Funding Opportunity – 2013 Municipal Planning Grants!!

Dear Municipal Officials,

Many of you continue to recover from the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene and from the prolonged economic recession while adapting to on-going changes facing your community.  More than ever, we see the need for effective and participatory land use planning in Vermont, so it is with great pleasure that we announce the availability of Municipal Planning Grants (MPGs) once again this year.

Approximately $400,000 will be offered in grants this year to help Vermont municipalities address their land use challenges.  Applications need to be submitted online by September 28, 2012.  Please see FY13 MPG Program Description for details.  Grant priorities for this round include:

  1. Bylaw updates intended to correct clear conflicts with the municipal plan, and to address smart growth principles.
  2. Infrastructure planning in support of compact centers and smart growth (including detailed master plans for villages/downtowns).
  3. Updating or amending a municipal plan to address inconsistencies with statewide planning goals or the regional plan.
  4. Planning and implementation for achieving greater flood resiliency including integrating river corridor planning with hazard mitigation plans, fluvial erosion hazard mapping and bylaws, etc.

The online application system is now ready for use, but we strongly recommend that you first develop your project off-line.  The Department’s new website provides step-by-step instructions for getting started with your MPG application.

Wendy Tudor, our MPG administrator, will be happy to assist you. Please feel free to contact her at: wendy.tudor@state.vt.us or 802-828-5249.

We appreciate your hard work in making Vermont communities stronger and more resilient and look forward to assisting you through the Municipal Planning Grants and our other programs.

Sincerely,

Noelle Mackay, Commissioner
Department of Economic, Housing and Community Development (DEHCD)
Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD)

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