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23 In 2000 & 2004 the Council awarded Inclusionary Housing Account (IHA) grants totaling almost $4.6 million (13 grants to 8 communities) to assist with gap financing for projects that were expected to: • Include $125 million in total development investment • Help develop 134 new affordable condominiums and townhomes • Help develop 578 new rental units -271 of which are affordable to lower income households Total LCA Awards From 1996 through 2009, the Metropolitan Council awarded a total of $198,731,459 in 578 grants and loans. Over 90% of these LCA awards have been used to move forward to completion projects that have leveraged over $9 billion in private and other public investment, created over 24,000 housing units and nearly 31,000 jobs while adding over $62 million to the metro area tax base. During this timeframe, 52 awards have been relinquished in full or in the majority, for a net award total of $175,682,248 in 526 grants. Applicant Eligibility In order to be eligible to compete for this funding, the LCA requires interested communities to: negotiate long-term affordable and lifecycle housing goals with the Metropolitan Council; have in place an LCA Housing Action Plan to identify and give direction to the city's use of programs, official controls and fiscal devices to help accomplish these negotiated goals; and contribute toward or expend locally a specified amount of local resources for affordable housing each year they participate in the program. This contribution, or expenditure, is called the Affordable and Life -Cycle Housing Opportunities Amount (ALHOA) and is an amount equal to the community's Livable Communities Demonstration Account levy. Communities must expend or contribute at least 85% of their annual ALHOA obligation annually. Communities have some flexibility in determining which local expenditures fulfill the ALHOA contribution. Examples of ALHOA-qualifying expenditures include housing assistance, development or rehabilitation efforts, the costs of local housing inspection and code enforcement, and local taxes to support a local or county Housing and Redevelopment Authority. Conclusion The Livable Communities Act funding has been a valuable tool to help metropolitan area communities: Build stronger communities through infill redevelopment of brownfields, tax base growth, and new jobs Provide neighborhoods throughout the region with more housing opportunities linked to a mix of neighborhood retail and commercial services, and public spaces Increase public/private investment to develop, improve, and preserve affordable and lifecycle housing (This document was adapted by Livable Communities staff on 6-21-10 from a document prepared for the 2009 American Planning Association Conference entitled Twin Cities Livable Communities Projects) The Livable Communities Act