[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 66 (Tuesday, April 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18046-18049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7699]


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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) 2004 for the Rural Housing 
Demonstration Program. For FY 2004, RHS has set aside $2 million for 
the Innovative Demonstration Initiatives. The Agency is soliciting and 
accepting proposals from individuals for the Housing Demonstration 
program under section 506(b) of title V of the Housing Act of 1949, 
which 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: April 6, 2004.

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

[[Page 18047]]

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.
    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 by the Rural Development 
State Director 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 
website 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.
    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, 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.
    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 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.

[[Page 18048]]

    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 19, 2004.
Arthur A. Garcia,
Administrator.
    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 & 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
    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, 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, P. O. 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.
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 & New Hampshire
    City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 
828-6000.

[[Page 18049]]

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. 04-7699 Filed 4-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-U