99-32959. Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the section 515 Rural Rental Housing Program for Fiscal Year 2000

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 21, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 71604-71607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32959]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the section 515 Rural 
Rental Housing Program for Fiscal Year 2000

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service (RHS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This NOFA announces the timeframe to submit applications for 
section 515 Rural Rental Housing (RRH) loan funds and section 521 
Rental Assistance (RA) for new construction, including applications for 
the nonprofit set-aside for eligible nonprofit entities, the set-aside 
for the most Underserved Counties and Colonias (Cranston-Gonzalez 
National Affordable Housing Act), and the set-aside for Empowerment 
Zones and Enterprise Communities (EZ/ECs) and Rural Economic Area 
Partnership (REAP) communities. This document describes the methodology 
that will be used to distribute funds, the application process, 
submission requirements, and areas of special emphasis or 
consideration.

DATES: The closing deadline for receipt of all applications, including 
those for the set-asides, in response to this NOFA is 5:00 p.m., local 
time for each Rural Development State office on February 22, 2000. The 
application closing deadline is firm as to date and hour. RHS will not 
consider any application that is received after the closing deadline. 
Applicants intending to mail applications must provide sufficient time 
to permit delivery on or before the closing deadline date and time. 
Acceptance by a post office or private mailer does not constitute 
delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage due applications will not be 
accepted.

ADDRESSES: Applicants wishing to apply for assistance must contact the 
Rural Development State office serving the place in which they desire 
to submit an application for rural rental housing to receive further 
information and copies of the application package. Rural Development 
will date and time stamp incoming applications to evidence timely 
receipt, and, upon request, will provide the applicant with a written 
acknowledgment of receipt. A listing of Rural Development State 
offices, their addresses, telephone numbers, and person to contact 
follows:

    Note: Telephone numbers listed are not toll-free.

Alabama State Office, Suite 601, Sterling Centre, 4121 Carmichael 
Road, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683, [phone], TDD [phone], 
James B. Harris

Alaska State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, Palmer, AK 
99645, [phone], TDD [phone], Ron Abbott

Arizona State Office, Phoenix Corporate Center, 3003 N. Central 
Ave., Suite 900, Phoenix, AZ 85012-2906, [phone], TDD (602) 
280-8706, Johnna Vargas

Arkansas State Office, 700 W. Capitol Ave., Rm. 3416, Little Rock, 
AR 72201-3225, [phone], TDD [phone], Cathy Jones

California State Office, 430 G Street, Agency 4169, Davis, CA 95616-
4169, [phone], TDD [phone], Millie Manzanedo

Colorado State Office, 655 Parfet Street, Room E100, Lakewood, CO 
80215, [phone] (ext. 122), TDD [phone], ``Sam'' 
Mitchell

Connecticut
    Served by Massachusetts State Office

Delaware and Maryland State Office, 5201 South Dupont Highway, PO 
Box 400, Camden, DE 19934-9998, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Pat Baker


[[Page 71605]]


Florida & Virgin Islands State Office, 4440 N.W. 25th Place, PO Box 
147010, Gainesville, FL 32614-7010, [phone], TDD (352) 338-
3499, Joseph P. Fritz

Georgia State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 E. Hancock 
Avenue, Athens, GA 30601-2768, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Wayne Rogers

Guam
    Served by Hawaii State Office

Hawaii, Guam, & Western Pacific Territories State Office, Room 311, 
Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933-
8316, TDD [phone], Abraham Kubo

Idaho State Office, Suite A1, 9173 West Barnes Dr., Boise, ID 83709, 
[phone], TDD [phone], Roni Atkins

Illinois State Office, Illini Plaza, Suite 103, 1817 South Neil 
Street, Champaign, IL 61820, [phone] (ext. 256), TDD (217) 
398-5396, Barry L. Ramsey

Indiana State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 
46278, [phone] (ext. 423), TDD [phone], John Young

Iowa State Office, 873 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des 
Moines, IA 50309, [phone], TDD [phone], Bruce McGuire

Kansas State Office, 1200 SW Executive Drive, PO Box 4653, Topeka, 
KS 66604, [phone], TDD [phone], Gary Schumaker

Kentucky State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 
40503, [phone], TDD [phone], Paul Higgins

Louisiana State Office, 3727 Government Street, Alexandria, LA 
71302, [phone], TDD [phone] Yvonne R. Emerson

Maine State Office, 444 Stillwater Ave., Suite 2, PO Box 405, 
Bangor, ME 04402-0405, [phone], TDD [phone], Dale D. 
Holmes

Maryland
    Served by Delaware State Office

Massachusetts, Connecticut, & Rhode Island State Office, 451 West 
Street, Amherst, MA 01002, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Donald Colburn

Michigan State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, East Lansing, 
MI 48823, [phone], TDD [phone], Philip Wolak

