41914 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

fgis.gipsa.usda.gov/default_home_

FGIS.aspx) and then click on the 

Delegations/Designations and Export 

Registrations (DDR) link. You will need 

to obtain an FGISonline customer 

number and USDA eAuthentication 

username and password prior to 

applying. 

• Submit Comments Using the 

Internet: Go to Regulations.gov (http://

www.regulations.gov). Instructions for 

submitting and reading comments are 

detailed on the site. 

• Mail, Courier or Hand Delivery: 

Sharon Lathrop, Compliance Officer, 

USDA, GIPSA, FGIS, QACD, 10383 

North Ambassador Drive, Kansas City, 

MO 64153. 

• Fax: Sharon Lathrop, 816–872– 

1257. 

• Email: FGIS.QACD@usda.gov. 

Read Applications and Comments: 

All applications and comments will be 

available for public inspection at the 

office above during regular business 

hours (7 CFR 1.27(c)). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sharon Lathrop, 816–891–0415 or 

FGIS.QACD@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

7(f) of the United States Grain Standards 

Act (USGSA) authorizes the Secretary to 

designate a qualified applicant to 

provide official services in a specified 

area after determining that the applicant 

is better able than any other applicant 

to provide such official services (7 

U.S.C. 79(f)). Under section 7(g) of the 

USGSA, designations of official agencies 

are effective for no longer than five 

years, unless terminated by the 

Secretary, and may be renewed 

according to the criteria and procedures 

prescribed in section 7(f) of the USGSA. 

Areas Open for Designation 

Lincoln 

Pursuant to Section 7(f)(2) of the 

United States Grain Standards Act, the 

following geographic area in the States 

of Iowa and Nebraska is assigned to this 

official agency. 

In Iowa and Nebraska 

Bounded on the north (in Nebraska) 

by the northern York, Seward, and 

Lancaster County lines; the northern 

Cass County line east to the Missouri 

River; the Missouri River south to U.S. 

Route 34; U.S. Route 34 east to Interstate 

29; bounded on the east by Interstate 29 

south to the Fremont County line; the 

northern Fremont and Page County 

lines; the eastern Page County line south 

to the Iowa-Missouri State line; the 

Iowa-Missouri State line west to the 

Missouri River; the Missouri River 

south-southeast to the Nebraska-Kansas 

State line; bounded on the south by the 

Nebraska-Kansas State line west to 

County Road 1 mile west of U.S. Route 

81; bounded on the west by County 

Road 1 mile west of U.S. Route 81 north 

to State Highway 8; State Highway 8 

east to U.S. Route 81; U.S. Route 81 

north to the Thayer County line; the 

northern Thayer County line east; the 

western Saline County line; the 

southern and western York County 

lines. 

The following grain elevators are not 

part of this geographic area assignment 

and are assigned to: Omaha Grain 

Inspection Service, Inc.: Goode Seed & 

Grain, McPaul, Fremont County, Iowa; 

and Haveman Grain, Murray, Cass 

County, Nebraska. 

Opportunity for Designation 

Interested persons or governmental 

agencies may apply for designation to 

provide official services in the 

geographic area specified above under 

the provisions of section 7(f) of the 

USGSA and 7 CFR 800.196. Designation 

in the specified geographic area in Iowa 

and Nebraska is for the period beginning 

April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2023. To 

apply for designation or to request more 

information, contact Sharon Lathrop at 

the address listed above. 

Request for Comments 

We are publishing this notice to 

provide interested persons the 

opportunity to comment on the quality 

of services provided by the Lincoln 

official agency. In the designation 

process, we are particularly interested 

in receiving comments citing reasons 

and pertinent data supporting or 

objecting to the designation of the 

applicant. Submit all comments to 

Sharon Lathrop at the above address or 

at http://www.regulations.gov. 

We consider applications, comments, 

and other available information when 

determining which applicants will be 

designated. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Randall D. Jones, 

Acting Administrator, Grain Inspection, 

Packers and Stockyards Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18633 Filed 9–1–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–KD–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Solicitation of Applications 

(NOSA or Notice) for the Multifamily 

Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) 

Demonstration Program Under Section 

514, Section 515, and Section 516 

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service 

(Agency) announces the timeframes to 

submit pre-applications to participate in 

a demonstration program to preserve 

and revitalize existing Multi-Family 

Housing (MFH) projects currently 

financed under Section 514, Section 

515, and Section 516 of the Housing Act 

of 1949, as amended. Under this 

demonstration program, existing Section 

515 Rural Rental Housing (RRH) and 

Sections 514/516 Off-Farm Labor 

Housing (FLH) projects may be 

revitalized to preserve the ability of 

rental projects to provide safe and 

affordable housing for very-low, low, or 

moderate-income residents. The goal for 

projects participating in this program 

will be to extend their affordable use 

without displacing tenants because of 

increased rents. RRH projects include 

properties designated as senior, family, 

mixed, congregate and cooperative 

housing with currently outstanding 

Section 515 loans. FLH projects include 

only off-farm properties with currently 

outstanding Section 514 loans. 

This Notice does not provide any 

additional units of Agency Rental 

Assistance (RA) for projects financed 

under Section 514, Section 515, and 

Section 516. 

DATES: Pre-applicants selected under 

this Notice to submit final applications 

will be funded to the extent an 

appropriation act provides sufficient 

funding at the time of final application 

approval. The amount of funding 

available will be posted in the Rural 

Development (RD) Web site, http://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/

housingpreservation-revitalizationdemonstration-loans-grants. 

