24 CFR § 570.401 - Community adjustment and economic diversification planning assistance.

§ 570.401 Community adjustment and economic diversification planning assistance.

(a) General—(1) Purpose. The purpose of this program is to assist units of general local government in nonentitlement areas to undertake the planning of community adjustments and economic diversification activities, in response to physical, social, economic or governmental impacts on the communities generated by the actions of the Department of Defense (DoD) defined in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(2) Impacts. Funding under this section is available only to communities affected by one or more of the following DoD-related impacts:

(i) The proposed or actual establishment, realignment, or closure of a military installation;

(ii) The cancellation or termination of a DoD contract or the failure to proceed with an approved major weapon system program;

(iii) A publicly announced planned major reduction in DoD spending that would directly and adversely affect a unit of general local government and result in the loss of 1,000 or more full-time DoD and contractor employee positions over a five-year period in the unit of general local government and the surrounding area; or

(iv) The Secretary of HUD (in consultation with the Secretary of DoD) determines that an action described in paragraphs (a)(2)(i)–(iii) of this section is likely to have a direct and significant adverse consequence on the unit of general local government.

(3) Form of awards. Planning assistance will be awarded in the form of grants.

(4) Program administration. HUD will publish in the Federal Register early in each fiscal year the amount of funds to be available for that fiscal year for awards under this section. HUD will accept applications throughout the fiscal year, and will review and consider for funding each application according to the threshold and qualifying factors in paragraphs (f) and (g) of this section.

(b) Definitions. In addition to the definitions in § 570.3 of this part, the following definitions apply to this section:

(1) Adjustment planning. Generally, developing plans and proposals in direct response to contraction or expansion of the local economy, or changes in the physical development or the social conditions of the community, resulting from a DoD-generated impact. Typically, this planning includes one or more of the following tasks: Collecting, updating, and analyzing data; identifying problems; formulating solutions; proposing long- and short-term policies; recommending public- and private-sector actions to implement community adjustments and economic diversification activities; securing citizen involvement; and coordinating with Federal, State, and local entities with respect to the DoD-related impacts.

(2) Community adjustment. Any proposed action to change the physical, economic, or social infrastructure within the jurisdiction or surrounding area, directly and appropriately in response to the DoD-generated impact.

(3) Contract.

(i) Any defense contract in an amount not less than $5 million (without regard to the date on which the contract was awarded); and

(ii) Any subcontract that is entered into in connection with a contract (without regard to the effective date of the subcontract) and involves not less than $500,000.

(4) Defense facility. Any private facility producing goods or services pursuant to a defense contract.

(5) DoD. The Department of Defense.

(6) Economic diversification activities. Any public or private sector actions to change the local mix of industrial, commercial, and service sectors, or the mix of business ventures within a sector, that are intended to mitigate decline in the local economy resulting from DoD-generated impacts or, in the case of expansion of a military installation or a defense facility, that are intended to respond to new economic growth spawned by that expansion.

(7) Military installation. Any camp, post, station, base, yard, or other jurisdiction of a military department that is located within any of the several States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or Guam.

(8) Realignment. Any action that both reduces and relocates functions and civilian personnel positions, but does not include a reduction in force resulting from workload adjustments, reduced personnel or funding levels, or skill imbalances.

(9) Section 107 means section 107 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, 42 U.S.C. 5307. Section 107(b)(6) was added by section 801 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102–550, approved October 28, 1992).

(10) Section 2391(b). The Department of Defense adjustment planning program as set out in 10 U.S.C. 2391(b).

(11) Small Cities CDBG Program. The Community Development Block Grant program for nonentitlement areas in which the States have elected not to administer available program funds. The regulations governing this program are set out in subpart F of this part.

(12) Surrounding area. The labor market area as defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that:

(i) Includes all or part of the applicant's jurisdictions; and

(ii) Includes additional areas outside the jurisdiction.

(c) Eligible applicants. Any unit of general local government, excluding units of general government that are entitlement cities or are included in an urban county, and which does not include Indian Tribes.

(d) Eligible activities. Activities eligible for adjustment planning assistance include, generally:

(1) Initial assessments and quick studies of physical, social, economic, and fiscal impacts on the community;

(2) Preliminary identification of potential public and private sector actions needed for the community to initiate its response;

(3) If timely, modification of the applicant's current comprehensive plan or any functional plan, such as for housing, including shelter for the homeless, or for transportation or other physical infrastructure;

(4) If timely, modification of the applicant's current economic plans and programs, such as for business development, job training, or industrial or commercial development;

(5) Preparation for and conduct of initial community outreach activities to begin involving local citizens and the private sector in planning for adjustment and diversification;

(6) Environmental reviews related to DoD-related impacts;

(7) Initial identification of and coordination with Federal, State and local entities that may be expected to assist in the community's adjustment and economic development; and with State-designated enterprise zones, and Federal empowerment zones and enterprise communities when selected and announced.

(8) Any other planning activity that may enable the community to organize itself, establish a start-up capacity to plan, propose specific plans and programs, coordinate with appropriate public or private entities, or qualify more quickly for the more substantial planning assistance available from DoD.

(e) Ineligible activities. Activities ineligible for adjustment planning assistance are:

(1) Base re-use planning.

(2) Site planning, architectural and engineering studies, feasibility and cost analyses and similar planning for specific projects to implement community adjustment or economic diversification, unless as last resort funding for those applicants which are unable to obtain planning assistance from other sources.