Minnesota State Office, 410 AgriBank Building, 375 Jackson Street, 
St. Paul, MN 55101-1853, [phone], TDD [phone], Jackie 
Goodnough

Mississippi State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 W. 
Capitol Street, Jackson, MS 39269, [phone], TDD (601) 965-
5850, Danny Ivy

Missouri State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade Center, 
Suite 235, Columbia, MO 65203, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Gary Frisch

Montana State Office, Unit 1, Suite B, 900 Technology Blvd., 
Bozeman, MT 59715, [phone], TDD [phone], MaryLou 
Affleck

Nebraska State Office, Federal Building, room 152, 100 Centennial 
Mall N, Lincoln, NE 68508, [phone], TDD [phone], Byron 
Fischer

Nevada State Office, 1390 South Curry Street, Carson City, NV 89703-
9910, [phone] (ext. 13), TDD [phone], William L. 
Brewer

New Hampshire State Office, Concord Center, Suite 218, Box 317, 10 
Ferry Street, Concord, NH 03301-5004, [phone], TDD (603) 229-
0536, Jim Fowler

New Jersey State Office, Tarnsfield Plaza, Suite 22, 790 Woodland 
Road, Mt. Holly, NJ 08060, [phone], TDD [phone], 
George Hyatt, Jr.

New Mexico State Office, 6200 Jefferson St., NE, Room 255, 
Albuquerque, NM 87109, [phone], TDD [phone], Carmen N. 
Lopez

New York State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 S. Salina 
Street, Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202, [phone], TDD (315) 
477-6447, George N. Von Pless

North Carolina State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, NC 
27609, [phone], TDD [phone], Eileen Nowlin

North Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220 East 
Rosser, PO Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502, [phone], TDD (701) 
530-2113, Kathy Lake

Ohio State Office, Federal Building, Room 507, 200 North High 
Street, Columbus, OH 43215-2477, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Gerald Arnott

Oklahoma State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108, Stillwater, OK 74074-
2654, [phone], TDD [phone], Phil Reimers

Oregon State Office, 101 SW Main, Suite 1410, Portland, OR 97204-
3222, [phone], TDD [phone], Dan Streng

Pennsylvania State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330, 
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, [phone], TDD [phone], Gary 
Rothrock

Puerto Rico State Office, New San Juan Office Bldg., Room 501, 159 
Carlos E. Chardon Street, Hato Rey, PR 00918-5481, [phone] 
(ext. 254), TDD 1-800-274-1572, Lourdes Colon

Rhode Island
    Served by Massachusetts State Office

South Carolina State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835 
Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201, [phone], TDD 
[phone], Larry D. Floyd

South Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 210, 200 Fourth 
Street, SW, Huron, SD 57350, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Dwight Wullweber

Tennessee State Office, Suite 300, 3322 West End Avenue, Nashvile, 
TN 37203-1084, [phone], TDD [phone], G. Benson Lasater

Texas State Office, Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 South Main, 
Temple, TX 76501, [phone], TDD [phone], Eugene G. 
Pavlat

Utah State Office, Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 S. State 
Street, Room 4311, Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0350, [phone], 
TDD [phone], Robert L. Milianta

Vermont State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, 
Montpelier, VT 05602, [phone], TDD [phone], Sandra 
Mercier

Virgin Islands
    Served by Florida State Office

Virginia State Office, Culpeper Building, Suite 238, 1606 Santa Rosa 
Road, Richmond, VA 23229, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Carlton Jarratt

Washington State Office, Suite B, 1835 Black Lake Boulevard, SW, 
Olympia, WA 98512-5715, [phone], TDD [phone], Deborah 
Davis

Western Pacific Territories
    Served by Hawaii State Office

West Virginia State Office, Federal Building, 75 High Street, Room 
320, Morgantown, WV 26505-7500, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Sue Snodgrass

Wisconsin State Office, 4949 Kirschling Court, Stevens Point, WI 
54481, [phone] (ext. 7145), TDD [phone], Sherry Engel

Wyoming State Office, 100 East B, Federal Building, Room 1005, PO 
Box 820, Casper, WY 82602, [phone], TDD [phone], 
Charles Huff

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants 
may contact Linda Armour, Senior Loan Officer, Multi-Family Housing 
Processing Division, Rural Housing Service, United States Department of 
Agriculture, Stop 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 
20250, telephone [phone] (voice) (this is not a toll free 
number) or [phone] (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Programs Affected

    The Rural Rental Housing program is listed in the Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance under Number 10.415, Rural Rental Housing 
Loans. Rental Assistance is listed in the Catalog under Number 10.427, 
Rural Rental Assistance Payments.

