propriate to meeting the needs and objectives identified by the applicant; or the application does not comply with the requirements of this Part or other applicable law; or the application proposes activities which are otherwise ineligible under this Part.

Such objections should include both an identification of the requirements not met and, in the case of objections made on the grounds that the description of needs and objectives is plainly inconsistent with significant, generally available facts and data, the data upon which the persons rely. Although HUD will consider objections submitted at any time, such objections should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of the notice that the application has been submitted to HUD, as described in paragraph (i)(3) below. In order to ensure that objections submitted will be considered during the review process, HUD will not approve an application until at least 45 days after receipt of an application.

(g) Complaints. The plan shall provide for answering complaints in a timely and responsive manner. The applicant shall make every reasonable effort to provide written responses within 15 working days.

(h) Technical assistance. To facilitate citizen participation, the plan shall provide for technical assistance. The level and type of assistance determined appropriate by the applicant shall be provided to: (1) Citizen organizations, so that they may adequately participate in planning, implementing, and assessing the program; and (2) groups of low- and moderate-income persons and groups of residents of blighted neighborhoods which request assistance in developing proposals and statements of views.

It may also be directed toward assisting citizens in organizing and operating neighborhood and project area organizations and in carrying out Community Development Program activities. Technical assistance should be provided by specialists jointly selected by the applicant and the organizations and groups to be assisted. It may be provided either by the applicant di

rectly or through arrangements with public or private entities.

(i) Adequate information. The applicant shall provide for public access to program information and affirmative efforts to make adequate information available to citizens, especially to those of low- and moderate-income and to those residing in lower-income or blighted neighborhoods.

(1) At the time the applicant begins planning for the next program year, the following program information shall be provided to citizens:

(i) The total amount of community development block grant funds available to the applicant for community development and housing activities, including planning and administrative activities,

(ii) The range of activities that may be undertaken with these funds and the kinds of activities previously funded in the community,

(iii) The processes to be followed in drawing up and approving the local application and the schedule of meetings and hearings,

(iv) The role of citizens in the program, as provided under this section,

(v) A summary of other important program requirements.

(2) The applicant shall provide for full and timely disclosure of its program records and information consistent with applicable State and local laws regarding personal privacy and obligations of confidentiality. Documents relevant to the program shall be made available at the applicant's office during normal working hours for citizen review upon request (either written or oral). Such documents include the following:

(i) All mailings and promotional material,

(ii) Records of hearings,

(iii) All key documents, including all prior applications, letters of approval, grant agreements, the citizen participation plan, performance reports, evaluation reports, other reports required by HUD, and the proposed and approved application for the current year.

(iv) Copies of the regulations and issuances governing the program, and

(v) Documents regarding other important program requirements, such as contracting procedure, environmertal policies, fair housing and other equal opportunity requirements, relocation provisions, and the A-95 review process.

(3) When the application is submitted to HUD upon completion of clearinghouse reviews, the applicant shall publish a notice in a newspaper of general circulation stating that the application has been submitted and is available to interested parties upon request and describing the requirements on citizen objections to applications contained in paragraph (f) of this section.

(4) The applicant shall make copies of the citizen participation plan, the proposed and approved application, and the annual performance report available at locations conveniently located for persons affected by the program and accessible to the handicapped.

(j) Public hearing. The plan shall provide for a sufficient number of hearings to obtain citizen views and to respond to citizen proposals and questions at different stages of the program. Such hearings shall be held at convenient times and locations which permit broad participation, particularly by low- and moderate-income persons and by residents of blighted neighborhoods. Hearing arrangements should make possible the full participation of handicapped citizens.

(1) Presubmission nearings. The applicant shall hold at least two kinds of public hearings prior to the submission of the application:

(i) To obtain views and proposals of citizens at the initial stage of application development on community development and housing needs and priorities, and to obtain comments on the applicant's community development performance;

(ii) To obtain views of citizens on the proposed application prior to submission of the application to A-95 clearinghouses.

(2) Performance hearings. In order to review program progress and performance, the applicant shall hold an additional public hearing or hearings

thirty to sixty days prior to the start of planning for the next program year. (3) Notices. In order to give adequate notice of public hearings:

(i) The applicant shall, 10 days prior to each public hearing, publish a notice in easily readable type in the nonlegal section of newspapers of general circulation, including minority and non-English language newspapers of general circulation where they exist. Such notices shall indicate the date, time, place and procedures of the hearing and topics to be considered. The applicant also shall make reasonable efforts to provide the notices, in the form of press releases, the neighborhood newspapers or periodicals serving low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

(ii) The applicant is encouraged to take other actions to widely publicize the hearings, such as arranging for public service radio and television announcements.

