Guide to Division of Community Assistance Programs

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Guide to Division of Community Assistance
Programs June 8, 2007
N.C. Department of Commerce
Division of Community Assistance
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Department of Commerce

• Mission Statement
• To improve the economic well-being and quality of
  life for all North Carolinians

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Division of Community Assistance

• Mission Statement
• To provide aid to North Carolina counties,
• municipalities, and organizations through
• economic development, strategic and
• infrastructure planning, growth
• management, housing and community
• development.

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Summary of Presentation

• Office of Urban Development
• Community Planning Program
• North Carolinas State CDBG Program
• Questions

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Division Organizational Chart
Department of Commerce
Division of Community Assistance
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
Office of Urban Development
Planning
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North Carolina Office of Urban Development
Rodney Swink
N.C. Department of Commerce
Division of Community Assistance
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Redevelopment Strategies

• Office of Urban Development
• Main Street Program
• Small Towns Main Street Program
• Urban Redevelopment Grants
• Urban Progress Zones
• Agrarian Growth Zones

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NC Main Street Communities

• Under 50,000 population
• 1,800 to 58,000
• Selected competitively about every two years
• 57 designated communities
• Serve as models for others

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NC Main Street Program Impact

• Over 1.0 billion invested
• 11,541 net new jobs created
• 2,822 net new businesses
• 1,163 business expansions
• 3,230 facades renovated
• 2,719 buildings rehabbed

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Small Towns Main Street Program

• A new program in 2003
• Assists small towns (non-Main Street) interested
  in downtown development
• Began as a pilot program in Eastern NC funded by
  Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, now statewide

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Small Town Main Street Services

• Provide technical assistance in business
  development, building and public space
  improvement, promotions and community
  organization
• Selected 10 communities to date to receive
  detailed technical assistance provided limited
  TA to over 40 others
• New towns to be selected in July, statewide

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Urban Redevelopment Grant

• Initiated in 2003 from unspent CDBG Economic
  Development funds
• Intent Urban Redevelopment Grants will be made
  to foster economic development in blighted urban
  areas. Grants will be made to alleviate blighting
  conditions where these improvements will directly
  attract private investment to the area.
• Limited to Small Cities CDBG eligible
  communities.

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Urban Progress (UP) Zones

• Provide economic incentives to stimulate new
  investment in economically distressed areas
• Only municipalities with populations greater than
  10,000 may apply
• Applications and guidelines are available on the
  DCA web site

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Agrarian Growth (AG) Zones

• Provide economic incentives to rural areas within
  counties
• Only a county that has no municipality with a
  population in excess of 10,000 may request the
  designation of an Agrarian Growth Zone
• Applications and guidelines are available on the
  DCA web site

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Community Development Planning
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Provides planning and management services to
local governments in North Carolina
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Services

• Comprehensive and Strategic Planning
• Downtown Revitalization
• Growth Management (land use plans, zoning and
  subdivision ordinances, annexation, etc).
• Special Urban Design Projects
• Group Facilitation
• Training for Planning Boards and Commissions

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Regional Offices

• Western Regional Office - Asheville
• Piedmont Regional Office - Winston-Salem
• Central Regional Office - Raleigh
• Northeastern Regional Office - Washington
• Southeastern Regional Office - Fayetteville

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Community Development Block Grant Program
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Meeting Needs of Low-Wealth Communities Federal
National Objective

• Benefiting LMI persons - 70 in NC
• Preventing or eliminating blight, or
• Meeting other community devt needs having a
  particular urgency

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Clients

• Approximately 500 eligible municipal local
  governments
• 98 eligible counties

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Allocation and Distribution

• Division administers approximately 45,000,000
  annually
• Eight major funding categories
• Competitive (2 programs)
• Non-competitive (6 programs)

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Major Funding Categories and Programs
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Major Categories

• Community Revitalization
• Scattered Site Housing
• Economic Development
• Small Business Entrepreneurial Assistance
• Infrastructure
• Housing Development
• Urgent Needs/Contingency
• Capacity Building

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Community Revitalization

• Category purpose is to strengthen and revitalize
  communities
• Competitive
• Maximum grant 1 million

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Scattered Site Housing

• Category purpose is to provide local government
  flexibility in addressing housing conditions of
  very low income families
• Funding provided on a 3-year rotating basis to up
  to 33 counties per year
• Non-competitive
• Maximum grant 400,000

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Infrastructure

• Category purpose is to provide public water
  and/or sewer to existing residential
  neighborhoods that have severe health and
  environmental problems
• Maximum grant is 750,000
• Non-competitive
• Water/Wastewater Hook-Up
• Funds to pay for low and moderate income persons
  connect to existing infrastructure
• Maximum grant 75,000

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Economic Development

• Category purpose is to provide grants and loans
  to local governments for job creation retention
• Infrastructure activities include water/sewer
  with 25 match except distressed counties and
  loans through local government for construction,
  equipment purchase
• Non-competitive

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Small Business

• Category purpose is to provide grants to local
  governments to help existing small businesses
  expand (also a component to create
  entrepreneurial environment in community)
• Maximum grant is 250,000
• Activities include infrastructure improvements,
  building construction or renovation, capital
  equipment purchase, job training
• Competitive

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Housing Development

• Category purpose is to promote new housing
  development for single family and multi-unit
  developments
• Maximum grant is up to 250,000
• Non-competitive
• Activities limited to water/sewer improvements,
  hazardous material removal, vacant land
  acquisition by an eligible non-profit
• Funds also available for IDAs up to 70,000

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Urgent Needs/Contingency

• Category purpose is to help communities recover
  from natural disasters or potential emergency
  situations that threaten public health and safety
• Non-competitive
• Maximum grant 600,000

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Capacity Building

• Category purpose is to provide funds to build
  capacity to undertake future CDBG-eligible
  projects
• Maximum Grant is 75,000 for 2-year period
• Activities include paying for
• salary, training, and travel for new or existing
  non-profit staff
• administration
• planning with restriction
• Non-competitive

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For more information

• DCA Phone [phone]
• DCA Fax [phone]
• Website www.nccommerce.com