Pre-application submission deadlines 

for these opportunities are: 

(1) For pre-applications requesting 

multiple MPR funding tools [including 

debt deferral of eligible Section 514 or 

Section 515 loans] complete preapplications as defined in this Notice 

must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time December 1, 2017. 

(2) For any MPR applicants requesting 

debt deferral only for eligible Section 

514 or Section 515 loans, complete MPR 

pre-applications may be submitted on 

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 41915 

an ongoing basis through 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time, September 28, 2018. 

The Agency will not consider any preapplication received after the closing 

deadlines. MPR pre-applications will 

only be accepted electronically. All 

supporting documents must also be 

delivered electronically in PDF format 

by these deadlines to be considered for 

acceptance. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dean Greenwalt, dean.greenwalt@

wdc.usda.gov, (314) 457–5933, and/or 

Abby Boggs, abby.boggs@wdc.usda.gov, 

(615) 783 1382, Multi-Family Housing 

Preservation and Direct Loan Division, 

STOP 0782, (Room 1263–S) U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Development, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

0782. (Please note these telephone 

numbers are not toll-free numbers.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

Notice will be posted on the RD Web 

site, www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/ 

notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. 

To the extent an Appropriation Act 

provides funding for the MPR 

demonstration program, program dollar 

commitments will only be made to the 

MPR pre-applicants selected to submit 

formal applications. The Agency will 

publish, as necessary, any revisions and 

amendments reflecting program 

modifications, in the Federal Register 

within the period this Notice remains 

open. 

Expenses incurred in applying for this 

NOSA Notice will be borne by and be 

at the applicant’s sole risk. 

The Agency will assign additional 

points to pre-applications from existing 

RD-financed projects based in or serving 

census tracts in persistent poverty 

counties as well as other areas with 

special housing needs. This emphasis 

supports RD’s mission of improving the 

quality of life for Rural Americans and 

an ongoing commitment to direct 

resources to those most in need. 

A synopsis of this program and the 

pre-application’s universal resource 

locator will be listed by Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance Number or 

at Federal Grants Wire at http://

www.federalgrantswire.com or more 

specifically at https://www.cfda.gov/

index?s=program&mode=form&tab=

step1&id=4c4fe0f56eb9b21c 

e519a6c4104933bc. 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

The information collection 

requirements contained in this Notice 

have received approval from the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) 

under Control Number 0570–0190. 

Overview 

Federal Agency Name: Rural Housing 

Service, USDA. 

Funding Opportunity Title: 

Multifamily Preservation and 

Revitalization Demonstration Program— 

Section 514, Section 515, and Section 

516 for Fiscal Year 2017 and any 

subsequent funding appropriation of 

funds made available during the term 

this NOSA is outstanding. 

Announcement Type: Inviting 

responses in the form of preapplications from interested applicants. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance Number (CFDA): 10.447. 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2017, Public Law 115–31, signed May 5, 

2017, authorized USDA to conduct a 

demonstration program for the 

preservation and revitalization of the 

sections 514, 515, and 516 multi-family 

rental housing properties (off-farm FLH 

properties) to restructure existing USDA 

MFH loans expressly to ensure the 

project has sufficient resources to 

provide safe and affordable housing for 

low-income residents and farm laborers 

under the programs authorized by the 

Housing Act of 1949, as amended (42 

U.S.C. 1484, 1485 and 1486). 

This Notice solicits pre-applications 

from interested borrowers/applicants of 

MFH projects already participating in 

the Agency’s Section 515 MFH portfolio 

and Sections 514/516 FLH portfolio for 

the purpose of revitalization and 

preservation. Eligibility for MPR 

funding under this NOSA includes 

current RD borrowers that have received 

a loan from the Agency and eligible 

applicants who are applying to assume 

ownership and the associated presently 

outstanding RD loans on RD-financed 

MFH properties. Eligible applicants for 

the MPR program include individuals, 

partnerships or limited partnerships, 

consumer cooperatives, trusts, State or 

local public agencies, corporations, 

limited liability companies, non-profit 

organizations, Indian tribes, 

associations, or other entities that own 

or will be the owner of the project for 

which an application for transfer of 

ownership by the Agency is submitted. 

Agency regulations for the Section 

515 MFH program and the Sections 514/ 

516 FLH program are published at 7 

CFR part 3560. 

The intent of the MPR demonstration 

program is to ensure that existing rental 

projects will continue to deliver decent, 

safe and sanitary, affordable rental 

housing for eligible tenants over the 

remaining term of any Agency loan, or 

the remaining term of any existing 

Restrictive-Use Provisions (RUP) or 

prohibition, whichever ends later. 

MPR funds cannot be used to build 

community rooms, add additional 

parking areas, playgrounds, or laundry 

rooms. MPR funds may be used to repair 

or renovate existing project items 

identified in the Capital Needs 

Assessment (CNA) and to satisfy 

accessibility transition and fair housing 

requirements. 

To fulfill an existing need for 

additional affordable rental housing as 

documented in a market study and/or 

another information source acceptable 

to the Agency, MPR funds may be used 

to add new units, and/or reconfigure the 

present units, within the existing 

footprint of a project’s current or 

previously resident-occupied 

structure(s) (e.g., converting the nonresidential portion of mixed-used space 

into residential units). With Agency 

concurrence, MPR funds may also be 

used to meet the project’s five (5) 

percent fully accessible requirement as 

defined by Uniform Federal 

Accessibility Standards (UFAS). 

