2008-11-24 CC - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The Livable Communities Advisory Committee is appointed by the Council and is charged with reviewing LCDA funding proposals and making funding recommendations to the Council, based on criteria adopted by the Council each year in the LCA Annual Distribution Plan. The staff evaluation process and Livable Communities Advisory committee review process is described in the Application and Review Process attached. The Community Development Committee recommended and the Metropolitan Council approved the 2008 LCA Annual Distribution Plan on April 9, 2008. Changes to the criteria this year incorporated recommendations of the LCDA Work Group that included Council Chair Peter Bell, who chaired the work group, Council members Steffen and Meeks, LCAC Chair Ruth Grendahl, and LCAC Vice-Chair Dan Marckel. The three categories of changes are to: 1. More deeply integrate applicable state policies into the LCDA process. These include policies and initiatives of Minnesota Housing, MnDOT, Departments of Commerce and Administration, Human Services, Natural Resources, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. 2. Give bonus points to projects located within one-half mile of transit stations and stops on transitways and express bus commuter system corridors identified in the 2030 Transitway System. 3. Incorporate the Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines to encourage more sustainable development practices in the evaluation of funding proposals. The criteria retained a change made in 2005 that the LCAC may recommend up to 40 percent ofthe total LCDA funds in a grant cycle for projects located in Minneapolis and St. Paul (40 percent is the average yearly percentage of total funds awarded to the two cities during the first nine years of the program before this criterion was established). The criteria also state that the Council may award more than 40 percent of the total available funding to projects in Minneapolis and St. Paul, provided that the projects are exemplary demonstrations of the program criteria, and have satisfactorily met the LCAC's evaluation assessment for readiness. Rationale Twelve projects are recommended for funding by the Livable Communities Advisory Committee, totaling $6,954,259. Ten of the twelve projects are recommended by the advisory committee to receive the full amount of their funding requests. Partial funding for one project, A.lO, 2700 the Avenue, St. Paul, is recommended to keep the recommended amount at the 40 percent of total available dollars the advisory committee can recommend for Minneapolis and St. Paul projects. However, the advisory committee suggests that the Community Development Committee consider awarding an additional $45,741 to 2700 the Avenue to fund two requested elements for this project, bringing the total for 2700 the Avenue to $250,000, or 13 percent of its $1,986,250 request. Ifthe $45,741 is added by the Community Development Committee, the awards would total $7 million, resulting in awarding all of the available dollars. The second project recommended for partial funding, B.5, Boat Works Square, White Bear Lake, was the lowest-scoring of the recommended projects, and is recommended to receive the dollars remaining after other funding recommendations had been determined. Boat Works Square is recommended to receive 92 percent of its request. Funding The approved 2008 LCA Annual Fund Distribution Plan included available funding of $7 million for LCDA demonstration grants. The Fund Distribution Plan allocated an additional $4 million from the Demonstration Account, at the recommendation of the LCDA Work Group, for a one-time Land Acquisition for Affordable Housing (LAAND) initiative to award loans to enable LCA participant cities to purchase land for future affordable housing. 2