(k) Bilingual. Wherever a significant number of low- and moderate-income persons and residents of blighted neighborhoods speak and read a primary language other than English, the plan shall provide that all notices of public hearings and summaries of basic information be produced in such language or languages and that bilingual opportunities shall be offered at required public hearings.

(1) Contingency and local option activities. The plan shall provide that if the applicant sets aside funds in its application for contingencies and/or local option activities, or if it chooses to identify in its application activities that could replace any activities disapproved by HUD during its application review, the citizen participation process shall be involved in the selection of such contingency or local option activities.

(m) Program amendments. The plan shall provide for citizem participation in any amendments to an approved application, except those for disaster activities. If the nature of the amendment is such that prior HUD approval is required, as specified in § 570.312, the applicant shall hold public hearings on the amendment. If the amendment does not require prior HUD ap

proval, the plan shall describe how the citizen participation process shall be involved in the amendment.

8 570.304 Community Development and Housing Plan.

An entitlement application shall include a summary of a Community Development and Housing Plan. This document shall be submitted every third year as part of the annual application for funds beginning with the first application submitted on or after August 1, 1978. It shall summarize the community development and housing needs of the applicant. Its comprehensive strategy for meeting those needs, including its long- and sort-term objectives, and the projects and activities planned for the next three years.

(a) Summary of community development and housing needs. This shall include the following:

(1) A community profile on a form to be prescribed by HUD, which provides data regarding population and income characteristics of the community, the condition of the housing stock, and the economic condition of the community as a whole.

(2) A narrative summary of the applicant's community development and housing needs, particularly those of low- and moderate-income households and any special needs of indentifiable segments of the total group of lower income persons. The narrative shall include a brief description of the major needs for neighborhood revitalization, for community facilities and public improvements, and for housing.

(b) Comprehensive strategy. The applicant shall describe how it proposes to meet its identified community development and housing needs, particularly those of low- and moderateincome households residing in or expected to reside in the community and any special needs of identifiable segments of the lower income population. The strategy shall include a communitywide component which describes the development strategy of the applicant, the major objectives the applicant seeks to accomplish, the priorities it has established for the use of block grant funds, and the factors it has taken into account in selecting areas

for treatment and designing programs to meet identified needs. In addition, it shall include the following component strategies:

(1) Neighborhood revitalization. The applicant shall describe its strategy for maintaining and preserving viable neighborhoods and for upgrading neighborhoods affected by blight and deterioration.

This shall emphasize the actions to be taken that will improve conditions for low- and moderate-income persons residing in or expected to reside in the community.

(i) Areas targeted for concentrated action as Neighborhood Strategy Areas pursuant to § 570.301(c) shall be identified. For each such area the applicant shall describe:

(A) The objectives, both long-term and short-term, to be achieved, quantified wherever possible:

(B) The physical improvement programs to be carried out with block grant funds, such as code enforcement, rehabilitation, acquisition, demolition, or public improvements:

(C) Related programs proposed such as Urban Homesteading and section 8 Substantial Rehabilitation Special Procedures;

(D) Public Services to be carried out in support of the physical improvement programs;

(E) An implementation schedule showing the anticipated timing of activities and the coordination of block grant funded activities and other local actions;

(F) The anticipated resources, including block grant funds, other Federal, State, or local funds, and private investment;

(G) The role of any neighborhood organizations;

(H) How the housing assistance goals and general locations in the Housing Assistance Plan, particularly the rehabilitation goals, support the applicant's neighborhood revitalization strategy.

(ii) Other neighborhood improvement efforts shall be described. This shall include specific actions designed to prevent and eliminate slums and blight where such actions are not carried out in a concentrated manner; it

shall also include actions to provide improved community facilities and public improvements where they will principally benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. The strategy shall describe the activities to be carried out, the objectives to be accomplished, the anticipated timing, and the block grant and other funds to be provided.

(2) Housing. The applicant shall describe a communitywide strategy to improve housing conditions and to meet the housing assistance needs that have been identified. The strategy shall consist of a Housing Assistance Plan as described in § 570.306 as well as the following:

(i) A stratgey for any programs to be carried out on a communitywide basis, such as provision of rehabilitation financing for low- and moderate-income persons or elimination of detrimental conditions; the strategy shall include the goals to be accomplished, a timetable of actions to be taken, and the amount of block grant and other funds to be provided;

(ii) Any regulatory and other actions proposed to foster housing maintenance and improvements. This may include: actions to eliminate redlining with respect to property insurance and the availability of credit for the purchase and rehabilitation of housing; and actions such as provision of tax incentives to promote investment in restoration of deteriorated or abandoned housing;

(iii) The applicant's strategy for increasing the choice of housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons, including members of minority groups and female-headed households, including efforts to achieve spatial deconcentration of such housing opportunities and actions to affirmatively further fair housing;

(iv) Any community facilities and improvements to be provided in furtherance of the applicant's housing strategy and to assure accomplishment of goals for assisted housing; and

(v) Where the community development program will result in direct or indirect displacement or other hardships to low- and moderate-income persons, the strategy shall describe the actions the applicant will take to

assist such persons to remain in their present neighborhoods when they prefer and to mitigate any adverse effects resulting from block grant funded activities.

