TITLE
Authorizing the Department of Planning and Economic Development to apply for the Metropolitan Council’s Livable Communities Demonstration Account Pre-Development grant fund for 520 Payne Avenue and Livable Communities Demonstration Account Transit-Oriented Development Pre-Development grant fund for 678 Snelling Avenue N.
BODY
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul is a participant in the Metropolitan Livable Communities Act (“LCA”) Local Housing Incentives Program for 2020 as determined by the Metropolitan Council, and is therefore eligible to apply for LCA Livable Communities Demonstration Account (“LCDA”) funds; and
WHEREAS, the City has identified the 520 Payne Avenue and 678 Snelling Avenue N projects meet LCDA 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 LCDA 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 agrees to act as legal sponsor for the project contained in the grant applications, to be submitted on November 2, 2020; and
WHEREAS, the City acknowledges LCDA grants are intended to fund projects or project components that can serve as models, examples or prototypes for LCDA development or redevelopment elsewhere in the Region, and therefore represents that the proposed project or key components of the proposed project 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 LCDA 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 LCDA grant funding; Now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, after appropriate examination and due consideration, the Saint Paul City Council:
1. Finds that the following proposed LCDA projects are in the best interests of the City’s development goals and priorities:
• 520 Payne Avenue - LCDA Pre-Development Fund ($100,000)
• 678 Snelling Avenue N - LCDA-TOD Pre-Development Fund ($100,000)
2. Finds that the LCDA project components for which LCDA 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 (two years for Pre-Development grants, and three years for Development grants,) only if LCDA funding is made available for this project at this time
3. Represents that the City has undertaken reasonable and good faith efforts to procure funding for the project components for which LCDA funding is sought but was not able to find or secure from other sources funding that is necessary for project component completion within three years and states that this representation is based on the following reasons and supporting facts:
• The City of Saint Paul has no general fund resources to invest in these sites; and
• Demands on balances in existing TIF districts and the financial limits on new TIF districts leave the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of the City of Saint Paul with no resources to invest in these sites.
4. Authorizes its Director of Planning and Economic Development to submit on behalf of the City an application for 520 Payne Avenue to Metropolitan Council for LCDA grant funds and 678 Snelling Avenue N for LCDA-Transit-Oriented Development grant funds for the LCDA Project components identified in the applications, and authorizes proper City officials to execute such agreements as may be necessary to implement the LCDA projects on behalf of the City, wherein said agreement contains indemnification provisions in favor of the Metropolitan Council.