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HUD Sustainable Communities

A Regional Planning Grant Opportunity

On June 21, 2011 the US Department of Housing and Community Development (HUD) released an advance notice of funding availability for the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program. The program includes $67 million for planning grants for FY 2011 and is a follow-up to the approximately $100 million awarded in FY 2010.

The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program, a product of the HUD-DOT-EPA federal partnership for Sustainability Communities, supports metropolitan area planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments.

Sustainable Communities for Middle Tennessee

Success in FY 2010

While our region's application was not funded as part of the first round of grants awarded by HUD in FY 2010, the region was honored with HUD's "Preferred Sustainability Status" which was awarded to applicant regions receiving a qualifying score. This designation provides the following benefits:

• In FY2011, HUD will award 2 bonus points to applicants that are working with communities that have received Preferred Sustainability Status under the HUD FY2010 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program and/or the FY2010 HUD funded Challenge Grant Program. For more information, see here.
• PSS recipients may be able to preserve elements of their proposal for the FY2011 Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant competition.
• PSS consortia will be invited to participate in a range of training opportunities to be offered by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. OSHC is establishing a robust capacity building agenda. There will be sharing of best practices in order to enable local communities to incorporate sustainability into municipal and regional plans and the management of the agencies charged to execute them; techniques for moving from visioning and plan development to implementation; and methods for helping communities to prioritize principles for social equity and inclusion that frame long-term outcomes for regional development.
• A learning network of regions committed to advancing sustainability is under development, which will build peer-to-peer networks focused on issues of common concern. PSS communities will be a part of this network.

Looking Ahead to FY 2011 and Beyond

If grant funding is awarded to Middle Tennessee, regional partners will work together to adopt a vision for future growth and a regional comprehensive plan for sustainable development to be shared by local communities, resource management agencies, and the private-sector across our ten-county Middle Tennessee area for use in shaping their own plans, policies, programs, projects, and service delivery.

The effort is not intended to create an additional layer of planning or policy, but instead begins with the premise that the consolidation of information and plans related to the individual elements of community growth (e.g., transportation, housing, economic development, etc.) into a central place will benefit all of us interested in the long-term sustainability of Middle Tennessee.

Through a truly regional exercise involving partners from all walks of life and every corner of our area, we will establish a shared vision for growth, which will provide opportunities for individual agencies and organizations to improve their own plans and programs to support the overall vision for growth and sustainable development.

Handout: Framework for 2011 HUD Application

Lead Organizations

Middle Tennessee's application to HUD was submitted by the Nashville Area MPO in August 2010 under the leadership of three existing regional partnerships in the area including the Middle Tennessee Mayors Caucus, Cumberland Region Tomorrow, and area Chambers of Commerce, representing the public sector, non-profit quality growth advocacy, and local and regional economic development initiatives, respectively.

A Regional Consortium of Stakeholders

The application is molded through a collaboration of individuals and organizations from across Middle Tennessee that play a role in shaping plans, policies, programs, or projects related to housing, transportation, economic development, health, education, equity issues, water and other utility infrastructure, the environment, urban design, and rural preservation.

Join the Consortium by registering here!

Handout: 2010 Consortium Memorandum of Understanding

Consortium Meeting Schedule

FY 2011

May 25, 2011	Annual Convening the Region Summit, 1:00 to 5:15 War Memorial Auditorium Meeting Information
July 15, 2011	FY 2010 Grant Debriefing/ FY 2011 NOFA Preview, 10:00 to 11:30 Ezell Center, RM 363 Lipscomb University (Map) Meeting Handouts
Sept. 16, 2011	Draft Application/ MOU Signatures Ezell Center, RM 363 Lipscomb University (Map) Meeting Handouts (Coming Soon)

FY 2010

July 8, 2010	Regional Kick-Off Meeting, 1:00 to 2:30 Downtown Nashville Public Library Meeting Agenda
July 22, 2010	Second Regional Gathering, 1:00 to 2:30 Lipscomb University Meeting Agenda Presentation
August 6, 2010	Third Regional Gathering, 9:00 to 10:30 Lipscomb University Meeting Agenda Handout: Middle TN Application Framework Handout: Consortium MOU Handout: Notes from July 22 Break-Out Sessions

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