REGIONAL EARLY ACTION PLANNING GRANTS OF 2021 (REAP 2.0) ?COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENT ZONE PLANS, VMT MITIGATION STRATEGY, AND SCS BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN PLANS

The Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) seeks a qualified consultant (Consultant) to provide planning, development, and implementation support on the following three projects (also referred to as proposed uses herein) for which StanCOG has been awarded California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2021 Program funding. Technical proposals must be prepared and submitted by prospective consultants in accordance with the requirements, format, and guidelines presented in this Request For Proposal (RFP).

StanCOG is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), State recognized Regional Transportation Planning Agency (RTPA), and Local Transportation Authority for the Stanislaus Region. Established in 1971 by a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) to address regional transportation issues, StanCOG is a council of city and county governments comprised of the Cities of Ceres, Hughson, Modesto, Newman, Oakdale, Patterson, Riverbank, Turlock and Waterford, and the County of Stanislaus.

On July 26, 2022, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), in collaboration with the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), the Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and the State Air Resources Board (CARB), released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for approximately $510,000,000 for the Regional Early Action Planning Grant Program of 2021 (REAP 2.0).

REAP 2.0 was established as part of the 2021 California Comeback Plan under Assembly Bill 140 and builds on the success of a predecessor Program, the REAP 1.0 of 2019 to expand the program’s focus by integrating housing and climate goals and allowing for broader planning and implementation investments, including infrastructure investments that support infill development to facilitate housing supply, choice, and affordability. The principal goal of REAP 2.0 is to make funding available to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and other regional entities for Transformative Planning and Implementation Activities that meet Housing and equity goals, reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Per Capita, and advance implementation of the region’s Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS), or Alternative Planning Strategy, as applicable.

REAP 2.0 is explicitly intended to meet five key objectives: accelerate infill development, reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), increase housing supply at all affordability levels, and Affirmatively Further Fair Housing in ways that lead to transformative policy outcomes and accelerate the implementation of regional and local plans to achieve these goals. REAP 2.0 provides funds to regional governments to accelerate housing production and facilitate compliance with the 6th cycle of the Housing Element, including Regional Housing Needs Assessment. The grant program is specifically designed to provide MPOs and other eligible entities with tools and resources to help implement and advance plans, primarily by furthering the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) adopted as part of Regional Transportation Plans to pursue greenhouse gas emission reduction targets through land use and transportation strategies.

In December 2022, StanCOG applied for REAP 2.0 funding and, on March 1, 2024, received a letter from HCD notifying StanCOG of its receipt of an award for the following 5 projects/proposed uses.

1. Transformative Funding Suballocation $3,100,000
2. Community Enhancement Zone Plans $1,352,620
3. VMT Mitigation Bank $936,837
4. SCS Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects $539,456
5. Modesto Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)- $700,000

StanCOG’s REAP 2.0 approved grant application is included in Appendix of this Request for Proposal (RFP). Stanislaus Council of Governments is requesting proposals from qualified consultants to provide the necessary outreach and technical support for the planning, development and implementation of the Proposed Uses 2, 3, and 4, identified above, only. Proposed uses 1 and 5, above, are outside of the scope of services associated with this RFP and should be excluded from prospective consultant proposals. The funding awarded under REAP 2.0 for proposed use 1 (the Transformative Funding Suballocation) and awarded for proposed use 5 (the Modesto BRT), will be suballocated to and carried out by StanCOG’s local member agencies (as subrecipients of the grant), therefore, these proposed uses are excluded from the scope of services in this RFP and will be excluded from the contract associated with this RFP.