THE GOVERNMENT RESTRICTED MUNICIPALITY PLANNING GRANTS PROGRAM
The application for the Government Restricted Municipality Planning Grants Program Phase II is expected to launch later this year. Please check back here for more details.
The Government Restricted Municipality Planning Grant – Phase II will provide grant funding to eligible Government Restricted Municipalities to fund technical planning applied to economic, land-use and other technical development plans identified in the long-term strategic action plan completed in Phase I.
PROGRAM DETAILS
Planning for impact by cataloging catalytic projects and the gaps that halt investment in community-focused projects
The Government Restricted Municipality Planning Grants Program creates long-term strategic action plans to assist New Jersey’s Government Restricted Municipalities (GRM) in maximizing their growth potential and implement new or stalled community-focused economic growth projects.
Phase I created strategic action plans that identified stalled projects and key opportunities to provide significant, sustainable, and resilient benefits for community members and business stakeholders. The strategic action plans developed by the grant recipients in Phase I provided for projects that are most actionable and have the greatest potential for broad community benefit.
Building on Phase I, Phase II of the Government Restricted Municipality Planning Grants Program will maximize the municipalities’ growth potential by providing implementation funding for technical planning gaps identified in the phase I strategic action plans. This planning funding is intended to focus the flow of private capital and economic investment into GRMs that have historically faced economic challenges and build the local capacity needed to successfully execute additional projects in the future. Impact of Phase II: The technical planning funding is designed to bridge gaps in business analysis, civic engagement, engineering, architectural, environmental, scientific and media planning, research and analysis for projects identified in the strategic action plan that require technical planning work. At the conclusion of the technical planning work, GRMs’ will have a pipeline of shovel ready or near shovel project ready for financing.
ELIGIBILTY
Phase II is open to Government Restricted Municipalities (GRMs) ONLY. Government Restricted Municipality means a municipality in this State with a municipal revitalization index distress score of at least 7, that met the criteria for designation as an urban aid municipality in the 2019 State fiscal year, and that, on the effective date of P.L. , c. XYZ subject to financial restrictions imposed pursuant to the Municipal Stabilization and Recovery Act P.L.2016, c.4, or is restricted in its ability to levy property taxes on property in that municipality as a result of the State of New Jersey owning or controlling property representing at least 25 percent of the total land area of the municipality or as a result of the federal government of the United States owning or controlling at least 50 acres of the total land area of the municipality, which is dedicated as a national natural landmark.
To be eligible for Phase II, the Government Restricted Municipality must have successfully completed the strategic action plan from Phase I, identifying stalled projects and technical planning gaps.
Applications will be accepted up and until forty-five (45) business days after the Phase II opening. Applications will then be reviewed for completeness and scored by an evaluation committee based on the criteria set forth below. Applications with scores equal to or greater than 50 will be presented to the Board for review and award.
PROGRAM GUIDE
QUESTIONS
The Authority will electronically accept written questions and inquiries from all potential Applicant(s) via the web at NJEDAGRM@njeda.com.
The subject line of the e-mail should state:
“Questions – GRM Phase II”
All Questions received, and Answers given in response to this Application will be answered in the form of a Frequently Asked Questions document to be posted and continually updated on the Authority’s website, up until the total program allotment has been exhausted, or 45 days after publication of notice and release of application (whichever is sooner). The Authority will also post any addenda on the same website. It is the responsibility of any potential applicant to review the website on a frequent basis to become aware of any answers and addenda.