Congresswoman Matsui and HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims Announce $1.5 Million for Sacramento Area Council of Governments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 15, 2010

CONTACT: MARA LEE
o: (916) 498-5600/ c: (202) 302-3249

CA Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05), joined by U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Deputy Secretary Ron Sims, announced that the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) has received a competitive grant award of $1.5 million. The award was made under HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program which supports the development and implementation of regional plans that combine affordable housing with retail and business development.

Sacramento's Blueprint has been the catalyst for sustainable, responsible growth in our region. So it was my pleasure to invite HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims to join SACOG and the many supporters of our Blueprint to announce this significant federal investment in our community, said Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-05). The $1.5 million dollars announced today will further enable SACOG and its partners to implement their plans for local projects that are creating sustainable communities with access to high-quality public transit and affordable housing options.

This project will significantly increase the construction of housing and employment opportunities in Transit Priority Areas in a manner that promotes social equity, inclusion, access to opportunity, public health, neighborhood revitalization, and environmental sustainability. The plan is intended to improve the integration of the housing, land use, and transportation components of the existing Regional Sustainable Development Plan and cross-connect the Regional Plan for Sustainable Development to Federal, state, and local housing programs. Core Partners include the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency, Urban Land Institute Sacramento Chapter, UC Davis Center for Regional Change, and the Regional Water Authority.

Regions that embrace sustainable communities will have a built-in competitive edge in attracting jobs and private investment, said 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.

"We greatly appreciate the assistance helping our cities and counties to implement the sustainability strategies our citizens told us they want in our Blueprint project to preserve our high quality of life throughout this diverse region, said SACOG Board Chair and Yuba City Councilmember Leslie McBride.

HUD's new Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant Programwill 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.

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.