[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 121 (Tuesday, June 24, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37453-37455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15920]



[[Page 37453]]

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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 funding for the rural housing demonstration program.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces the availability of 
housing loan funds for Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 for the Rural Housing 
Demonstration Program. For FY 2003, RHS has set aside $1 million for 
the Innovative Demonstration Initiatives. The Agency 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 to low income borrowers to purchase innovative housing 
units and systems that 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: June 24, 2003.

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, 42 U.S.C. 1476, authorizes a housing 
demonstration program that could result in housing that these families 
can afford. Section 506(b) imposes 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. Grant funds for these proposals are not authorized.
    Rural Development State Directors are authorized in FY 2003 to 
accept demonstration concept proposals from individuals.
    The objective of the demonstration programs is to test new 
approaches to constructing housing under the statutory authority 
granted to the Secretary of Agriculture. Rural Development will review 
each application for completeness and accuracy. Some demonstration 
proposals may not be completely consistent with 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 innovative housing 
units and systems should be creative, affordable, durable, energy 
efficient, and include a diversity of housing types. Examples of 
eligible proposals include, but are not limited to: new or improved 
energy-savings houses, roofing that cools, building techniques that cut 
costs and improve the quality of rural housing
    The Equal Credit Opportunity Act and Title VIII of the Civil Rights 
Act of 1968 provide 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 disability. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 
Rural Development makes reasonable accommodations to permit persons 
with disabilities to apply for agency programs. Executive Order 12898 
requires the Agency to conduct a Civil Rights Impact Analysis on each 
project prior to loan approval. Also, the requirements of Executive 
Order 11246 are applicable regarding equal employment opportunity when 
the proposed contract exceeds $10,000.
    Completed applications that have 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 was 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, technical management requirements, Proposal 
Content and Criteria and further information may be obtained from the 
Rural Development State office in each state. (See the State Office 
address list at the end of this notice or access the Web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/recd_map.html.) Applicants submitting an 
incomplete application 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.
    1. 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.
    1. Efficiency in the use of materials and labor, with respect to 
cost in place, conservation of materials, and the effective use of 
labor skills. Potential for use in the Mutual Self-Help Housing program 
will be considered.
    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.

[[Page 37454]]

    The State Director will send an acceptable proposal 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 
Demonstration program are available for section 502 single family 
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 or other purchaser 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: June 13, 2003.
James E. Selmon III,
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, (720) 544-2903.

Delaware and Maryland

PO Box 400, 4607 S. DuPont Highway, Camden, DE 19934-9998, (302) 697-
4300.

Florida and 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

2118 W. Park Court, Suite A, Champaign, IL 61821, (217) 403-6222, (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, 1303 SW First American Place, Suite 100, Topeka, KS 66604, 
(785) 271-2700.

Kentucky

Suite 200, 771 Corporate Drive, Lexington, KY 40503, (859) 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, Connecticut, 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

2100 California Street, Carson City, NV 89701-5336, (775) 887-1222.

New Jersey

Tarnsfield Plaza, Suite 22, 800 Midlantic Drive, Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054, 
(856) 787-7700.

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.

[[Page 37455]]

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, PR 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, 125 S. State Street, Room 4311, 
Post Office Box 11350, Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0350, (801) 524-4320.

Vermont and 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. 03-15920 Filed 6-23-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P