OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE HOUSING AND COMMUNITIES

The Livable Communities Act is legislation sponsored by Senator Dodd and others. The intent of this legislation is to have the federal government guide or influence how local communities are developed in the future. This seemingly innocent 63-page bill has far reaching ramifications in how land is developed in the future. To implement the legislation, government has to add people. Stated as follows:

There is established in the Department (HUD) an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, which shall—
(1) coordinate Federal policies and initiatives that foster livable communities, including
(A) encouraging sustainable development at the State, regional, and local levels;
(B) encouraging the development of comprehensive regional plans;
(C) fostering energy-efficient communities and housing;
(D) providing affordable, location-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities, particularly for low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families; and
(E) working with the Federal Transit Administration of the Department of Transportation to—
      (i) encourage transit-oriented development; and
      (ii) coordinate Federal housing, community development, and transportation policies;

(2) conduct research and advise the Secretary on the research agenda of the Department relating to sustainable development;

(3) provide administrative support for participation by the Secretary in the activities of the Council;

(4) implement and oversee the grant programs established under this Act by—
(A) developing grant applications for each grant program;
(B) promulgating regulations relating to each grant program;
(C) selecting recipients of grants under each grant program;
(D) creating performance measures for recipients of grants under each grant program;
(E) developing technical assistance and other guidance to assist recipients of grants and potential applicants for grants under each grant program;
(F) monitoring and evaluating the performance of recipients of grants under each grant program; and
(G) carrying out such other activities relating to the administration of the grant programs under this Act as the Secretary determines are necessary;

(5) provide guidance, information on best practices, and technical assistance to communities seeking to adopt sustainable development policies and practices;

(6) provide guidance and technical assistance to communities seeking to prepare applications for the comprehensive planning grant program under section 7;

(7) administer initiatives of the Department relating to the policies described in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary; and

(8) coordinate with and conduct outreach to other Federal agencies, including the Federal Transit Administration of the Department of Transportation and the Office of Smart Growth of the Environmental Protection Agency, on sustainability issues.