Northeast Ohio Awarded $4.25 Million HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant

History was made today in the boardroom of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA), as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that Northeast Ohio will receive $4.25 million as part of the new federal Sustainable Communities Initiative. The grant will be used to develop a cooperative regional sustainability plan addressing equitable housing, land use, transportation, community development, water and sewer infrastructure, and economic development issues for a 12-county planning area.

These grants are part of the Obama Administration’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which brings HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency together to ensure that the agencies’ policies, programs, and funding collectively consider affordable housing, transportation, and environmental protection. Northeast Ohio is one of 45 regions selected for funding nationwide.

NOACA submitted the grant application on behalf of the Northeast Ohio Consortium for a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development, comprised of 21 public and private sector organizations. The Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of philanthropy in Northeast Ohio, took the lead in organizing the consortium and funding consultant work on the application. The George Gund Foundation in Cleveland, the Raymond John Wean Foundation in Warren, the Nord Family Foundation in Lorain County, the Community Foundation in Lorain County, and the Stark Community Foundation also contributed funds toward preparation of the application.

“This is terrific news for our region,” says NOACA Executive Director Howard R. Maier. “The $4.25 million grant will provide the framework for sustainable planning, economic growth, and livable communities in Northeast Ohio. We are pleased to be part of this exciting and historic opportunity to move the region forward. We have already succeeded by having so many organizations be part of this process. Many thanks go to the Fund for Our Economic Future for their vision and proactive role in this effort.”

The twelve counties included in the plan are: Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Mahoning, Medina, Portage, Summit, Stark, Trumbull and Wayne. Northeast Ohio Consortium for a Regional Plan for Sustainable Development Partners:

• Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA)
• Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS)
• Eastgate Regional Council of Governments (Eastgate)
• Stark County Regional Planning Commission/Stark County Area Transportation Study (RPC/SCATS)
• Cuyahoga County
• Lorain County
• Mahoning County
• Stark County
• Summit County
• Trumbull County
• City of Akron
• City of Canton
• City of Cleveland
• City of Warren
• City of Youngstown
• Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Cleveland State University Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
• Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority
• Fund for Our Economic Future
• Regional Prosperity Initiative
• Stark Metropolitan Housing Authority