Explanation of 60-Day NOFA Application Deadline

    The Agency is using a 60-day application period so that the NOFA 
process will coincide with the time constraints placed upon our 
customers by participating lenders and state housing finance agencies 
(SHFA). Participating lenders such as commercial banks leverage their 
funds with RHS funds. State organizations can provide Community 
Development Block Grants (CDBG) and HOME funds as another means of 
leveraging RHS funds, and SHFAs have certain timeframes whereby 
applicants can apply for tax credits. Therefore, to assist as many of 
our customers as possible in obtaining leveraged funds and to 
participate with

[[Page 71606]]

other funding sources, a 60-day application period is provided.

Discussion of Notice

I. Authority and Distribution Methodology

A. Authority
    Section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1485) provides 
RHS with the authority to make loans to any individual, corporation, 
association, trust, Indian tribe, public or private nonprofit 
organization, consumer cooperative, or partnership to provide rental or 
cooperative housing and related facilities in rural areas for very-low, 
low, or moderate income persons or families, including elderly persons 
and persons with disabilities. Rental assistance (RA) is a tenant 
subsidy for very-low and low-income families residing in rural rental 
housing facilities with RHS financing and may be requested with 
applications for such facilities.
B. Distribution Methodology
    The total amount available for FY 2000 for section 515 is 
$114,322,076, of which $49,783,694 is available for new construction as 
follows:


Section 515 new construction funds......................    $ 22,500,000
Set-aside for nonprofits................................    $ 10,288,987
Set-aside for Underserved Counties and Colonias.........     $ 5,716,104
Set-aside for EZ, EC, and REAP zones....................       9,778,603
State Rental Assistance (RA) designated reserve.........     $ 1,500,000
 

C. Section 515 New Construction Funds
    For fiscal year 2000, the Administrator has determined that it 
would not be practical to allocate funds to States because of funding 
limitations; therefore, section 515 new construction funds will be 
distributed to States based on a National competition, as follows:
    1. States will accept, review, score, and rank requests in 
accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E. The scoring factors are:
    (a) The presence and extent of leveraged assistance for the units 
that will serve RHS income-eligible tenants at basic rents comparable 
to those if RHS provided full financing, computed as a percentage of 
the RHS total development cost (TDC). RHS TDC excludes non-RHS eligible 
costs such as a developer's fee. Points will be awarded in accordance 
with the following table. (0 to 20 points)

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                   Percentage of leveraging                      Points
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75 or more....................................................        20
70-74.........................................................        19
65-69.........................................................        18
60-64.........................................................        17
55-59.........................................................        16
50-54.........................................................        15
45-49.........................................................        14
40-44.........................................................        13
35-39.........................................................        12
30-34.........................................................        11
25-29.........................................................        10
20-24.........................................................         9
15-19.........................................................         8
10-14.........................................................         7
5-9...........................................................         6
0-4...........................................................         5
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    (b) The units to be developed are in a colonia, tribal land, EZ, 
EC, or REAP community, or in a place identified in the State 
Consolidated Plan or State Needs Assessment as a high need community 
for multifamily housing. (20 points)
    (c) In states where RHS has an on-going formal working 
relationship, agreement, or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 
State to provide State resources (State funds, State RA, HOME funds, 
CDBG funds, or Low-Income Housing Tax Credits) for RHS proposals; or 
where the State provides preference or points to RHS proposals in 
awarding such State resources, 20 points will be provided to loan 
requests that include such State resources. (National office 
initiative)
    (d) The loan request includes donated land meeting the provisions 
of 7 CFR 1944.215(r)(4). (5 points)
    2. The National office will rank all requests nationwide and 
distribute funds to States in rank order, within funding and RA limits. 
If insufficient funds or RA remain for the next ranked proposal, the 
Agency will select the next ranked proposal that falls within the 
remaining levels.

