RPC MINI-Grant Planning PROGRAM

WHAT IS THE MINI GRANT PROGRAM?

The RPC grant can be used for planning projects as part of program administration. Since 2015, the Board of County Commissioners have allocated $100,000 annually for this purpose be awarded to local governments outside the City of Cincinnati in Participating Jurisdictions for small planning projects.  (The City of Cincinnati receives separate grants from HUD.)

HOW MUCH ARE THE GRANTS?

The maximum award is $40,000.

Eligible Uses:

Grant funds can be used for a variety of planning needs, including, but not limited to: bicycle and pedestrian trails; business district redevelopment; community visioning; and strategic planning. These grants should set the stage for future RPC projects.

Specifically, future projects can include affordable housing programs or projects using RPC funds to:

• Benefit residents and businesses in a low to moderate income areas,
• Create or retain jobs for low to moderate income employees, and/or
• Remove slum and/or blight conditions.

Activity Type that should result from planning process:

• Acquisition of property (e.g. Assemble land for redevelopment)
• Demolition of property (e.g. Clearance for redevelopment)
• Rehabilitation of building(s) (e.g. Private or publicly owned buildings are eligible)
• Public infrastructure improvements (e.g. Construction or extension of streets, construction or extension of utilities, improving flood and drainage systems, etc. )
• Public facility improvements (e.g. Improvements which would create jobs, and/or benefit low to moderate income persons)
• Affordable Housing Projects (e.g. provide funds for rental or owner-occupied affordable housing projects or programs)

What is the selection process?

• Full applications for eligible projects will be reviewed by staff for completeness.
• Review committee includes all Planning Partnership Executive Steering Committee members and two Community Development Advisory Committee members.
• Funding recommendations will be made to the County Administrator for approval.
• Staff will notify communities of awards and meet with each community to begin each project.

How to Apply:

The pre-application period is open from August 16, 2024 through September 6, 2024.

Submit your pre-application via Neighborly by September 6, 2024 to determine if your project is eligible. You will then be notified if you can proceed with the remainder of the application.

Here is the link to access Neighborly: https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/hamiltoncountyoh/Participant. You will need to register for a free account in order to submit an application. 

questions?

Please submit questions to [email protected] .

WHO CAN APPLY?

Only local governments who participate in the County’s HUD grant program can apply for these funds. Each community can submit ONLY one application per year.

Application Documents

2024 Timeline

• Announcement of Program – August 2, 2024
• Q&A Session, Pre-application portal opens – August 16, 2024
• Pre-application Deadline – September 6, 2024, 4:00 PM
• Application Deadline – September 27, 2024, 4:00 PM
• Notification of Selected Communities – by October 25, 2024
• Planning Grant Expenditure Deadline – August 31, 2025

What projects have been funded in the past?

2023:

• Village of Golf Manor - A plan to reimagine Golf Manor's downtown business district, focusing on the Losantiville Ave. and Wiehe Rd. intersection. Broader goals include improved motor vehicle and bicycle traffic, walkable neighborhood practices, and attraction to key businesses.
• Village of Lockland- A revitalization plan for the West Wyoming Avenue Business District with a focus on the West Wyoming Avenue and North Wayne Ave. area. The plan will evaluate land use, transportation, parking, and identify ways to revitalize the business district.
• Village of North Bend - Create a riverfront park plan for their newly acquired property along the Ohio River. Located adjacent to the William Henry Harrison tomb, the project will include site design, schematic plans for a Riverfront Promenade, interpretive center, and improved railroad crossing.

2022:

• Village of Mariemont Centennial Dogwood Park Plan - The development of a master plan for Dogwood Park and provide direction in the rehabilitation of the park in time for the Centennial ceremony.
• Village of Woodlawn South Springfield Pike Corridor Plan - To develop a plan that will create development guidelines for Springfield Pike and provide strategies to improve the visual character and quality of the corridor. Additionally, the project will plan for a joint gateway area adjacent to the City of Wyoming.
• City of Wyoming Springfield Pike Streetscape Improvement Plan - To develop a plan that will create development guidelines for Springfield Pike and provide strategies to improve the visual character and quality of the corridor. Additionally, the project will plan for a joint gateway area adjacent to the Village of Woodlawn.

2021:

• City of Harrison - Expand upon the City Comprehensive Plan approved in 2018 by conducting a Downtown District subarea plan. This plan will identify potential re-use of properties, establish priorities for future developments, and complete the streetscape planning strategy.
• Village of Addyston - Develop a capital improvement plan to assess the aging water system, identify technologies that could improve the condition or useful life of the infrastructure, and a strategy to bring the entire system up to current standards in the next 5 to 10 years.
• Delhi Township - Develop a transportation study on Delhi Pike to support a new $60 million dollar mixed-use development. The plan will improve traffic signal timing, ingress/egress locations, reduce collision impact zones, and enhance pedestrian walkability.
• City of Madeira - Develop a "Promenade" plan linking Downtown and the City's transit hub to the McDonald Commons to encourage economic development.
• Village of Lincoln Heights - Develop an infrastructure maintenance plan for existing streets and sidewalks and to determine a long-term strategy for funding and improvement.
• Springfield Township - Develop a new plan for the Warder Nursery site to meet current community goals for open space and housing needs and to transform the site into a public park setting.

