[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15215-15217]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6556]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Housing Demonstration Program

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA).

ACTION: Notice of fund availability for the Rural Housing Demonstration 
Program.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces the availability of 
housing funds for fiscal year (FY) 2001 for the Rural Housing 
Demonstration Program. For FY 2001, RHS has set aside $3 million for 
the Innovative Demonstration Initiatives and is soliciting proposals 
for a Housing Demonstration program under section 506(b) of title V of 
the Housing Act of 1949. Under section 506(b), RHS may provide loans 
for innovative housing units and systems which do not meet existing 
published standards, rules, regulations, or policies. The intended 
effect is to increase the availability of affordable Rural Housing (RH) 
for low-income families through innovative designs and systems.

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 16, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gloria L. Denson, Senior Loan 
Specialist, Single Family Housing Direct Loan Division, RHS, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, STOP 0783, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-0783, Telephone (202) 720-1474. (This is not a 
toll free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under current standards, regulations, and 
policies, some low-income rural families lack sufficient income to 
qualify for loans to obtain adequate housing. Section 506(b) of title V 
of the Housing Act of 1949, authorizes a housing demonstration program 
that could result in housing that these families can afford. The 
Congress of the United States made two conditions: (1) That the health 
and safety of the population of the areas in which the demonstrations 
are carried out will not be adversely affected, and (2) that the 
aggregate expenditures for the demonstration may not exceed $10 million 
in any fiscal year.
    Rural Development State Directors are authorized in FY 2001 to 
accept demonstration concept proposals from nonprofit and for profit 
organizations.
    The objective of the demonstration programs is to test new 
approaches to offering housing under the statutory authority granted to 
the Secretary of Agriculture. Rural Development will be required to 
review each application for completeness and accuracy; however, some 
demonstration programs may or may not be consistent with some of the 
provisions of our 7 CFR part 3550-Direct Single Family Housing Loans 
and Grants regulation. Under section 506(b) of the Housing Act of 1949, 
the Agency may provide loans for innovative housing design units and 
systems which do not meet existing published standards, rules, 
regulations, or policies.
    The Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Title VIII provides that a 
program such as this be administered affirmatively so that individuals 
of similar low-income levels in the housing market area have housing 
choices available to them regardless of their race, color, religion, 
sex, national origin, familial status and handicap. Under Section 504 
of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 we must make reasonable 
accommodations to permit a person with disabilities to apply for the 
benefit from agency programs. Executive Order 12898 requires our Agency 
to conduct a Civil Rights Impact Analysis on each project prior to 
eligibility/loan approval. Also, the requirements of Executive Order 
11246 are applicable regarding equal employment opportunity when the 
proposed contract exceeds $10,000.
    A completed application which has been determined to carry out the 
objectives of the program will be considered on a first come, first 
served basis based on the date a completed application is submitted. An 
application is considered complete only if the ``Application for 
Approval of Housing Innovation'' is complete in content, contains 
information related to the criteria and all applicable additional 
information required by the application form has been provided. All 
application packages must be in accordance with the technical 
management requirements and address the criteria in the Proposal 
Content. The application, Proposal Content and Criteria, and further 
information may be obtained from the Rural Development State office in 
your area. (See the State Office address list at the end of this notice 
or access the website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html. 
Organizations that submit incomplete applications will be advised in 
writing of additional information needed for continued processing.
    The following evaluation factors will not be weighted and are non-
competitive. RHS, in its analysis of the proposals received, will 
consider whether the proposals will carry out the objectives of this 
demonstration effort in accordance with the following criteria:

A. Housing Unit Concept

    1. A proposal must be well beyond the ``idea'' state. Sufficient 
testing must have been completed to demonstrate its feasibility. The 
proposal must be judged ready for full scale field testing in a rural 
setting.
    2. Ability of the housing unit to provide for the protection of 
life, property, and for the safety and welfare of the consumer, general 
public and occupants through the design, construction, quality of 
materials, use, and maintenance of the housing unit.
    3. Flexibility of the housing units in relation to varying types of 
housing and varying site considerations.
    4. Flexibility of the housing unit concept, insofar as it provides 
the ability to adjust or modify unit size and arrangements, either 
during design or after construction.
    5. Efficiency in the use of materials and labor, with respect to 
cost in place, the conservation of materials, and the effective use of 
labor skills. Potential for Self-Help Technical Assistance Grant 
applications.
    6. Selection of materials for durability and ease of maintenance.
    7. Concepts for the effective use of land and development.