D. Applications That Do Not Require New Construction Rental 
Assistance (RA)

    For fiscal year 2000, limited new construction RA is available. 
Therefore, the Agency is inviting applications to develop units in 
markets that do not require RA. The market study for non-RA proposals 
must clearly demonstrate a need and demand for the units by prospective 
tenants at income levels that can support the proposed rents without 
tenant subsidies. The proposed units must offer amenities that are 
typical for the market area at rents that are comparable to 
conventional rents in the market for similar units.
E. Set-asides
    Loan requests will be accepted for the following set-asides:
    1. Nonprofit set-aside. An amount of $10,288,987 has been set aside 
for nonprofit applicants. All loan proposals must be in designated 
places in accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E. A State or 
jurisdiction may receive one proposal from this set-aside, which cannot 
exceed $1 million. A State could get additional funds from this set-
aside if any funds remain after funding one proposal from each 
participating State. If there are insufficient funds to fund one loan 
request from each participating State, selection will be made by point 
score. If there are any funds remaining, they will revert to the 
National office reserve. Funds from this set-aside will be available 
only to nonprofit entities, which may include a partnership that has as 
its general partner a nonprofit entity or the nonprofit entity's for-
profit subsidiary which will be receiving low-income housing tax 
credits authorized under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986. To be eligible for this set-aside, the nonprofit entity must be 
an organization that:
    (a) Will own an interest in the project to be financed and will 
materially participate in the development and the operations of the 
project;
    (b) Is a private organization that has nonprofit, tax exempt status 
under section 501(c)(3) or section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986;
    (c) Has among its purposes the planning, development, or management 
of low-income housing or community development projects; and
    (d) Is not affiliated with or controlled by a for-profit 
organization.
    2. Underserved counties and colonias set-aside. An amount of 
$5,716,104 has been set aside for loan requests to develop units in the 
100 most needy underserved counties or colonias as defined in section 
509(f) of the Housing Act of 1949.
    3. EZ, EC, and REAP set-aside. An amount of $9,778,603 has been set 
aside to develop units in EZ, EC, or REAP communities. Loan requests 
that are eligible for this set-aside may also be eligible for regular 
section 515 funds as a high-need community. The state must indicate on 
the list submitted to the National office if the request is eligible 
for the EZ, EC, and REAP set-aside and regular section 515 funds. If 
requests for this set-aside exceed available funds, selection will be 
made by point score.
F. Prior Year Applications
    The Rural Housing Service published a final rule in the Federal 
Register (62 FR 67216) on December 23, 1997 outlining its application 
and review process for section 515 Rural Rental

[[Page 71607]]

Housing new construction program. The implementation proposal for those 
regulations provided that some applicants who filed acceptable loan 
requests in prior years could proceed with their loan requests provided 
they were in compliance with the newly published regulations, until the 
beginning of FY 2000. Therefore, effective this fiscal year, prior year 
applications will no longer be processed. All loan requests must be 
submitted under this NOFA.

II. Funding Limits

    A. Individual loan requests may not exceed $1 million. This applies 
to regular section 515 funds and set-aside funds. The Administrator may 
make an exception to this limit in cases where a State's average total 
development costs exceed the National average by 50 percent or more.
    B. No State may receive more than $2.5 million from regular section 
515 funds. Reserve funds, including set-aside funds, are not included 
in this cap.

III. Rental Assistance (RA)

    New construction RA will be held in the National office for use 
with section 515 Rural Rental Housing loans. RA may be requested by 
applicants, except for non-RA requests in accordance with section I.D. 
above.

IV. Application Process

    All applications for section 515 new construction funds must be 
filed with the appropriate Rural Development State office and must meet 
the requirements of 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E and section V of this 
NOFA. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed and will be returned 
to the applicant. No application will be accepted after 5:00 p.m., 
local time, on the application deadline previously mentioned unless 
that date and time is extended by a Notice published in the Federal 
Register.

V. Application Submission Requirements

    A. Each application shall include all of the information, 
materials, forms and exhibits required by 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E as 
well as comply with the provisions of this NOFA. Applicants are 
encouraged, but not required, to include a checklist and to have their 
applications indexed and tabbed to facilitate the review process. The 
Rural Development State office will base its determination of 
completeness of the application and the eligibility of each applicant 
on the information provided in the application.
    B. Applicants are advised to contact the Rural Development State 
office serving the place in which they desire to submit an application 
for the following:
    1. Application information;
    2. Any restrictions on funding availability (applications that 
exceed the National limit of $1 million will be returned to the 
applicant); and
    3. List of designated places for which applications for new section 
515 facilities may be submitted.

VI. Areas of Special Emphasis or Consideration

    A. The selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E 
includes two optional criteria, one set by the National office and one 
by the State office. This fiscal year, the National office initiative 
will be used in the selection criteria as follows: In states where RHS 
has an on-going formal working relationship, agreement, or Memorandum 
of Understanding (MOU) with the State to provide State resources (State 
funds, State RA, HOME funds, CDBG funds, or LIHTC) for RHS proposals; 
or where the State provides preference or points to RHS proposals in 
awarding these State Resources, 20 points will be provided to loan 
requests that include such State resources. No State selection criteria 
will be used this fiscal year.
    B. $10,288,987 is available nationwide in a set-aside for eligible 
nonprofit organizations as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1485(w).
    C. $5,716,104 is available nationwide in a set-aside for the 100 
most Underserved Counties and Colonias.
    D. $9,778,603 is available nationwide in a set-aside for EZ, EC, 
and REAP communities.
    E. $1,500,000 million is available nationwide in a set-aside for 
States with viable State Rental Assistance (RA) programs. In order to 
participate, States are to submit specific written information about 
the State RA program, i.e., a memorandum of understanding, 
documentation from the provider, etc., to the National office.

    Dated: December 10, 1999.
Eileen M. Fitzgerald,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 99-32959 Filed 12-20-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-U