2020:

• City of Norwood Montgomery Road Development Plan - Norwood Together, the City of Norwood, the Norwood Chamber of Commerce, residents, HCDC, Xavier, and investors will come together to create a shared vision for the central business district extending from Xavier University at Dana Avenue to the Norwood Lateral.
• Village of Lincoln Heights Master Plan/Land Use Element - The development of an updated Existing Land Use Map, Future Land Use Map, supporting land use classifications, zoning codes and ordinances will aid the Village in its continuing efforts to remove slum and/or blight conditions, attract new (affordable and market rate) residential, commercial and industrial development and redevelopment.
• Village of Silverton Interim Comprehensive Plan Update - A comprehensive plan update will weave the various elements of several smaller plans together into a policy document that gives the community clear direction for the next three years.
• City of Sharonville Bike Trail Feasibility Study: Connecting Downtown, People, and Parks - a preliminary bike trail feasibility analysis using CityEngine 3-D Software.
• Activating Cheviot's Commercial Overlay District - Components of the proposed study would include: database of existing buildings and their capacities, recommendations to bring vacant and underutilized buildings back to life, schedule of streetscape improvements and source funding, and identification of opportunities for new entrepreneurs.

2019:

• City of Cheviot - Business District Study, examine its transitioning business districts through an Urban Land Institute-Cincinnati Technical Assistance Panel that will analyze the business climate and make recommendations to spur development
• Village of Madeira - Miami Avenue Traffic Study, complete a traffic study of Miami Avenue along its business district to improve safety for pedestrians and motorists through traffic calming based on recommendations from the City's comprehensive plan
• City of Sharonville - Downtown Loop Plan, follow up on themes from the Sharonville 2030 plan to examine improvement of streetscape and public spaces in the Downtown Loop which supports the broader goal of a more pedestrian friendly downtown.
• Village of Silverton - Beer & Wine District Plan, study the creation of a Beer and Wine District on two blocks of Plainfield Road which will help create a downtown-like district for the Village.

2018:

• Colerain Township - Northgate Mall Redevelopment Study, a marketing study to understand the potential for a residential development at the Northgate Mall.
• City of Deer Park - Blue Ash Road Business District Implementation Plan to fund a market study and perspective rendering of the four blocks included in the business district.
• Amberley Village - Amberley Green Connectivity Plan to study and plan the pedestrian and vehicle connectivity to the Amberley Green property.
• City of Reading - Master Plan Update, updating the 2008 City of Reading Master Plan to help position the city for future growth and redevelopment.
• City of Mt. Healthy - Main Theater Planning Study, a package of planning studies that represent the first stage of the process of renovating the Main Theater to a mixed-use entertainment venue.

2017:

No funding was allocated in 2017 for the program.

2016:

• City of Loveland's Loveland-Madeira Business Corridor Bikeway Feasibility Study. Evaluate and pursue the best alternatives to create a permanent pedestrian/bike path connecting Historic Downtown to Loveland Madeira Road.
• Village of Silverton's Small Area Plan. Create streetscape designs along Montgomery road between Stewart and Plainfield Roads.
• Village of Lockland's Revitalization of Wyoming Avenue. Seek community input at several public meetings and through a mailed survey. Using community feedback, site plans will be created by consultants for the former Stearns and Foster industrial site in the center of the Wyoming Avenue Business District. Students from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) will work on integrating design and public art into the Lockland business districts along Wyoming Avenue.
• Delhi Township's Economic Impact Analysis Plan for the Delhi Pike Bike Path Project. Develop estimates of the installation and maintenance costs and quantify expected use rates. Evaluate bike path's impact on Mount St. Joseph University enrollment, private enterprise, property values, and other economic benefits to the community
• Village of Woodlawn's Strategic Planning Process. Use new energy to build on 2007 Master Plan to identify critical priorities and establish long term goals.

2015:

• Mt. Healthy's Uptown Business District Study to a market study to examine and report on strategies to help improve Mt. Healthy's business district.
• City of Reading's Mill Creek Recreational Trails and Flood Storage Plan to identify the most feasible route for the Mill Creek Greenway and connecting it with the City of Reading as well as identifying areas for flood storage on city-owner properties with the goal of removing areas of the city from the 100 year flood plain.
• City of Cleves's Business District Redevelopment Plan studying the business corridor along Miami Ave through visual survey and mapping, preliminary market review, and the creation of a comprehensive Business District Master Plan.
• Village of Elmwood Place's Merger Study; this project ultimately did not move forward. The project would have studied the possibility of a merging of Elmwood Place with St. Bernard
• Village of North Bend's Riverfront Recreational Plan to create a recreational area for residents of both the Village of Cleves and the Village of North Bend located in North Bend along the river.

Previous Project Documents