Sec. 05.13.02.08. Designation of a Maple Street Community

A. A community must be located within a priority funding area identified under State Finance and Procurement Article, §5-7B-02, Annotated Code of Maryland, to be eligible for a Maple Street community designation.

B. An application submitted to the Department for designation as a Maple Street community shall:

(1) Be on a form approved by the Department, which may be in electronic or paper form;

(2) Be submitted by a date to be determined by the Department; and

(3) Contain the information and supporting documentation required by the Department.

C. In evaluating applications for a Maple Street community designation, the Department will take into consideration the following factors:

(1) Demonstration that the residential revitalization strategy will build upon and reinforce the progress of the Main Street Maryland revitalization strategy;

(2) The relationship of the proposed Maple Street community boundary to the existing Main Street community;

(3) An adequate local budget of at least 3 years and evidence of continuous funding commitment from public and private organizations;

(4) Strength of the commitment from local government and private sector organizations to provide sustained support for a local Maple Street community program;

(5) Organizational and financial capacity of the applicant;

(6) Experience of the applicant to implement a residential revitalization strategy and the value of that strategy on the community;

(7) Population and housing stock of the community;

(8) Historic architectural resources of the community and evidence of a local historic preservation ethic and commitment to historic preservation;

(9) Willingness of sponsors to develop and implement a mixed-income housing strategy as evidenced by the strategies and goals outlined in the Maple Street framework provided in the application; and

(10) Presence of revitalization designations.

D. Application Review.

(1) Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee approved by the Department for consistency with selection criteria.

(2) The selection committee will forward recommendations to the Secretary.

(3) The Secretary may approve, reject, or accept with modifications the selection committee's recommendations.