Title
Identifying the need for Livable Communities Transit-Oriented Development funding, and authorizing applications for grant funds for the North West University Dale and Plant & Cultivate (Springboard for the Arts) Projects.
Body
WHEREAS the City of Saint Paul is a participant in the Metropolitan Livable Communities Act (“LCA”) Local Housing Incentives Program for 2017 as determined by the Metropolitan Council, and is therefore eligible to apply for LCA Livable Communities Demonstration Account and Tax Base Revitalization Account Transit-Oriented Development (collectively, “TOD”) funds; and
WHEREAS the City has identified proposed projects within the City that meet TOD purposes and criteria, and are consistent with and promote the purposes of the Metropolitan Livable Communities Act and the policies of the Metropolitan Council’s adopted Metropolitan Development Guide; and
WHEREAS the City has the institutional, managerial and financial capability to adequately manage an LCA-TOD grant; and
WHEREAS the City certifies that it will comply with all applicable laws and regulations as stated in the grant agreement; and
WHEREAS the City acknowledges Livable Communities TOD grants are intended to fund projects or project components that can serve as models, examples or prototypes for TOD development or redevelopment elsewhere in the Region, and therefore represents that the proposed projects or key components of the proposed projects can be replicated in other metropolitan area communities; and
WHEREAS only a limited amount of grant funding is available through the Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities TOD initiative during each funding cycle, and the Metropolitan Council has determined it is appropriate to allocate those scarce grant funds only to eligible projects that would not occur without the availability of TOD grant funding; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that, after appropriate examination and consideration, the City Council does hereby:
1. find that it is in the best interests of the City’s development goals and priorities for the proposed projects to occur at the sites indicated in the grant applications at this particular time:
-- North-West-University-Dale
-- Plant & Cultivate (Springboard for the Arts)
2. find that the TOD Project components for which Livable Communities TOD funding is sought:
(a) will not occur solely through private or other public investment within the reasonably foreseeable future; and
(b) will occur within the term of the grant award only if Livable Communities TOD funding is made available for these projects at this time.
3. authorize its Department of Planning & Economic Development to submit, on behalf of the City of Saint Paul, the above identified applications for Metropolitan Council Livable Communities TOD development grant funds for the TOD Project components identified in the applications, and to execute such agreements as may be necessary to implement the projects on behalf of the City.