(3) Economic development. A description of the applicant's strategy for economic development is required from applicants that propose block grant funded economic development activities: The strategy shall include:

(i) A description of the major needs for economic development in the locality; this shall include discussion of the needs of identifiable population groups experiencing significant unemployment or underemployment, as well as general economic needs of the applicant experiencing a stagnating or declining tax base or loss of population;

(ii) A description of the activities proposed to further economic development and to attract private investment, including the coordination of block grant funded activities with other local actions and a timetable for provision of other Federal and State resources;

(iii) The number and types of permanent jobs expected to result from economic development projects, particularly jobs for unemployed or underemployed population groups and low- and moderate-income persons and the types and extent of any job training which will be provided to such residents; and

(iv) Evidence of commitments or interest by developers of new or expanded employment facilities.

(c) Three-year project summary. This shall consist of a tabular summary of the projects proposed to be carried out with block grant funds during the next three years to implement the applicant's comprehensive strategy, grouped by location, the anticipated timing, the goals to be accomplished, the population benefitting, and the estimated block grant and other funds to be provided, and indicating whether the project or activity principally benefits low- and moderate-income persons, aids in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight, or meets other community development needs having a particular urgency.

The requirements of this paragraph shall not apply to:

(1) Hold harmless applicants whose entitlement ends and who do not apply for small cities comprehensive grants involving multiyear funding commitments pursuant to § 570.423(b) during the same year; and (2) any applicant for a small cities grant who does not request a multiyear funding commitment.

(d) Maps. The plan shall include maps showing the following information. The maps shall be on a census tract or enumeration district base, but the information need not be displayed according to the tract or enumeration district boundaries.

(1) The extent and location of lowand moderate-income persons;

(2) The extent and location of minority group residents;

(3) The extent and location of substandard and deteriorated housing;

(4) The locations of block grant funded projects included in the threeyear project summary.

(5) Neighborhood strategy areas, if any. Maps shall be clearly legible, and all required maps submitted shall be of the same scale and cover the same areas. The applicant may submit supplementary maps of a different scale, at its discretion, where this will increase clarity. More than one type of information may be combined on one map if the information is clearly legible when combined.

(e) Interim provisions. Applications submitted prior to August 1, 1978, shall conform to the Community Development Plan Summary requirements published in the FEDERAL REGISTER (41 FR 4134) on January 28, 1976. However, applicants proposing to undertake activities whose eligibility under the rules in Subpart C depends on the activities being consistent with a strategy for community development shall supplement the plan summary with a brief narrative statement containing the information required by § 570.200(h).

$570.305 Annual Community Development Program.

Each annual application shall contain a Community Development Pro

gram describing the projects and activities to be carried out with program year funds. Such projects and activities shall be consistent with the previously submitted three-year Community Development and Housing Plan, or an amended plan shall be submitted with the application as required by § 570.312(a). The Community Development Program shall consist of the following:

(a) Project summary. The following information shall be provided for each project and activity to be commenced during the program year:

(1) The name of the project or activ

ity;

(2) A description of the project which states its purpose, the sequence of activities, duration of the project, and the entity responsible for carrying it out;

(3) The location and service area, including the census tract(s) or enumeration district(s) of the project, and the entity responsible for carrying it out;

(4) Whether the project or activity principally benefits low- and moderate-income persons, aids in the prevention of elimination of slums and blight, or meets other community needs having a particular urgency;

(5) A description of the activities which comprise each project, and the estimated costs and timing;

(6) The amounts and sources of other public funds and private investments anticipated to be provided;

(7) The environmental review status; (8) Anticipated accomplishments. (b) Cost summary. This will consist of a tabular summary, on a form to be prescribed, of proposed block grant expenditures in specific categories and the anticipated resources available.

(c) A map or maps of the applicant's jurisdiction showing the locations of proposed activities, on a base map census tracts or enumeration districts, and any designated neighborhood strategy areas. The maps shall be consistent with the requirements of scale and legibility in § 570.304(d).

§ 570.306 Housing Assistance Plan.

(a) General provisions. This section contains policies, procedures, require