All pre-applications will be reviewed by 

the Agency using the process described in 

this NOSA and selected applicants will be 

invited to participate in the MPR 

demonstration program. Upon written 

notification to the Agency from the selected 

applicant of their acceptance to participate, 

the applicant will engage a qualified 

independent third-party to conduct a 

comprehensive Capital Needs Assessment 

(CNA) acceptable to RD (unless an existing 

CNA acceptable to the Agency was included 

as part of the pre-application submission) 

which should provide a fair and objective 

review of projected capital needs in any case 

where the applicant indicates additional 

MPR tools are also being requested. 

Applicants determined eligible to receive 

deferral-only MPR assistance for Exiting 

Projects and transfers will be processed on a 

continuous basis as described in this Notice 

so long as funds remain available. The 

Agency shall implement any other proposal 

that may be offered under this Notice through 

an MPR Conditional Commitment (MPRCC) 

with the eligible borrower/applicant, which 

will include all the terms and conditions 

offered by the Agency. 

One of the MPR tools available in this 

program is debt payment deferral for up 

to 20 years for presently outstanding 

Section 514 or Section 515 loans. The 

cash flow from the deferred RD direct 

loan principal and interest payment will 

be deposited to the RD project’s reserve 

account or used as directed by the 

Agency to help meet the specific 

project’s future physical needs, support 

new debt or to reduce rents, or as 

otherwise directed and determined by 

the Agency to be in the best interests of 

the tenants and Government. 

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41916 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

A. Debt deferral is described as 

follows: 

1. MPR Debt Deferral. A deferral for 

up to 20 years of the existing Section 

514 or Section 515 Agency loan(s). If the 

term of any existing Section 514 or 

Section 515 loans is less than 20 years, 

the Agency will offer a re-amortization 

of the existing loans extending the term 

up to 20 years based on an analysis of 

the individual needs of the specific 

property. If an MPR debt deferral is 

necessary as part of an ownership 

transfer under the provisions of 7 CFR 

3560.406, debt deferral only for eligible 

loans as described herein may be 

included in the transfer underwriting 

when: 

a. The deferral of such loans will 

assure the continued feasibility of 

preserving needed rental units based on 

criteria described in 7 CFR 

3560.57(a)(3), and 

b. The new owner, including all 

principles, does not share any identity 

of interest (IOI) with the selling entity 

in any other RD properties not fully 

compliant with all Agency requirements 

and conditions for any other 

outstanding RD indebtedness, or 

c. In those cases where the IOI seller, 

including the principles of the acquiring 

applicant, are fully compliant on any 

outstanding RD approved workout 

agreements. 

Any questions on whether or not a 

loan is eligible for deferral should be 

directed to the local RD State Office at: 

http://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/ 

state-offices. 

2. All terms and conditions of the 

deferral will be described in the MPR 

Debt Deferral Agreement. A balloon 

payment of principal and accrued 

interest (deferral balloon) will be due at 

the end of the deferral period, or upon 

default pursuant to the terms contained 

therein. Interest will accrue at the 

promissory note rate and, if applicable, 

the subsidy will be applied as set out in 

the Agency’s ‘‘Multiple Family Housing 

Interest Credit Agreement’’, Form RD 

3560–9, which is available at http://

forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/ 

eFileServices/eForms/RD3560–9.PDF. 

3. At the time of the deferral balloon, 

RHS intends to use the available 

servicing tools to preserve any needed 

projects as affordable rental housing. 

B. Other Agency MPR funding tools 

are as follows: 

1. MPR Grant. A grant limited to nonprofit applicants/borrowers only. The 

grant will be limited to the cost of 

correcting health and safety violations 

of a project, including accessibility and 

fair housing mandates identified by a 

CNA accepted by the Agency. The grant 

administration will be in accordance 

with applicable provisions of 2 CFR 

parts 200 and 400. 

2. MPR Zero Percent Loan. A loan at 

zero percent interest. This loan is not 

deferred. Monthly payments are 

required for the maximum term and 

amortization period will be as 

authorized by the respective program 

authority. 

a. The maximum term for the Zero 

Percent Loan will not extend beyond the 

latest maturity date of any existing 

Section 515 RRH or Section 514 FLH 

loan term already in place at the time of 

closing, or the modified maturity date of 

any current loan being re-amortized. 

b. For Section 515 RRH projects, the 

maximum loan term is 30 years 

amortized over a maximum term of 50 

years. 

c. For Sections 514/516 projects, the 

loan will be amortized over a maximum 

term of 33 years. 

3. MPR Soft-Second Loan. A loan with 

a one percent interest rate that will have 

its accrued interest and principal 

deferred to a balloon payment. The 

balloon payment will be due at the same 

time as the latest maturing Section 514 

or Section 515 loan already in place at 

the time of closing, or the modified 

maturity date of any current loan being 

reamortized. 

4. Other Possible Sources of Funds: 

a. Rural Development Section 515 

Rehabilitation loan funds for RRH 

projects; 

b. Rural Development Sections 514/ 

516 Off-Farm rehabilitation loan/grant 

funds for FLH projects; 

c. Rural Development Section 538 

Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing 

(GRRH) program financing; 

d. Rural Development Multi-Family 

Housing Preservation Revolving Loan 

Funds program; 

e. Third-party loans, grants, tax 

credits and tax-exempt financing; 

f. Owner-provided capital 

contributions in the form of a cash 

infusion. A cash infusion cannot be a 

loan; and 

g. Excess funds as defined by the then 

current respective RD program servicing 

regulations from the project’s reserve or 

operating fund accounts, or donated 

services provided by the applicant. 