(3) Planning by communities which are encroaching on military installations.

(4) Demonstration planning activities intended to evolve new planning techniques for impacted communities.

(5) Any planning activity proposed to supplement or replace planning that has been or is being assisted by the DoD Sec. 2391(b) adjustment planning program.

(6) Any other planning activity the purpose of which is not demonstrably in direct response to a DOD-related impact triggered by one or more of the four criteria specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(f) Threshold requirements. No application will qualify for funding unless it meets the following requirements:

(1) Verification by HUD that the applicant is a unit of general government in a nonentitlement area.

(2) Verification by HUD and DoD that a triggering event described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section has occurred or will occur.

(3) With respect to communities affected by the 49 base closings and 28 realignments listed by the 1991 Base Closure and Realignment Commission, verification by DoD that it has provided no prior funding and that the applicant may benefit from start-up planning assistance from HUD.

(4) Determination by HUD that the proposed planning activities are eligible.

(5) Determination by HUD that the submission requirements in paragraph (h) of this section have been satisfied.

(g) Qualifying factors. HUD will make funding decisions on qualified applications on the basis of the factors listed below, in the order of such applications received, while program funds remain available. HUD will also request and consider advise from DoD's Office of Economic Assistance concerning the relative merits of each application.

(1) The adequacy of the applicant's initial assessment of actual or probable impacts on the community and the surrounding area;

(2) The adequacy and appropriateness of the start-up planning envisioned by the applicant in response to the impacts;

(3) The type, extent, and adequacy of coordination that the applicant has achieved, or plans to achieve, in order to undertake planning for community adjustment and economic diversification.

(4) The cost-effectiveness of the proposed budget to carry out the planning work envisioned by the applicant;

(5) The capability of the organization the applicant proposes to do the planning;

(6) The credentials and experience of the key staff the applicant proposes to do the planning;

(7) The presence of significant private sector impact, as measured by the extent to which the DoD-generated impact is projected to decrease or increase the employment base by 10% or more;

(8) The presence of significant public sector impact, as measured by the extent to which the DoD-generated impact is projected to decrease or increase the applicant's capital and operating budgets for the next fiscal year by 10% or more;

(9) The degree of urgency, to the extent that a suddenly announced action, e.g. a plant closing, is officially scheduled to occur within a year of the date of application.

(h) Submission requirements. Applicants may submit applications at any time to: Director, Office of Technical Assistance, room 7214, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410. Each application (an original and three copies) shall include the following:

(1) The Standard Form SF–424 as a face sheet, signed and dated by a person authorized to represent and contractually or otherwise commit the applicant;

(2) A concise title and brief abstract of the proposed planning work, including the total cost;

(3) A narrative that:

(i) Documents one or more of the triggering events described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section that qualifies the applicant to apply for planning assistance for community adjustments and economic diversification;

(ii) Provides an initial assessment of actual or probable impacts on the applicant community and the surrounding area;

(iii) Provides an initial assessment of the type and extent of start-up planning envisioned by the applicant in response to the DoD-generated impact; and

(iv) Describes the measures by which the applicant has already coordinated, or plans to coordinate, with the DoD Office of Economic Assistance, the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce, the Department of Labor, any military department, or any other appropriate Federal agency; appropriate State agencies, specifically including the agency administering the Small Cities CDBG Program; appropriate State-designated enterprise zones; appropriate Federal empowerment zones and enterprise communities, when selected and announced; appropriate other units of general local government in the nonentitlement area; appropriate businesses, corporations, and defense facilities concerned with impacts on the applicant community; and homeless nonprofit organizations, with respect to title V of the Stewart B. McKinney Act (42 U.S.C. 1141111412), requiring the Federal property be considered for use in assisting the homeless.

(4) A Statement of Work describing the specific project tasks proposed to be undertaken in order to plan for community adjustment and economic diversification activities;

(5) A proposed budget showing the estimated costs and person-days of effort for each task, by cost categories, with supporting documentation of costs and a justification of the person-days of effort;

(6) A description of the qualifications of the proposed technical staff, including their names and resumes;

(7) A work plan that describes the schedule for accomplishing the tasks described in the Statement of Work, the time needed to do each task, and the elapsed time needed for all the tasks; and

(8) Other materials, as prescribed in the application kit; these materials will include required certifications dealing with: Drug-Free Workplace Requirements; Disclosure Regarding Payments to Influence Certain Federal Transactions; and Prohibition Regarding Excessive Force.

(i) Approval procedures—(1) Acceptance. HUD's acceptance of an application meeting the threshold requirements of paragraph (f) does not assure a commitment to provide funding or to provide the full amount requested. HUD may elect to negotiate both proposed tasks and budgets in order to promote more cost-effective planning.

(2) Notification. HUD will provide notification about whether a project will be funded, rejected, or held for further consideration by HUD and DoD.

(3) Form of award. HUD will award funds in the form of grants.

(4) Administration. Project administration will be governed by the terms of individual awards and by the following provisions of this part:

(i) Subpart A, § 570.5;

(ii) Subpart E, §§ 570.400(d), (e), (f), and (g);

(iii) Subpart J, §§ 570.500(c), 570.501, 570.502, 570.503, and 570.509;

(iv) Subpart K, §§ 570.601, 570.602, 570.609, 570.610, and 570.611.

The environmental review requirements of 24 CFR part 58 do not apply.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 2535–0084)
[59 FR 15016, Mar. 30, 1994]