B. Organization Capabilities

    1. The experience and ``know-how'' of the proposed organization or 
individual to implement construction of the housing unit concept in 
relation to the requirements of RHS's housing programs.
    2. The management structure and organization of the proposer.
    3. The quality and diversity of management and professional talent 
proposed as ``key individuals.''
    4. The management plan of how this effort will be conducted.

C. Cost and Price Analysis

    1. The level of costs which are proposed, as they may compare with 
other proposals and be considered realistic for the efforts planned. 
Also, the quantity and level of detail in the information supplied.
    2. Projected cost of ``housing in place,'' with particular 
reference to housing for very low and low-income families.
    An acceptable proposal will be sent by the State Director to the 
National office for concurrence by the RHS Administrator before the 
State Director may approve it. If the proposal is not selected, the 
State Director will so notify the applicant in writing, giving specific 
reasons why the proposal was not selected. The funds for the RH

[[Page 15216]]

Demonstration program are section 502 single family housing funds and 
are available to housing applicants who wish to purchase an approved 
demonstration dwelling. Funds cannot be reserved or guaranteed under 
the demonstration housing concept. There is no guarantee that a market 
exists for demonstration dwellings, and this does not ensure that an 
eligible loan applicant will be available for such a section 502 RH 
dwelling. If there is no available RHS eligible loan applicant, the RH 
demonstration program applicant will have to advance funds to complete 
the construction of the demonstration housing, with the risk that there 
may be no RHS applicant from which the builder will recover his or her 
development and construction costs.
    This program or activity is listed in the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance under No. 10.410. For the reasons contained in 7 
CFR part 3015, subpart V and RD Instruction 1940-J, ``Intergovernmental 
Review of Rural Development Programs and Activities,'' this program or 
activity is excluded from the scope of Executive Order 12372, which 
requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials.
    All interested parties must make a written request for a proposal 
package. The request must be made to the State Director in the State in 
which the proposal will be submitted; RHS will not be liable for any 
expenses incurred by respondents in the development and submission of 
applications.
    The reporting requirements contained in this notice have been 
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Control 
Number 0575-0114.