5. Transfers/Subordinations/ 

Consolidations. Transfers, 

subordinations, and consolidations may 

be approved as part of a MPR 

transaction for the selected preapplicants in accordance with 7 CFR 

part 3560 and the following: 

If a transfer is part of the MPR 

transaction, and the transfer includes a 

seller payment and/or an increase in the 

allowable Return to Owner (RTO), the 

transfer must first be underwritten to 

meet the requirements of 7 CFR 

3560.406 to establish the maximum 

RTO amount RD will recognize for the 

buyer and seller. When it is in the best 

interests of the Government and the 

tenants to meet preservation goals, the 

transferee may request RD to reconsider 

the initial transfer authorization and 

grant use of MPR debt deferral only of 

all eligible RRH or FLH loans. 

Transfers using only MPR loan 

deferral funds in the underwriting do 

not require review by the RD 

Headquarters MPR Loan Review 

Committee. The RD State Office will 

submit these transfer requests through 

its HQ Review Underwriter to the 

Deputy Administrator, MFH for 

concurrence. 

a. This Notice will allow transfer 

transaction applicants to submit a 

second feasibility scenario using 

multiple MPR tools in addition to their 

primary proposal with MPR Deferral 

only. Applicants may include, at their 

own risk, MPR Zero Percent and/or MPR 

Soft Second loans in their transfer 

proposals. The combined total of the 

Zero Percent and Soft Second loans may 

not exceed the amount posted on the RD 

Web site at the beginning of each 

Round. Notwithstanding the 

aforementioned, if the transfer proposes 

a seller payment and/or an increase in 

the allowable Return to Owner (RTO), 

the transfer must first be underwritten 

to meet the requirements of 7 CFR 

3560.406 to establish the maximum 

RTO amount RD will recognize for the 

buyer and seller. RD has added a feature 

to its Transfer Preliminary Assessment 

Tool (PAT) that provides users the 

ability to include the second feasibility 

scenario using multiple MPR tools 

within the same template. 

b. An applicant that chooses to 

include MPR Zero Percent and/or MPR 

Soft Second loans in their transfer 

proposal will formally acknowledge that 

they understand inclusion of those 

funds in the underwriting constitutes 

neither an approval nor a commitment 

of any MPR funds by the Agency. They 

must also submit a transfer proposal for 

the transaction consistent with other 

proposals using other types of currently 

available financing, so the Agency can 

determine the feasibility of the transfer 

using such alternative forms of 

financing (e.g., Section 538). If MPR 

funds are not available or the transfer is 

not feasible without those funds, the 

applicant may choose to wait for MPR 

funds to become available. If the 

applicant must move forward with the 

transaction and is unable to wait for 

MPR funds to become available, it will 

be the applicant’s responsibility, not the 

Agency’s, to secure additional equity 

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 41917 

and/or funding comparable to the rates 

and terms of the MPR loan funds from 

other non-Agency sources to replace the 

MPR tools. The applicant may also 

choose to modify its transaction and 

exclude the use of MPR funds if the 

transaction remains financially feasible. 

c. The Agency will evaluate all 

transfers applying to participate in the 

MPR program equally, whether they 

chose to use MPR tools at underwriting 

or not. Every transfer application, 

regardless of the use of MPR tool in the 

underwriting, applying to participate in 

the MPR program will be evaluated and 

selected in accordance to the selection 

process outlined in this Notice. The 

MPR funds amount limit [mentioned in 

b. above] will not apply to transfers 

approved by the Agency that do not use 

MPR Zero percent and MPR Soft Second 

loans in its proposal. 

MPR funds will not be used to pay 

equity on MFH transfers. 

d. Prior RD Headquarters concurrence 

is required for any transfer with equity 

loan payments, increased RTO, or 

waivers for unusual transactions that 

fall outside of the normal transfer 

transaction principles of 7 CFR 

3560.406 or revitalization related policy 

issues not otherwise addressed. 

1. For the purposes of the MPR 

demonstration program, the Agency will 

identify transactions in four (4) 

categories: 

i. Exiting Project Deferral Only 

Transactions: These involve no change 

in ownership and only defer payments 

to the final due date authorized by 

statutory and program regulations 

unless otherwise modified under the 

terms of this Notice. This tool is 

available only to project owners where 

all Agency mortgages on the property 

are maturing on or before December 31, 

2023. 

A CNA will not be required for these 

transactions unless the RD debt 

payments are being deferred to allow 

additional capital repairs and 

improvements to fund work beyond the 

scope of the servicing requirement for 

reserve account use as in servicing the 

annual operating budget under 7 CFR 

3560.306 (g). 

Exiting Project deferral only 

transactions do not require review by 

the RD Headquarters MPR Loan Review 

Committee. The RD State Office will 

submit these transfer requests through 

its HQ Review Underwriter to the 

Deputy Administrator, MFH for 

concurrence. 

ii. Simple Transactions: These involve 

no change in ownership where the 

borrower is seeking one or more of the 

available MPR tools to meet the specific 

project’s present and future physical 

need, support new debt or to reduce 

rents, or as otherwise directed as 

determined by the Agency to be in the 

best interests of the tenants and 

Government. Simple transactions 

involve a single project but may include 

the consolidation of project phases 

owned by the same entity into one 

project under 7 CFR 3560.410. 

iii. Complex Transactions: These may 

consist of one or more project transfers 

within the same market area to a single 

new owner processed in accordance 

with 7 CFR 3560.406, with or without 

a consolidation; or single-owner 

transactions requiring a subordination 

agreement because of third-party funds. 

