REAP 2.0: $600 Million To Locals For SCS Implementation
- Josh Stephens
- Aug 21, 2022
- 9 min read
The next big chunk of state money -- $600 million in so-called REAP 2.0 funds – is ramping up and local planners are paying attention.
For the past two decades or so, planning in California, by both regulation and common practice, has leaned toward principles of smart growth: infill development, density, multiple modes of mobility, and, not least, the provision of housing to ease the state’s supply and affordability crisis. Unfortunately for many localities, smart growth does not equal cheap growth.
In the past, municipal planners may have received Regional Housing Needs Assessment goals from their respective metropolitan planning organizations and been expected to figure out on their own how to accommodate more housing and meet Senate Bill 375’s Sustainable Communities Strategies — and how to pay for those planning initiatives. Recently, though, some jurisdictions have had almost more planning monies than they know what to do with.
Funded by the 2019 state budget, the Regional Early Action Planning Grants of 2019 supplied the state’s MPOs with massive injection of funding to plan for smart growth and implement related projects. With the original round of REAP grants (retroactively named REAP 1.0), the state’s 18 MPOs have been able to spend, disburse, and allocate a total of $125 million statewide for planning initiatives. Those grants gave MPOs and jurisdictions broad latitude to spend on planning. Many jurisdictions worked on housing element updates, with an eye toward conforming with their respective SCSs.
The grant deadline closed in January 2021, and funds must be spent by the end of 2024. The next phase, REAP 2.0, increases that figure fourfold—to $600 million.
In REAP 1.0, MPOs kept some funds for region-wide planning initiatives but were also permitted to disburse funds to component councils of governments and local jurisdictions for local planning initiatives. The REAP monies collectively have provided significant support for localities.
“For 10 years we’ve been saying there’s no real implementation source for SB 375,” said Bill Higgins, executive director of the California Association of Councils of Governments. “This is one.”
Part of last year’s “California Comeback Plan” (AB 140), REAP 2.0 will operate similarly, except funds will be dedicated to implementation—including support for infill housing development; “multimodal communities” — i.e. communities that accommodate transportation modes other than individual vehicles; reduction of vehicle miles traveled; and increasing transit ridership; and other projects.
Guidelines for REAP 2.0 were released July 26; the initial application period goes through December 31.
(REAP is the largest among several recent and active planning grant programs, including SB 2 Planning Grants. The program is separate from, but complementary to, Local Early Action Planning grants , which are given from the state directly to local jurisdictions.)
In many ways, the grants have given MPOs a greater sense of purpose and, perhaps, made them seem less domineering to local agencies. Rather than impose mandates like SCSs and the Reg numbers, they get to proactively support cities through REAP.
“REAP 2.0 talks a lot about SCS implementation, which we appreciate… we do these SCSs and (usually) have nothing to implement them with,” said Jenna Hornstock, deputy director of planning and land use at the Southern California Association of Governments.
“It’s really monumental for the San Diego region to have an opportunity to have so much funds given to us at the regional scale in order to facilitate the production of housing,” said Tuere Fa’aola, sustainable communities manager at the San Diego Association of Governments, echoing sentiments of officials at other MPOs. “We focus on putting some of the money into the hands of jurisdictions themselves. They have many great ideas they want to implement but maybe haven’t had the financial resources to do it.”
Another $30 million will be allocated to tribal and rural entities, with $30 million for statewide transportation projects.
