, Olympia, Rainier, Tenino and Tumwater, the town of Bucoda and the Washington state departments of Commerce and General Administration.

This year HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program will support a total of 45 State,
local, and tribal governments, as well as metropolitan planning organizations, in the development and execution of regional plans that integrate affordable housing with neighboring retail and business development. Many of the
grants will leverage existing infrastructure and all reward local collaboration and innovation.

These grants are part of the Obama Administration's Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which brings EPA,
HUD, USDA and DOT together 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. At a time when every dollar the federal government invests in jumpstarting the economy is critical, the President's plan ensures that all these agencies are coordinating efforts and targeting resources with precision. Reflecting this new collaboration, these grants were judged by a multidisciplinary review team, drawn
from eight federal agencies and from partners in philanthropy.

HUD's inaugural grants under this program will support metropolitan and multi-jurisdictional planning efforts that incorporate housing, land use, economic development, transportation and infrastructure. This approach will benefit diverse areas across the U.S. including $25.6 million split evenly between regions with populations less than 500,000 and rural places (fewer than 200,000 people). HUD is reserving $2 million to help all of these areas build the needed capacity to execute their plans.

The grants are awarded through one of two categories. One category of grants will assist regional planning for sustainable development where such plans do not currently exist. A second category of funding will support the implementation of existing sustainability plans.

Shelley Poticha, the director of HUD's new Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities said, "The response to
this program is huge. We were inundated with applications from every state and two territories from central cities
to rural areas and tribal governments. This program was designed by people from local government, and
incorporated local input at every stage."

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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.