The Texas Department of Agriculture is seeking applications for its 2022 Rural Economic Development Downtown Revitalization Program.
Donor Name: Texas Department of Agriculture
State: Texas
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 07/08/2022
Size of the Grant: $500,000
Details:
The DRP program objective is to provide infrastructure improvements to address the conditions that contribute to the deterioration in an area designated as slum or blighted in the applicant community’s downtown or main street area.
Funding Information
- This represents the minimum and maximum amount that may be requested/awarded for a project. These amounts apply to any project funded under the Downtown Revitalization Program.
- Minimum $250,000
- Maximum $500,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants are non-entitlement general purpose units of local government including cities and counties that are not participating or designated as eligible to participate in the entitlement portion of the federal Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG). Non-entitlement cities that are not participating in urban county programs through existing participation agreements are eligible applicants (unless the city’s population is counted towards the urban county CDBG allocation).
- Non-entitlement cities are located predominately in rural areas and are cities with populations less than 50,000 thousand persons; cities that are not designated as a central city of a metropolitan statistical area; and cites that are not participating in urban county programs. Non-entitlement counties are also predominately rural in nature and are counties that generally have fewer than 200,000 persons in the non-entitlement cities and unincorporated areas located in the county.
- Eligible Downtown Revitalization Applicants
- Eligible applicants must be an incorporated municipality and not be designated as an official Texas Historical Commission Main Street City. To determine eligibility of a particular city, contact TDA. The city is responsible for the administration and success of the project throughout the term of the contract.
- All proposed infrastructure improvements to be funded by the TxCDBG Program must be located on public property within the designated downtown district. Typically, a downtown district will meet 2 or more of the following:
- The city’s historic area of commerce
- May be the area around the courthouse or city square;
- Commercial area for the community
- Buildings of historical significance, but not primarily residential
- Must be areas included in or contiguous to the economic center of the community; and
- The retail area for the community that does not include single-family dwellings.
- Eligible Main Street Revitalization Applicants
- Eligible applicants must be an incorporated municipality with a designation as an official Texas Historical Commission Main Street City prior to applying to TxCDBG and must remain a participating city for the duration of the award/contract. To determine eligibility of a particular city, contact TDA. The city is responsible for the administration and success of the project throughout the term of the contract.
- All proposed infrastructure improvements to be funded by the TxCDBG Program must be located on public property within the designated Main Street area.
Eligible Activities
TxCDBG monies are only available for public infrastructure improvements or activities explicitly needed to eliminate slum and blight conditions in the downtown or main street area. For all proposed uses, requested funds may not exceed the minimum necessary to meet the needs of the area. Reference TxCDBG Guide to National Program Objective for detailed guidance on eligible activities. Funds may be provided for the following activities IF they address the existing blighted conditions:
- Sidewalks and lighting;
- Activities required to eliminate architectural barriers for the disabled;
- Water and/or sewer lines;
- Road construction/rehabilitation to include curb and gutter and related drainage;
- Natural gas lines and related items;
- Electric power lines and transformers;
- Utilities including natural gas and electric;
- High-speed internet infrastructure with prior approval from TDA;
- Grant administration – up to 16% of TxCDBG funds requested for construction and acquisition activities or $45,000, whichever is less;
- Engineering services– up to 25% of TxCDBG funds requested for construction and acquisition activities or $65,000, whichever is less; or
- Demolition and clearance activity of non-residential structures.
For more information, visit TDA.
