TITLE
Recommendation to approve the 2013-2017 Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Fiscal Year 2013 Action Plan, and authorize City Manager to execute and submit all necessary documents related to their implementation to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment Partnership Grant, and Emergency Solutions Grant Funds. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The Consolidated Plan (Con Plan) is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and must be developed by local governments in order to receive funding under the following Federal programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) Program. The City's current Con Plan, approved by the City Council on July 12, 2005, and amended on July 13, 2010, will expire on September 30, 2012.
The Con Plan is a comprehensive planning document that identifies overall needs for affordable housing, homeless shelters and services, infrastructure improvements, and community and economic development. The Con Plan also identifies activities to be undertaken to meet these needs, establishes five-year accomplishment benchmarks, and serves as an application for entitlement fund allocations for the programs and services cited above. The attached 2013-2017 Con Plan (Exhibit A) describes in detail, population statistics, housing and community needs, and proposed programs and services to be implemented during the period of October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2017.
The Action Plan (Exhibit B) describes the allocation of resources that will be available in Fiscal Year 2013 (FY 13) to implement specific programs, activities, and actions that are identified in the Con Plan. These activities must meet specific eligibility requirements and national objectives established by HUD regulations.
The following table describes the HUD funding proposed for the FY 13 Action Plan:
To ensure an open community process that encourages meaningful public participation in the development of both the Con Plan and the Action Plan, staff has taken the following steps:
· Notified over 2,000 interested stakeholders via email on ways they could participate in the development of the plans.
· Conducted a multi-lingual Housing and Community Development Needs Survey to assess resident concerns and opinions in areas such as Housing, Community Services, and Businesses and Jobs.
· Conducted a well-publicized informational workshop at the Neighborhood Resource Center on March 27, 2012.
· Provided an overview of the planning process at the April 24, 2012 MacArthur Park/Whittier School Neighborhood Meeting.
· Presented the draft plans at the Continuum of Care Steering Committee Meeting on May 23, 2012.
· Made draft documents available for public review and comment at multiple venues, including online, from May 18, 2012 to present.
The Community Development Advisory Commission (CDAC) is responsible for compliance with the City of Long Beach Citizen Participation Plan. As such, it conducted two public hearings, which were noticed in the Press Telegram, the Angkor Borei (Cambodian Language) and Impacto (Spanish Language) newspapers. The CDAC held its first public hearing on April 18, 2012 to solicit public comments on the development of the City's new five-year Con Plan and the FY 13 Action Plan. The second public hearing was held on June 20, 2012, following the release of the draft plans for a 30-day public comment period. At the conclusion of the second public hearing, the Commission voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council approve the draft 2013-2017 Con Plan and FY 13 Action Plan as presented.
This matter was reviewed by Deputy City Attorney Richard Anthony on June 20, 2012 and Budget Management Officer Victoria Bell on June 25, 2012.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
City Council action is requested on July 10, 2012, as the Con Plan and FY 13 Action Plan must be submitted to HUD no later than August 15, 2012, forty-five days prior to the beginning of the new fiscal year.
FISCAL IMPACT
In FY 13, the City will receive $9,097,593 in CDBG, HOME and ESG entitlement funds that will be budgeted in the Community Development Grants Fund (SR 150) in the Department of Development Services (DV) through the annual budget process. These grant funds generate a broad, positive impact on job creation and retention within the community. Based on a HUD formula for job creation, the direct infusion of entitlement funds into programs that support local businesses and spur infrastructure and housing improvements will generate an estimated 144 jobs within the community. There is no impact to the General Fund.
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
Respectfully Submitted,
AMY BODEK, AICP
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
APPROVED:
PATRICK H. WEST
CITY MANAGER