    Dated: March 12, 2001.
James C. Alsop,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service
    The following is an address list of Rural Development State Offices 
across the nation:
Alabama
    Sterling Centre, 4121 Carmichael Road, Suite 601, Montgomery, AL 
36106-3683, (334) 279-3400
Alaska
    Suite 201, 800 W. Evergreen, Palmer, AK 99645-6539, (907) 761-7705
Arizona
    Phoenix Corporate Center, 3003 N. Central Avenue, Suite 900, 
Phoenix, AZ 85012-2906, (602) 280-8700
Arkansas
    Room 3416, 700 W. Capitol, Little Rock, AR 72201-3225, (501) 301-
3200
California
    Agency 4169, 430 G Street, Davis, CA 95616-4169, (530) 792-5800
Colorado
Room E100, 655 Parfet Street, Lakewood, CO 80215, (303) 236-2801
Delaware & Maryland
    PO Box 400, 4607 S. DuPont Highway, Camden, DE 19934-9998, (302) 
697-4300
Florida & Virgin Islands
    PO Box 147010, 4440 NW 25th Place, Gainesville, FL 32614-7010, 
(352) 338-3400
Georgia
    Stephens Federal Building, 355 E. Hancock Avenue, Athens, GA 30601-
2768, (706) 546-2162
Hawaii
    Room 311, Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, 
(808) 933-8309
Idaho
    Suite A1, 9173 W. Barnes Drive, Boise, ID 83709, (208) 378-5600
Illinois
    Illini Plaza, Suite 103, 1817 S. Neil Street, Champaign, IL 61820, 
(217) 398-5235, (217) 398-5412 for automated answer
Indiana
    5975 Lakeside Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46278, (317) 290-3100
Iowa
    873 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, 
(515) 284-4663
Kansas
    PO Box 4653, 1200 SW Executive Drive, Topeka, KS 66604, (785) 271-
2700
Kentucky
    Suite 200, 771 Corporate Drive, Lexington, KY 40503, (606) 224-7300
Louisiana
    3727 Government Street, Alexandria, LA 71302, (318) 473-7920
Maine
    PO Box 405, 967 Illinois Avenue, Suite 4, Bangor, ME 04402-0405, 
(207) 990-9110
Massachusetts, Conn, Rhode Island
    451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 253-4300
Michigan
    Suite 200, 3001 Coolidge Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, (517) 324-
5100
Minnesota
    410 AgriBank Building, 375 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN 55101-1853, 
(651) 602-7800
Mississippi
    Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 W. Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 
39269, (601) 965-4316
Missouri
    Parkade Center, Suite 235, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Columbia, MO 
65203, (573) 876-0976
Montana
    Unit 1, Suite B, PO Box 850, 900 Technology Boulevard, Bozeman, MT 
59715, (406) 585-2580
Nebraska
    Federal Building, Room 152, 100 Centennial Mall N, Lincoln, NE 
68508, (402) 437-5551
Nevada
    1390 S. Curry Street, Carson City, NV 89703-9910, (775) 887-1222
New Jersey
    Tarnsfield Plaza, Suite 22, 790 Woodlane Road, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060, 
(609) 265-3600
New Mexico
    Room 255, 6200 Jefferson Street, NE, Albuquerque, NM 87109, (505) 
761-4950
New York
    The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 S. Salina Street, Suite 357, 
Syracuse, NY 13202-2541, (315) 477-6400
North Carolina
    Suite 260, 4405 Bland Road, Raleigh, NC 27609, (919) 873-2000
North Dakota
    Federal Building, Room 208, 220 East Rosser, PO Box 1737, Bismarck, 
ND 58502-1737, (701) 530-2044
Ohio
    Federal Building, Room 507, 200 N. High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-
2418, (614) 255-2400
Oklahoma
    Suite 108, 100 USDA, Stillwater, OK 74074-2654, (405) 742-1000
Oregon
    Suite 1410, 101 SW Main, Portland, OR 97204-3222, (503) 414-3300
Pennsylvania
    Suite 330, One Credit Union Place, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 
237-2299
Puerto Rico
    IBM Building-Suite 601, 654 Munos Rivera Avenue, Hato Rey, Puerto 
Rico 00918-6106, (787) 766-5095
South Carolina
    Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835 Assembly Street, Room 1007, 
Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 765-5163
South Dakota
    Federal Building, Room 210, 200 Fourth Street, SW, Huron, SD 57350, 
(605) 352-1100
Tennessee
    Suite 300, 3322 W. End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203-1084, (615) 783-
1300
Texas
    Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 S. Main, Temple, TX 76501, (254) 
742-9700
Utah
    Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building,

[[Page 15217]]

125 S. State Street, Room 4311, Post Office Box 11350, Salt Lake City, 
UT 84147-0350, (801) 524-4320
Vermont & New Hampshire
    City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 
828-6000
Virginia
    Culpeper Building, Suite 238,
    1606 Santa Rosa Road,
    Richmond, VA 23229,
    (804) 287-1550
Washington
    Suite B,
    1835 Black Lake Blvd., SW,
    Olympia, WA 98512-5715,
    (360) 704-7740
West Virginia
    Federal Building, Room 320,
    75 High Street,
    Morgantown, WV 26505-7500,
    (304) 284-4860
Wisconsin
    4949 Kirschling Court,
    Stevens Point, WI 54481,
    (715) 345-7600
Wyoming
    Federal Building, Room 1005,
    100 East B, PO Box 820,
    Casper, WY 82602,
    (307) 261-6300

[FR Doc. 01-6556 Filed 3-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P