§__.12(g)(4)(iii) – 4
Q: What activities are considered to “revitalize or stabilize” an underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geography, and how are those activities evaluated?
A2: The regulation provides that activities revitalize or stabilize an underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geography if they help to meet essential community needs, including needs of low- or moderate-income individuals. Activities, such as financing for the construction, expansion, improvement, maintenance, or operation of essential infrastructure or facilities for health services, education, public safety, public services, industrial parks, affordable housing, or communication services, will be evaluated under these criteria to determine if they qualify for revitalization or stabilization consideration. Examples of the types of projects that qualify as meeting essential community needs, including needs of low- or moderate-income individuals, would be
- a new or expanded hospital that serves the entire county, including low- and moderate-income residents;
- an industrial park for businesses whose employees include low- or moderate-income individuals;
- a new or rehabilitated sewer line that serves community residents, including low- or moderate-income residents;
- a mixed-income housing development that includes affordable housing for low- and moderate-income families;
- a renovated elementary school that serves children from the community, including children from low- and moderate-income families;
- a new or rehabilitate communications infrastructure, such as broadband internet services, that serves the community, including low- and moderate-income residents; or
- a new or rehabilitated flood control measure, such as a levee or storm drain, that serves the community, including low- and moderate-income residents.
Other activities in the area, such as financing a project to build a sewer line spur that connects services to a middle- or upper-income housing development while bypassing a low- or moderate-income development that also needs the sewer services, generally would not qualify for revitalization or stabilization consideration is geographies designated as underserved. If an underserved geography is also designated as a distressed or disaster area, additional activities may be considered to revitalize or stabilize the geography, as explained in Q&As §__.12(g)(4)(ii) – 2 and §__.12(g)(4)(iii) – 3.
Source: Interagency Questions & Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment | July 2016