A complex transaction may involve 

more than one project but results in 

only a single project upon closing the 

transaction. The applicant will submit 

one pre-application. 

A. If a consolidation of existing 

properties is simultaneously proposed, 

all projects being consolidated must be 

submitted on one pre-application and 

must also be located in the same market 

area. Market area is defined in 7 CFR 

3560.11 as the geographic or locational 

delineation for a specific project, 

including outlying areas that will be 

impacted by the project including the 

area in which alternative, similar 

properties effectively compete with the 

subject property. 

B. For a MPR consolidation, all 

projects must be of the same type, be in 

a neighborhood or similar area where 

the properties compete for the same 

tenants; managed under one 

management plan and one management 

agreement; and, in sufficiently close 

proximity to permit convenient and 

efficient management of the property. 

C. Applicants should discuss 

proposed consolidations with the Rural 

Development State Office in the State 

where the projects are located prior to 

filing their MPR pre-application to 

ensure Rural Development concurs with 

the applicant’s market area estimation. 

D. Removal of one or more projects 

from the proposal by either the Agency 

or the owner does not affect the 

eligibility of the complex transaction. 

To be a complex transaction, the Agency 

assumes only one project remains at the 

MPR closing. 

iv. Portfolio transactions: These 

include two or more projects with one 

stay-in owner that will not be 

consolidated into a single property 

under 7 CFR 3560.11, or two or more 

projects with multiple projects located 

in one State sale transactions to a 

common purchaser. A stay-in owner is 

defined as an existing Section 515 or 

Sections 514/516 borrower who owns 

two or more properties either as a single 

ownership entity, or as separate legal 

entities with at least one common 

general partner/managing member 

capable of securing all necessary 

approvals from other partners, investors, 

etc. as may be required in the entity’s 

organizational documents for 

participation in the MPR program prior 

to closing. Each project in the portfolio 

will be submitted on a separate preapplication form unless those located in 

the same market area are being 

consolidated as defined above. Any 

projects being consolidated should be 

listed on the same pre-application form. 

Each pre-application must have the 

same portfolio name. If the owner 

chooses to remove one or more projects 

from the proposal, at least two projects 

must remain in order to be classified as 

a portfolio transaction. At the end of the 

transaction, the Agency assumes there 

will be two or more unconsolidated 

projects remaining. The projects of the 

stay-in owner or common purchaser 

must have at least one general partner/ 

managing member in common capable 

of securing the consent of all other 

partners or members prior to closing the 

MPR in accordance with the entity 

organizational documents. 

6. Transactions, other than Exiting 

Project deferral only MPR assistance, 

within each category may utilize any or 

all MPR funding tools described above 

in paragraph I, ‘‘Funding Opportunity 

Description’’. MPR tools available 

through the MPR demonstration 

program address preservation and 

rehabilitation needs identified in the 

Agency-accepted CNA, including any 

accessibility transition plans and fair 

housing requirements not previously 

satisfied. 

7. The total of all liens against the 

project, with the exception of Agency 

deferred debt, cannot exceed the 

Agency-approved security value of the 

project. All Agency debt, either in first 

lien position or in a subordinated lien 

position, must be secured by the project, 

except deferred debt, which is not 

included in the Agency’s total lien 

position for computation of the 

Agency’s security value in the MPR 

program. Payment of any deferred debt 

will not be required from normal project 

operations income. Payment of any 

deferred debt will be required from 

excess cash generated from project 

operations after all other secured debts, 

required reserves and operational costs 

are satisfied or as directed by the 

Agency. 

8. All exiting RD direct loans with 

payments being deferred will be 

reamortized or restructured to the 

maximum term allowed under the 

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41918 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

respective RRH or FLH loan program 

authorities prior to debt deferral. 

C. MPR Applicants 

Pre-applicants selected under this 

Notice to submit formal applications 

will be subsequently referred to as 

‘‘Applicants’’, and will be considered 

for available funding as described in 

this Notice subject to the availability of 

MPR funds or other program funds for 

which they may be eligible. 

D. Exiting Project Applicants 

The Agency recognizes that a number 

of Section 515 and Sections 514/516 

properties are financed through 

mortgages scheduled to mature through 

calendar year 2023. The Agency will 

make an MPR debt deferral available to 

properties with all Agency mortgages 

maturing on or before December 31, 

2023, that are not already being 

reamortized as part of an RD servicing 

action to extend the affordable use of 

the housing and continue its eligibility 

for Section 521 Rental Assistance. 

Notwithstanding any other provisions of 

this Notice, MPR pre-applicants 

applying for a deferral of their eligible 

mortgage debt and any other MPR tools 

will be required to meet the continuing 

eligibility requirements as outlined in 

‘‘Section III Eligibility Information’’ of 

this Notice. Applicants applying solely 

for deferral of eligible Exiting Projects 

will only be required to submit the MPR 

pre-application within the established 

deadlines set out in the DATES section of 

this Notice; no additional supporting 

documentation is required. The 

applicant will complete the MPR preapplication documenting the date the 

Agency loans will mature. The Agency 

reserves the right to approve an MPR 

debt deferral under this paragraph in its 

sole discretion, based on factors 

including but not limited to: the 

preceding 12-month average physical 

vacancy; analysis of current ownership; 

evidence the property is financially 

solvent; the current physical condition 

of the property; amount of assistance 

needed to meet immediate and long 

term physical needs of the property; and 

the availability of other subsidized 

housing within the community. The RD 

State Office will submit Exiting Project 

deferral only requests through its HQ 

Review Underwriter to the Deputy 

Administrator, MFH for concurrence. 

