Denver region awarded $4.5 million in federal planning funds

The Denver metro area has been awarded $4.5 million to support regional planning projects, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region VIII Administrator Rick Garcia announced today.  Joining Garcia at the announcement event were Governor John Hickenlooper, Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Congresswoman Diana DeGette, Senator Michael Bennet and a large group of local elected officials. The funds were awarded through the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program, a partnership between HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to support metropolitan and multijurisdictional planning efforts to integrate housing, land use, and economic and workforce development.  The Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) took the lead in coordinating the grant application, on behalf of a consortium of 86 public, private and not-for-profit partners that collectively pledged more than $8 million in matching resources.

The intent of the grant is to leverage the $6.75 billion investment in the regional FasTracks transit project, aligning programs and policies to generate greater benefits that reach beyond the transit lines and create the type of communities and high quality of life envisioned in the Federal Livability Principles and DRCOG's Metro Vision Plan, the region's strategy for future growth and development. "The DRCOG Board has long recognized the importance of working collaboratively and has done so for almost 60 years," said DRCOG Executive Director Jennifer Schaufele. "The Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant will take the Metro Vision Plan to the next level.  I am looking forward to the exciting work ahead-work that will create jobs and make life better for all of the region's residents."

And according to DRCOG Chair Jim Taylor, "Creating jobs and getting the most bang for the buck is what this is all about.  With the help of the grant we will be able to bring together local governments, businesses and residents to collaboratively plan for development along the transit corridors currently under construction."

The grant application, submitted in October of this year, outlines a clear structure for decision making and accountability among the consortium partners, and public input into proposed planning activities.    The planning process is divided into five categories: regional, corridor and site-specific planning, as well as stakeholder engagement and outcomes assessment.  Corridor planning activities will focus on the FasTracks corridor slated to open in 2013 (West Line) and three other corridors currently under construction (East, Gold, and a portion of Northwest rail/US 36 BRT).  One project at the Sheridan Station on the West Line has already been identified; consortium partners estimate this project will generate 180 local jobs in the first year, and anticipate similar benefits from projects along the other corridors.

The Denver region was one of 56 to be awarded a total of $96 million in funding from among 468 applications that totaled $500 million in requested dollars.  Of those 56 successful applicants, 27 were individual communities and 29 were regional applicants like the Denver metro area. Denver's award is nearly twice the average regional grant of $2.3 million.

The complete grant application is available for review at www.drcog.org under the heading Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant. 

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The council of governments is a nonprofit collaborative association governed by a Board of Directors representing 56 county and municipal governments. Board members work together to achieve a better future for the Denver region. Through Metro Vision, the plan to manage growth over the next 25 years, the region's local governments work cooperatively to address development, land use, transportation, environmental quality and older adult issues.