Strategic Growth Council Approves $32.4 million through Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program
Special Fall Round of Funding Awards Eight Additional Projects
SACRAMENTO – December 22, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — The California Strategic Growth Council today unanimously approved $32.4 million in competitive grants and loans to eight housing and transit-friendly infrastructure projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
Today’s awards are part of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, which is being implemented by the Department of Housing and Community Development in coordination with the Strategic Growth Council and California Air Resources Board. California Climate Investments are programs funded by the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund using proceeds from the state’s cap-and-trade auctions.
“With the entire world focused on reducing the risks posed by climate change, the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program comes at a pivotal time,” said HCD Acting Director, Susan Lea Riggs. “There is an urgent need to take actions to mitigate climate change, and we’re proud to be part of an innovative and effective solution.”
These grants and loans help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting more compact, infill development patterns, encouraging active transportation and transit usage as an alternative to driving.
“We are pleased to award these eight projects that will continue to advance sustainable communities and reduce greenhouse gases in California while achieving important environmental, economic, public health and other community benefits,” said Randall Winston, Executive Director of the Strategic Growth Council.
These project awards represent the second round of funding through the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program. On June 30, 2015, the first round of funding awarded 28 projects with approximately $122 million.
For more information on the scoring criteria and the justification for these awards, please visit the Strategic Growth Council webpage (www.sgc.ca.gov), under the Council Meetings heading.
In 2014, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed the Budget Act of 2014, which appropriated $832 million in cap-and-trade auction proceeds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen communities, and improve quality-of-life. The final 2015-2016 budget for the program is still being finalized, to be released early in 2016.
A complete list of selected projects can be found at:
https://www.sgc.ca.gov/docs/AHSCFall2015FundedProjectSummary.pdf
For more information on California’s Climate Investments visit:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/cc/capandtrade/auctionproceeds/ggrfprogrampage.htm.
The Strategic Growth Council (the Council, or SGC) was created in 2008 by Senate Bill 732 (Steinberg). The SGC brings together agencies and departments within the Business, Consumer Services and Housing; Transportation; Natural Resources; Health and Human Services; Food and Agriculture; and Environmental Protection Agencies, with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and three public members to coordinate activities that support sustainable communities emphasizing strong economies, social equity and environmental stewardship.
More information on the SGC can be found at www.sgc.ca.gov. More information on the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program can be found here.
http://www.sgc.ca.gov/s_ahscprogram.php
###
Contact: Mackenzie Wieser – 916-650-6902; mackenzie.wieser (at) sgc.ca (dot) gov
Evan Gerberding – 916-263-7408; evan.gerberding (at) hcd.ca (dot) gov