II. Award Information 

Pre-applications selected under this 

Notice that become an Agency approved 

application may be funded with current 

or future fiscal year funds subject to the 

availability of a funding appropriation. 

Any pre-applications selected under 

this Notice, will be considered 

withdrawn on December 31, 2018, if not 

approved by the Agency. This deadline 

will not be extended, so please plan 

your transaction’s timeline accordingly. 

Applicants may reapply for funding 

under future rounds and/or Notices as 

may be made available. 

Awards under this Notice mean any 

loan or grant approved and obligated. 

Awardees receiving loans or grants 

under the MPR program are subject to 

2 CFR 25.200. All Awardees of any 

nature under this Notice are subject to 

the applicable requirements of the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB)-approved USDA Suspension and 

Debarment, and Drug-Free Workplace 

Certifications as prescribed under Title 

2 CFR parts 417 and 421. 

Applicants are advised that the 

Agency has unfunded applications 

carried over from prior Notices that will 

receive priority consideration for 

funding approval from available fiscal 

year appropriations based on the terms 

of those Notices. If fiscal year funds 

available for the MPR demonstration 

program are fully committed before 

funding all remaining eligible preapplications selected for further 

processing under this Notice, the 

Agency may continue to process preapplications that if approved, may 

receive conditional commitments 

subject to the future appropriation and 

availability of MPR funds. 

Applicants are further advised that 

the Agency anticipates it may not have 

sufficient funding under this Notice to 

fund every approved application. If the 

Agency depletes the available MPR 

funds before funding every approved 

application, then every approved 

application not funded will be 

incorporated into a funding priority 

queue. The queue will prioritize 

approved applications by receipt date 

and score and it will be maintained by 

the HQ Review Underwriter Team 

Leader (Team Leader). 

The queue process begins when HQ 

Review Underwriters email approved 

applications to the Team Leader, who 

accumulates the approved applications 

for placement in the queue throughout 

the week until the weekly submission 

deadline of midnight Eastern Time 

every Thursday. The Team Leader then 

incorporates the approved applications 

received through Thursday into the 

queue no later than the following 

Tuesday (e.g., requests received from 

Friday, April 13, 2018 to Thursday, 

April 19, 2018 will be reviewed and 

placed into the queue in scoring order 

by Tuesday, April 24, 2018). To the 

extent that MPR funds become 

available, they will be allocated starting 

with the first approved application on 

the queue until all funds are exhausted. 

As long as MPR funds remain available 

or when MPR funds become available 

once again, the Agency will continue to 

allocate those funds in the manner 

aforementioned. However, if an 

application is not approved by the HQ 

Loan Review Committee and the 

application is returned to the State 

Office, the application will be 

reassigned a new place in the queue 

based on the [email] date and time the 

HQ Review Underwriter resubmits the 

application to the Team Leader. In the 

event of a tie, priority will be given to 

the request for the project that: First— 

has the highest percentage of leveraging 

(lowest Loan to Cost); second—is in the 

smaller rural community. 

In order to maximize the distribution 

of MPR funds among as many States as 

possible, the Director, MFH PDLD, may 

authorize a State with four (4) or less 

funded applications to be funded ahead 

of any State with five (5) or more funded 

applications even when the application 

from the State with (4) or less funded 

applications has a later queue date and 

time than the application from a State 

with five (5) or more funded 

applications. 

MPR funding tools are only for 

authorized purposes in the respective 

RRH and FLH programs in accordance 

with 7 CFR 3560 unless otherwise 

determined to be in the best interests of 

the government. The program will be 

administered within the resources 

available to the Agency through Public 

Law 114–113 and any future 

appropriations for the preservation and 

revitalization of Sections 514/516 and 

Section 515-financed projects. In the 

event that any provisions of 7 CFR part 

3560 conflict with this Notice, the 

provisions of this Notice will take 

precedence. 

III. Eligibility Information 

Applicant eligibility requirements. 

For the purpose of this Notice, 

‘‘applicant’’ includes the applying entity 

(e.g., ABC LLP) and the entity’s 

principals (e.g., John Doe, General 

Partner of ABC LLP; XYZ, Inc., General 

Partner of ABC LLP; John Doe Jr., 

President of XYZ, Inc.). In the case of a 

single asset entity that is not a natural 

person, the Agency will rely solely on 

the qualifications of the natural 

person(s) managing/controlling the 

entity (whether directly or indirectly 

through other entities) to establish the 

applicant’s eligibility. 

These eligibility requirements include 

substantial and verifiable favorable 

experience and creditworthiness, but do 

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not require the test for other credit. 

Appropriate credit reports will be 

ordered by RD upon receipt of the MPR 

application selected for further 

processing in all cases, unless a current 

credit report has been included as part 

of a RD transfer application file. In the 

case of FLH applicants, eligibility 

requirements are included in 7 CFR 

3560.555. 

