Grants for local planning for housing

(a) Authority The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in this Act referred to as the Secretary), acting through the Assistant Secretary of Housing Innovation, shall carry out a program to make grants under this section to eligible localities for undertaking planning efforts and associated regulatory reforms that address the housing needs of such areas. (b) Eligible localities For purposes of this section, the term eligible locality means a unit of general local government that is located within an urbanized area, as such term is defined by the United States Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. (c) Goals Local plans developed using amounts from grants under this section shall address all of the following goals: (1) Increasing the supply of housing units within the jurisdiction of the grantee or within certain defined areas within such jurisdiction, including neighborhoods around existing or planned transit facilities and job centers. (2) Improving the affordability of the housing supply within the jurisdiction of the grantee or within certain defined areas within such jurisdiction, including neighborhoods around existing or planned transit facilities and job centers. (3) Diversifying the housing supply within the jurisdiction of the grantee or within certain defined areas within such jurisdiction to include more multifamily housing options or newer and less common forms of housing, such as multifamily housing focused on smaller private spaces and more shared amenities, micro-unit housing, housing developments that incorporate co-working spaces, and housing for students. (4) Improving commute times to job sites, reducing congestion, or reducing vehicle miles traveled within the region in which the locality is located. (d) Use The Secretary shall ensure that amounts from a grant under this section shall be used only for costs associated with a housing planning process that addresses the goals in subsection (c), including public outreach, community meetings, preparation of planning documents, and research and studies in support of such planning efforts. (e) Selection The Secretary shall award grants to eligible localities submitting applications under subsection (g) that are selected to receive grants under a competition based on criteria established by the Secretary, which shall include the following criteria: (1) The extent to which the eligible locality outlines a planning process that will facilitate progress toward the goals under subsection (c), including the potential changes or updates to local policies and regulations (such as zoning ordinances, parking requirements, general plans, and specific plans) that such a planning process will aim to affect. (2) The extent to which the eligible locality demonstrates how the planning process will address the needs of the metropolitan region within which the eligible locality is located by providing housing for the existing and projected workforce demand. (3) The extent to which the eligible locality provides details of the planning actions it intends to take, including public outreach activities and actions for consideration for formal policy adoption of planning elements and recommendations. (4) The extent to which the eligible locality specifies a timeline for completion of its planning process, including potential dates for consideration for formal policy adoption by the local governing body. (5) The extent to which the eligible locality demonstrates collaboration with regional planning efforts and coordination with the relevant metropolitan planning organization that manages regional planning for the area within which the locality is located. (f) Limitation on amount A grant under this section for an eligible locality may not exceed $2,000,000. (g) Applications The Secretary shall provide for eligible localities to submit applications to the Secretary for grants under this section, which shall contain such information as the Secretary may require.