If your county has areas that need to apply for a “sustainable communities” designation, then you MUST attend an application training workshop offered by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

Sustainable Communities

From the DHCD website:

As a result of the Sustainable Communities Act of 2010, effective June 1, 2010, all previously designated Community Legacy Areas and Designated Neighborhoods will be known as Sustainable Communities. This new, consolidated designation will be easier to understand for program users and will simplify program administration for state and local governments.

The interim Sustainable Communities designation will continue for a transition period and local governments will have the opportunity to apply for continued designation. The term of the transition period is as follows:

• Existing Designated Neighborhoods will automatically become Sustainable Communities effective June 1, 2010. The designation will continue for a period of 24 months, during which time local governments will have the opportunity to apply for continued Sustainable Communities designation.
• Community Legacy Areas designated prior to January 1, 2008 will become Sustainable Community for 24 months after June 1, 2010.
• Existing Community Legacy Areas designated on or after January 1, 2008 will be considered Sustainable Communities for a period of 36 months after June 1, 2010.

Local governments may apply for continued Sustainable Communities designation beyond the transition period …  Applications must be submitted on-line (see application submission below). The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will begin accepting applications for Sustainable Communities in the Summer of 2011. Applications for Sustainable Communities designation will be reviewed by an interagency panel led by DHCD and must be approved by the Governor’s Smart Growth Subcabinet. Once approved, newly designated Sustainable Communities (those that apply after June 1, 2010) will retain their designation for a period of five years.

Sustainable Communities also include designated Transit Oriented Development Zones (TOD’s) and Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Zones. These areas are automatically considered Sustainable Communities effective June 1, 2010 and do not need to reapply for continued designation.

Sustainable Communities Workshops

Registration is now open for Sustainable Community application workshops.   The application workshops will provide an overview of Sustainable Communities, a detailed review of application requirements, and information on how to submit a strong, successful application.  The workshops will also provide information regarding resources to assist applicants in the application process and include a demonstration of how to complete the required on-line application.

Application training is MANDATORY. Local Governments that have not attended a workshop may not submit a Sustainable Community designation application.

Click here to view the training schedule and register on-line for an application workshop.

For additional information, contact:

John Papagni
Program Officer
Division of Neighborhood Revitalization
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
10 North Calvert Street, Suite 444
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 209-5807
(410) 685-8270 (fax)
papagni@mdhousing.org