CITY OF SEATTLE WINS ALMOST $3 MILLION HUD SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES AWARD
Grant will promote jobs, improve housing and economic vitality of Central Link light-rail corridor in Rainier Valley

SEATTLE - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Mary McBride today announced the award of a $2,999,257 Sustainable Communities Community Challenge Grant to the City of Seattle to promote sustainable, smart development along the Central Link light-rail line in Seattle. Today's announcement was made at a press conference hosted by Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn at the Othello, Washington, Transit Station.

This is one of three Sustainable Communities grants that HUD has awarded in the Puget Sound area in the last two years. In addition to the grant awarded to the City of Seattle, the Thurston Regional Planning Council also was awarded a grant today. The Thurston Regional Planning Council and the Puget Sound Regional Planning Council also were awarded Sustainable Communities grants last year, in the program's inaugural year. More than 30 jurisdictions and organizations in the Puget Sound area are now involved in HUD Sustainable Communities collaborations.

In a partnership that includes the Seattle Housing Authority, Sound Transit, the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs, Enterprise Community Partners and Impact Capital, the City of Seattle will use its Sustainable Communities Grant to support its Neighborhood Equitable Transit-Oriented Development Initiative (NET) which is promoting development of mixed-use, transit-oriented residential, commercial and community facilities along the light-rail corridor from downtown Seattle through southeast Seattle, the city's most culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhood.

The NET Initiative will include an acquisition loan program to secure key sites along the corridor for development of mixed-use, transit oriented projects, a strategy to stabilize existing business and "grow" new ones in the Othello neighborhood and planning to develop a multi-cultural community center to strengthen the cultural and ethnic diversity of the area.

The Sustainable Communities Challenge Grant award to the City of Seattle is one of some $96 million in Sustainable Communities Grants awarded by HUD today to 56 projects across the country in two categories - 27 communities and organizations, like the City of Seattle, won Community Challenge grants and 29 regional collaborations will receive Regional Planning grants. This year's Sustainable Communities grant competition received applications for more than $500 million in funding.

"Our nation's ability to compete in a global economy and create jobs is dependent upon how quickly and efficiently
we can connect our workers and families to education and employment opportunities," said HUD Secretary Donovan. "This year we are especially proud that we had a particular focus on funding proposals that included more chambers
of commerce and economic development corporations as core partners. These grants will be leveraged with local funds more than doubling the investment and, helping to create new visions for how communities and regions plan for housing, transportation, workforce development and the quality of life of their residents for generations to come. When 52% of the average working family's income is devoted to housing and transportation costs alone, we know that we have a responsibility to fix that and to provide housing and transportation options that can improve their quality of life and economic stability," he added.

"This grant will help us support a diverse community in the Rainier Valley," said Mayor Mike McGinn. "With it, we can help protect existing businesses and residents in the neighborhood as we work to fulfill the promise of light rail."

"I commend the City of Seattle and the Department of Housing and Urban Development on this innovative grant award," said Congressman Jim McDermott. "Sustainable communities and holistic planning are critical to ensuring our cities and neighborhoods provide the necessary transportation, education, and infrastructure to ensure the long term health of our communities. I applaud the City for its innovative thinking and look forward to seeing the great work Seattle and HUD will be able to accomplish with this grant."

"Every community faces unique challenges and unique opportunities," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator McBride. "Top-down, cookie-cutter grants are ill-suited to helping communities define and achieve what they want their future to look like. That can only happen from the ground up, through a collaboration that has the resources to map a route and the job, housing and transportation development strategies that will get them where they want to be."

"The demand for sustainability grants is very high; we would have needed $500 million to fund all proposals we received this year," said HUD Office of Sustainable Housing Communities (OSHC) Director, Shelley Poticha. "We are confident that the mix of rural and urban proposals that we selected this year will have a great impact in their communities."

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 $96 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 complemented 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. 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.

###

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. 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.