With the signing of SB 732, the Strategic Growth Council was given the authority to distribute Proposition 84 funds in two areas:
Urban Greening: The urban greening money shall be awarded to a city, county or nonprofit to be used for the preparation, adoption and implementation of an urban greening project that provides multiple benefits. Up to 25 percent of the moneys allocated may be used to award revolving loans or grants for the creation of urban greening plans to serve as master documents.
Sustainable Communities Planning: To support the planning and development of sustainable communities, the Council shall award funds to a city or county for the preparation, adoption and implementation of city and county general plans, general plan elements, and any other plan, ordinance or policy. In addition, council of governments, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning agencies, cities, counties, and joint powers authority are eligible to receive funds to develop, adopt, and implement a regional plan or other planning instrument consistent with a regional plan.
The Federal Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) have recently released several notices regarding grant opportunities in the following focus areas
Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Program: Supports metropolitan and multi-jurisdictional planning efforts that integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation, and infrastructure investments.
Community Challenge Planning Grant Program:
HUD's $40 million Community
Challenge Planning Grant Program will foster reform and reduce barriers
to achieving affordable, economically vital, and sustainable
communities. Such efforts may include amending or replacing local
master plans, zoning codes, and building codes on a jurisdiction wide
basis or in a specific neighborhood, district, corridor, or sector to
promote mixed-use development, affordable housing, the reuse of older
buildings and structures for new purposes, and similar activities with
the goal of promoting sustainability at the local or neighborhood
level. HUD's Community Challenge Planning Grant Program also supports
the development of affordable housing through the development and
adoption of inclusionary zoning ordinances and other activities such as
acquisition of land for affordable housing projects.
TIGER II Planning Grant Program:
Funding is available to units of government for activities similar to those listed in HUD's Community Challenge Grant program (see above).
Climate Showcase Communities Grants: The overall goal of the Climate Showcase Communities grant program is
to create replicable models of sustainable community action that
generate cost-effective and persistent greenhouse gas reductions while
improving the environmental, economic, public health, or social
conditions in a community.
Annually, Caltrans accepts grants for the transportation planning grant program. Transportation Planning Grant funds are available for planning projects that
improve mobility and lead to the planning, programming, and implementation of
transportation improvement projects. Click here to visit the Caltrans website for more information.
