1011 Summary notice for the draft substantial amendment to the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan and 2014 Action Plan and availability of the 2015 Action Plan

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Summary Notice for the Draft Substantial Amendment to the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan and 2014 Action Plan and Availability of the 2015 Action Plan

[45 Pa.B. 2617]
[Saturday, May 30, 2015]

 The Department of Community and Economic Development (Department) proposes to amend the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan and 2014 Action Plan (Plan) and adopt the Commonwealth's Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2015 Action Plan. The Plan is submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the annual application for Federal funds administered by the Commonwealth. The HUD funding programs covered by the Plan and administered by the Department are the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME), the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs, Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) and Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). The Department of Health administers the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, which is also included in the Plan.

 This summary is designed to provide an opportunity for citizens, local governmental officials and interested organizations of this Commonwealth to comment about the Plan. Comments may be electronically submitted to RA-DCEDcdbg&[e-mail]. Written comments should be submitted to Megan L. Snyder, Center for Community Financing, Department of Community and Economic Development, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Commonwealth Keystone Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. Electronic and written comments must be received by close of business at 4 p.m. on June 29, 2015, to be included as testimony in the Plan.

Purpose

 The Plan takes the strategy developed in the Consolidated Plan and applies it to the administration of the CDBG, HOME, ESG, CDBG-DR, NSP and HOPWA programs for 2015. HUD must approve the Plan for the Commonwealth to receive funding under the identified HUD programs.

Content

 The Substantial Amendment for the Consolidated Plan for FFY 2014-2018 and the 2014 Plan will include changes in the Method of Distribution for the HOME Program and addition of a new region under the HOPWA administration. In addition the Citizen Participation Plan process is being updated to meet the needs of the electronic age of communication and eliminating the often costly and less effective newspaper advertising. The 2015 Plan will include the Methods of Distribution for all Federal programs, as well as the goals and outcomes expected during the 2015 calendar year. Besides the Department's web site, the approved Plan will be able to be viewed on HUD's web site at www.HUD.gov.

Public Review

 The Substantial Amendment to the Consolidated Plan for 2014-2018 and the 2014 Plan along with the 2015 Plan are available on the web or in hardcopy for public comment May 30, 2015, through June 29, 2015, at the following locations:

 1. County Offices, the Department's regional offices, and this Commonwealth's 27 district libraries: Call [phone] for the locations.

 CD copies of the Substantial Amendment or Plan, or both, can be obtained by calling [phone].

 2. The Draft Substantial Amendment and 2015 Plan can be viewed on the web at www.newPA.com. The final plan will be made available again at these same locations following HUD approval.

Written Comments

 Comments may be electronically submitted to RA-DCEDcdbg&[e-mail]. Written comments should be submitted to Megan L. Snyder, Center for Community Financing, Department of Community and Economic Development, 400 North Street, 4th Floor, Commonwealth Keystone Building, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225. Written comments must be received by close of business at 4 p.m. on June 30, 2014, to be included as testimony in the Plan.

Public Hearings

 Public hearings were held to take citizen comments on the needs, discuss the proposed substantial amendment to the 2014-2018 Consolidated Plan and 2014 Plan and possible uses of the 2015 funds. The onsite meetings were held in the Department's respective regions and on the dates listed as follows:

Area: Northwest/Southwest Date: January 7, 2015	Area: Northeast Date: January 12, 2015
Area: Central Date: January 13, 2015	Area Southeast—  by web-based  meeting format Date: January 15, 2015

 Another meeting is scheduled for June 17, 2015, from 1 p.m.—2 p.m. The public hearing will be conducted electronically by means of the Internet. The format will be more accessible in that persons who wish to make a comment or discuss policy may participate directly from their personal computer or from any computer location that has Internet access, such as a public library or by telephone.

 Individuals or organizations may give testimony or comments by means of the Internet. Comments will be accepted about topics related to community development, housing, homelessness and economic development and the content of the Commonwealth's Substantial Amendment, Action Plan for FFY 2015 or the 2014 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, or both, and the process by which the public input is gathered. The Commonwealth encourages public participation in this process.

 Anyone who wishes to participate must register in advance. Contact Jonathan Cherry at RA-DCEDcdbg&[e-mail] to receive registration instructions for the web meeting at least 24 hours prior to the meeting date. During the hearing, if support is required, call [phone].

 Anyone who has a disability and wishes to attend the public hearing should contact Megan L. Snyder, 4th Floor, Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0225, [phone] or TDD [phone], to discuss how the Department can accommodate their needs. This must be done at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.

DENNIS M. DAVIN, 
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 15-1011. Filed for public inspection May 29, 2015, 9:00 a.m.]