[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40013-40014]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17857]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5630-N-10]


Rental Assistance Demonstration: Notice of Increase in Cap and 
Rent Setting

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing 
and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing-Federal Housing 
Commissioner, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice addresses the increase in the number of public 
housing units that may be awarded competitively under HUD's Rental 
Assistance Demonstration (RAD). It serves as notification to Public 
Housing Authorities (PHAs) that have submitted Letters of Interest 
(LOI) to reserve their position on the RAD waiting list that they are 
eligible for award under this expansion if they submit a complete RAD 
Application, Portfolio Award, or Multi-phase Award for the number of 
units identified in their LOI within 60 days of the publication of this 
notice. Awards are subject to existing eligibility and selection 
criteria; HUD is not changing such criteria with this notice. For CHAPs 
issued beyond the 185,000-

[[Page 40014]]

unit cap (i.e., between 185,001 and 225,000 units), and for any 
replacement awards made as a result of revocations or withdrawals that 
occur after May 5, 2017, HUD will use rent levels based on FY 2016 
public housing funding levels (FY16 RAD rent base year). Finally, for 
all existing and future Multi-phase Awards, this notice modifies the 
latest possible date for PHAs to submit an application for the final 
phase of the project covered by the Multi-phase Award to September 30, 
2020.

DATES: For PHAs that can be awarded as a result of the expansion, the 
60-day period to submit complete RAD Applications, Portfolio Award, or 
Multi-phase Award for the number of units identified in their LOI in 
compliance with Section 1.9 of PIH 2012-32/H 2017-03 Rev-3 begins on 
the date of this publication in the Federal Register. This notice is 
effective on August 23, 2017 and the 60-day period ends on October 23, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit questions or 
comments electronically to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To assure a timely response, please 
direct requests for further information electronically to the email 
address [email protected]. Written requests may also be directed to the 
following address: Office of Housing--Office of Recapitalization; 
Department of Housing and Urban Development; 451 7th Street SW., Room 
6230, Washington, DC 20410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On May 5, 2017, section 239 of Title II, Division K--
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, of 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31) (2017 
Appropriations Act), amended the RAD statute, as authorized in Title 
II, Division C, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing 
Appropriations Act, 2012, (Pub. L. 112-55) by increasing the unit cap 
from 185,000 units to 225,000 units and extending the period for 
project applications until September 30, 2020 under the RAD First 
Component, which allows for the conversion of assistance under the 
public housing program to long-term, renewable assistance under Section 
8.\1\ The most recent version of the RAD program notice, Rental 
Assistance Demonstration--Final Implementation, Revision 3 notice (PIH 
2012-32 (HA) H 2017-03, REV-3), was published on January 12, 2017 and 
can be found on RAD's Web site, www.hud.gov/RAD. Its publication was 
announced on January 19, 2017 at 82 FR 6615.
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    \1\ The RAD statutory requirements were amended by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Pub. L. 113-76, signed 
January 17, 2014) (2014 Appropriations Act), the Consolidated and 
Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235, signed 
December 16, 2014) (2015 Appropriations Act), the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113, signed December 18, 2015) 
(2016 Appropriations Act) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2017 (Pub. L. 115-31, signed May 4, 2017). The statutory provisions 
of the 2012 Appropriations Act pertaining to RAD, as amended, are 
referred to as the RAD statute in this notice.
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II. RAD Unit Cap Increase and Rent Setting

    On May 5, 2017, the 2017 Appropriations Act amended the RAD statute 
by increasing the unit cap from 185,000 units to 225,000 units and 
extending the period for project applications until September 30, 2020. 
Per the RAD statute, HUD must select properties from applications for 
conversion as part of RAD through a competitive process. HUD will use 
the existing waiting list. Awards are subject to existing eligibility 
or selection criteria; HUD is not changing such criteria with this 
notice. These criteria are described in the Rental Assistance 
Demonstration--Final Implementation, Revision 3 notice (PIH 2012-32 
(HA) H 2017-03, REV-3) issued on January 12, 2017. This notice 
announces the following:
    1. HUD is now able to award RAD authority to certain projects where 
PHAs have submitted LOI to reserve their position on the RAD waiting 
list and have also submitted a complete RAD Application, Portfolio 
Award request, or Multi-phase Award request for the number of units 
identified in their LOI within 60 days of the publication of this 
notice. By an email sent on or before the effective date of this 
notice, HUD will identify and notify each PHA that may submit an 
application or request for an award as a result of the expansion. 
Failure to make a complete submission for the reserved units (that is, 
submit a complete application or request) within 60 days of the 
publication of this notice will result in a forfeiture of the PHA's 
position on the waiting list.
    2. HUD will fully allocate any remaining authority under the 
previously authorized 185,000-unit statutory cap to replace any 
withdrawn or revoked awards with new awards selected from the waiting 
list. HUD will use rent levels based on the FY14 RAD rent base year for 
replacement awards made under the 185,000-unit cap as a result of 
revocations or withdrawals that occurred prior to May 5, 2017. HUD will 
use rent levels based on the FY16 RAD rent base year for those CHAPs to 
be issued beyond the 185,000-unit cap (i.e., between 185,001 and 
225,000 units) and for any replacement awards made as a result of 
revocations or withdrawals that occur after May 5, 2017. Rent levels 
are also subject to the rent setting limitations detailed in the Rental 
Assistance Demonstration--Final Implementation, Revision 3 notice (PIH 
2012-32 (HA) H 2017-03, REV-3) issued on January 12, 2017.
    3. For all Multi-phase Awards issued after May 5, 2017, PHAs will 
have until September 30, 2020, to submit an application for the final 
phase of the project covered by the Multi-phase Award. For any Multi-
phase Awards issued prior to May 5, 2017, HUD may approve extensions up 
to September 30, 2020 on a case-by-case basis.

III. Finding of No Significant Impact

    A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect to the 
environment has been made in accordance with HUD regulations in 24 CFR 
part 50, which implemented section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)). The FONSI is 
available for public inspection during regular business hours in the 
Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW., Room 10276, Washington, DC 
20410-0500. Due to security measures at the HUD Headquarters building, 
please schedule an appointment to review the FONSI by calling the 
Regulations Division at (202) 708-3055 (this is not a toll-free 
number). Individuals with speech or hearing impairments may access this 
number via TTY by calling the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

    Dated: August 18, 2017.
Dominique G. Blom,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.
Dana T. Wade,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing.
[FR Doc. 2017-17857 Filed 8-22-17; 8:45 am]
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