1. All applicants must meet the 

following requirements: 

a. Be a U.S. citizen or qualified 

alien(s); a corporation; a State or local 

public Agency; an Indian tribe as 

defined in § 3560.11; or a limited 

liability company (LLC), non-profit 

organization, consumer cooperative, 

trust, partnership, or limited 

partnership in which the principals are 

U.S. citizens or qualified aliens; 

b. Be unable to obtain similar credit 

elsewhere at rates that would allow for 

rents within the payment ability of 

eligible residents; 

c. Possess the legal and financial 

capacity to carry out the obligations 

required for the loan or grant; 

d. Be able to maintain, manage, and 

operate the housing for its intended 

purpose and in accordance with all 

Agency requirements as demonstrated 

with its compliance with Agency 

servicing requirements. Non-compliance 

with Agency servicing requirements 

with other projects owned and/or 

managed by natural person(s) managing/ 

controlling (whether directly or 

indirectly through other entities) the 

borrowing entity, will render the 

applicant ineligible to participate in the 

MPR program nationwide until the noncompliance event(s) is/are remedied; 

e. With the exception of applicants 

who are a non-profit organization, 

housing cooperative or public body, be 

able to provide the borrower 

contribution from their own resources 

(this contribution must be in the form of 

cash, or land, or a combination thereof); 

f. Not be suspended, debarred, or 

excluded based on the ‘‘List of Parties 

Excluded from Federal Procurement and 

Non-Procurement Programs.’’ The list is 

available to Federal agencies from the 

U.S. Government Printing Office. NonFederal parties should contact the 

Superintendent of Documents, U.S. 

Government Printing Office, 

Washington, DC 20402, (202) 512–1800; 

g. Not be delinquent on Federal debt 

or a Federal judgment debtor, with the 

exception of those debtors described in 

7 CFR 3560.55 (b); and 

h. Be in compliance with the 

requirements of the Improper Payments 

Elimination and Recovery Improvement 

Act (IPERIA) as applied by USDA. 

Additional requirement for applicants 

with prior debt. If an applicant, the 

managing general partner, managing 

member, or key principal in the 

organization decision-making and 

operational authority that may control 

the applicant and any sub-applicant 

entities involved including the actual 

natural person(s) of any sub-entity (i.e., 

other organizations, partnerships, etc.) 

excising management and/or financial 

control of an applicant borrower, as well 

as any affiliated entity having a 10 

percent or more ownership interest, 

having a prior or existing Agency debt, 

the following additional requirements 

must be met: 

a. The applicant must be in 

compliance with any existing loan or 

grant agreements and with all legal and 

regulatory requirements or must have an 

Agency approved workout agreement 

and be in compliance with the 

provisions of the workout agreement. 

The Agency may require that applicants 

with monetary or non-monetary 

deficiencies be in compliance with an 

Agency-approved workout agreement 

for a minimum of six (6) consecutive 

months before becoming eligible for 

further assistance. 

b. The applicant must be in 

compliance with the Title VI of the Civil 

Rights Act of 1964, section 504 of the 

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and all other 

applicable civil rights laws. 

Additional requirements for nonprofit organizations. In addition to the 

eligibility requirements of paragraphs 

above, non-profit organizations must 

meet the following criteria: 

a. The applicant must have received 

a tax-exempt ruling from the IRS 

designating the applicant as a 501(c)(3) 

or 501(c)(4) organization. 

b. The applicant must have in its 

charter the provision of affordable 

housing. 

c. No part of the applicant’s earnings 

may benefit any of its members, 

founders, or contributors. 

d. The applicant must be legally 

organized under State and local law. 

e. In the case of off-farm labor housing 

loans and grants, non-profit 

organizations must be ‘‘broad-based’’ 

non-profit organizations (refer to 

§ 3560.555(a)(1)). 

Additional requirements for limited 

partnerships. In addition to the 

applicant eligibility requirements 

aforementioned, limited partnership 

loan applicants must meet the following 

criteria: 

a. The general partners must be able 

to meet the borrower contribution 

requirements if the partnership is not 

able to do so at the time of loan request. 

b. The general partners must maintain 

a minimum 5 percent financial interest 

in the residuals or refinancing proceeds 

in accordance with the partnership 

organizational documents. 

c. The partnership must agree that 

new general partners can be brought 

into the organization only with the prior 

written consent of the Agency. 

Additional requirements for Limited 

Liability Companies (LLCs). In addition 

to the applicant eligibility requirements 

aforementioned, LLC loan applicants 

must meet the following criteria: 

a. One member who holds at least a 

five (5) percent financial interest in the 

LLC must be designated the authorized 

agent to act on the LLC’s behalf to bind 

the LLC and carry out the management 

functions of the LLC. 

b. No new members may be brought 

into the organization without prior 

consent of the Agency. 

c. The members must commit to meet 

the equity contribution requirements if 

the LLC is not able to do so at the time 

of loan request. 

1. This Notice requires selected 

applicants to make the required equity 

contribution as outlined in 3560.63(c) 

for any new Section 515 loan offered as 

part of the MPR. Applicant funds 

committed under Section I, may be used 

to fund all or a portion of the required 

RD equity contribution for the 

subsequent direct program loan. Loan 

applicants will not receive any 

increased equity value attributed to the 

property since the initial RD loan 

closing and will not receive additional 

RTO for this contribution. 

2. Eligibility also includes the 

continued ability of the borrower/ 

applicant to provide acceptable 

management and will include an 

evaluation of any current outstanding 

deficiencies. As defined in Section V of 

this Notice, any outstanding violations 

or extended open operational findings 

associated with the applicant/borrower 

or any affiliated entity having an 

identity of interest (IOI) with the project 

ownership and which are recorded in 

the Agency’s automated Multi-Family 

Information System (MFIS), will 

preclude further processing of any MPR 

applications unless there is a current, 

approved workout plan in place and the 

plan has been satisfactorily followed for 

a minimum of six (6) consecutive 

months, as determined by the Agency. 

