Clearance Program
The Clearance Program provides funds to eligible applicants for clearance/demolition activities based on a competitive selection process to the extent that the funds are available. Applications were accepted for FY 2023 on August 1, 2023 and will be funded according to the FY 2023 Method of Distribution and Application Package. The information below is specific to the FY 2024 Clearance Program.
Eligible Applicants
Each eligible applicant may only submit one application. Eligible applicants to the State Clearance program are non-entitlement units of general local government, consisting of municipalities and parishes (42 U.S.C. 5306(d) and 42 U.S.C. 5302(a)(7)), and excludes the following entitlement areas: Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Bossier City, Hammond, Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government, Jefferson Parish (including Grand Isle, Gretna, Harahan, Jean Lafitte, and Westwego), Kenner, Lafayette Parish Consolidated Government, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, St. Tammany Parish, Shreveport, Slidell, and Thibodaux.
Eligible Activities
Proposed activities must be eligible under Section 105(a)(4) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. Each proposed activity must address the national objective of eliminating or preventing slums and blight as listed in this document. The Office of Community Development-Local Government Assistance (OCD-LGA) will only accept applications for the clearance, demolition, and the removal of residential or commercial structures on private property found to be detrimental to or endangering public safety, health, or welfare.
Ineligible Activities
While administrative fees are eligible under the Clearance Program, pre-agreement costs are not allowed.
Size of Grants
For all grants, a minimum of $150,000 including administrative costs is required. If, during the rating process, an application’s cost are reduced below the $150,000 minimum, that application will not be considered.
The State has established a funding ceiling of $250,000 for Towns and Villages and a funding ceiling of $500,000 for Cities and Parishes for the Clearance program. The State will allow applicants to request funds for administrative costs that do not exceed the ceiling amount with the following limitations. Each local government will be allowed a maximum of $50,000 in LCDBG funds for administrative costs for clearance projects. The Office of Community Development reserves the right to make adjustments to those ranges when deemed necessary. If, after a project has been funded, the scope of the project changes significantly, the State will make a determination as to the ceiling amount which will be allowed for administrative costs; this determination will be made on a case-by-case basis. In all instances, the local government may (but is not required to) retain up to five percent of the funds allowed for program administration to cover its costs of administering the LCDBG Program; such costs on the local governmental level include, but are not limited to audit fees, advertising and publication fees, staff time, workshop expenses, etc.
Funding Criteria
An application will not be considered for funding if it has an active grant under the Clearance Program or a grant funded prior to FY 2023 under any other LCDBG program. See the application package for additional restrictions on applying.
Evaluation Criteria
Details about the scoring criteria may be found in the application package. The maximum score an application can receive is 116 points and the factors are:
- Low/Moderate Income Persons (Maximum Possible Points ‑ 100)
- Prior Approval to Demolish All Structures (Maximum Possible Points – 10)
- Administrative Costs (Maximum Possible Points - 2)
- Legal Fees (Maximum Possible Points - 2)
- Application Completeness (Maximum Possible Points – 2)
Funding Process
After all rating points have been assigned for full applications meeting the past performance threshold criteria described below, a ranking list will be produced for Towns/Villages and Cities/Parishes including all clearance applications that are being considered for the FY 2024 program year ranked from highest to lowest according to the total number of points received by each application. The OCD will award funding based on this final ranking list as follows: For the FY 2024 program year, $ 2,000,000 will be allocated to Towns/Villages and $4,000,000 will be allocated to Cities/Parishes of the $6,000,000 for the Clearance program.
Application
The State's OCD-LGA shall establish deadlines for submitting applications and will notify all eligible applicants through a direct mailing/emailing, social media, and on the office’s website. Applicants that submit completed application packages and meet past performance threshold criteria for the Clearance program FY 2024 will be scored, ranked, and funded to the extent that the Clearance program FY 2024 monies are available.
Each eligible applicant can submit one application for consideration. The OCD-LGA will accept applications by hard copy only by the deadline, May 20, 2024. The application must be received in the office by that date, not merely postmarked. If more information is needed about this program after reviewing the links below, please contact Heather Paul at 225-342-7418 or heather.paul@la.gov.
How to Calculate a Score - Example
Citizen Participation Requirements (Samples Included) and Procurement Requirements can be found on our CDBG Forms and Information Page.
Environmental Review Record (FY 2023 Clearance) Procedures and Forms
Determination of Environmental Review Level (Required Form)