3. For Section 515 RRH projects, the 

average physical vacancy rate for the 12 

months preceding this Notice’s preapplication submission date can be no 

more than 10 percent for projects 

consisting of 16 or more revenue units 

and no more than 15 percent for projects 

less than 16 revenue units unless an 

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exception applies under Section IV B 

1(b) of this Notice. The Agency may 

require additional information, which 

may include a current market study, to 

assess the need of the project and its 

continued financial feasibility. If a 

project consolidation is involved, the 

consolidation will remain eligible so 

long as the average vacancy rate for each 

individual project meets the occupancy 

standard noted in this paragraph. Any 

individual project selected under the 

complex or portfolio pre-application 

submission that does not continue to 

meet the occupancy threshold at the 

time of filing the formal application, 

regardless of reason, may be withdrawn 

by the owner or the Agency from 

complex or portfolio applicant package 

without jeopardizing the formal 

application so long as the application 

continues to meet the eligibility 

conditions otherwise described in this 

Notice. 

4. For Sections 514/516 FLH projects, 

rather than an average physical vacancy 

rate as noted in section (ii) above, a 

positive cash flow for the previous full 

three (3) years of operation is required 

unless an exception applies as described 

section III(A)(3), above for projects with 

an approved work out plan. 

5. MPR tools will only be awarded if 

the pre-applicant will meet applicable 

program ownership requirements, 

including the ability to operate the 

project after the transaction is 

completed. In the event of a MFH 

transfer, the proposed transferee must 

submit evidence of site control together 

with a copy of the borrower’s written 

request signed by both the proposed 

buyer and the seller describing the 

general terms of the proposed transfer. 

Evidence may include a Purchase 

Agreement, Letter of Intent, or other 

documentation acceptable to the 

Agency. 

6. An Agency approved CNA (for 

guidance refer to http://www.rd.usda.

gov/programs-services/housingpreservation-revitalization

demonstration-loans-grants) and an 

Agency financial evaluation/analysis 

must be conducted to ensure that 

utilization of the MPR demonstration 

program tools is financially feasible, and 

necessary for the revitalization and 

preservation of the project as affordable 

housing. 

7. Initial eligibility for any processing 

will be determined as of the date of the 

pre-application filing deadline. The 

Agency reserves the right to discontinue 

processing any application due to 

material changes in the applicant’s 

status occurring at any time after the 

initial eligibility determination. 

8. All selected applicants must obtain 

a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal 

Numbering System (DUNS) number and 

register in the Central Contractor 

Registration (CCR) prior to submitting 

an application pursuant to 2 CFR 

25.200. In addition, all entity applicants 

must maintain registration in the CCR 

database at all times during which it has 

an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by the Agency as required by OMB in 

2 CFR 25.200 and 25.305. Similarly, all 

recipients of Federal Financial 

Assistance are required to report 

information about first-tier, sub-awards 

and executive compensation, in 

accordance with 2 CFR part 170. So long 

as an entity applicant does not have an 

exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b), the 

applicant must have the necessary 

processes and systems in place to 

comply with the reporting requirements 

should the applicant receive funding. 

See 2 CFR 170.200(b). 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. The general steps of the MPR 

application process are as follows: 

1. Pre-application: All applicants for 

MPR funds submit a pre-application as 

described in Section VI along with any 

supporting documentation as outlined 

in this Notice. Failure to timely submit 

all required documentation will result 

in an incomplete pre-application. This 

pre-application process is designed to 

lessen the cost burden on all applicants, 

including those who may not be eligible 

or whose proposals may not be feasible. 

Selection of a pre-application for further 

processing is not an award or 

commitment for funding, except for 

Exiting Project deferrals cited in Section 

I D of this Notice. 

Note: If you receive a loan or grant award 

under this Notice, USDA reserves the right to 

post all information submitted as part of the 

pre-application/application package, which 

is not protected under the Privacy Act, on a 

public Web site with free and open access to 

any member of the public. 

2. Eligible Projects: Using criteria 

described below in this Notice, the 

Agency will conduct an initial screening 

for eligibility. As described in Section 

VI, the Agency will conduct an 

additional eligibility screening later in 

the formal application process. 

3. Scoring and Ranking: All complete, 

eligible and timely filed preapplications will be scored, ranked and 

put in potential funding categories as 

discussed in this Notice. 

4. Formal Applications: All complete, 

eligible and timely filed pre-applicants 

will receive a letter from the Agency 

inviting them to submit a formal 

application. As discussed in Section III 

of this Notice, the Agency will require 

the owner to provide a CNA, completed 

in accordance with the Agency’s 

published guidance (available at http:// 

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

housing-preservationrevitalizationdemonstration-loansgrants) to underwrite the proposal to 

determine financial feasibility. 

Applicants will be informed of any 

proposals that are determined to be 

incomplete, ineligible, or financially 

infeasible. Any proposal denied by the 

Agency will be returned to the 

applicant, and the applicant will be 

given appeal rights pursuant to 7 CFR 

11. 

5. Financial Feasibility: The Agency 

will use the results of the CNA to help 

identify the need for resources and 

applicant provided information 

regarding anticipated or available thirdparty financing in order to determine 

the financial feasibility of each potential 

transaction. The Agency will use tools 

available either through existing 

regulatory authorities or specifically 

authorized through the MPR 

demonstration program. A project is 

financially feasible when it can provide 

affordable, decent, safe, and sanitary 

housing for 20 years or the remaining 

term of any Agency loan, whichever 

ends later, by using the authorities of 

this program while minimizing the cost 

to the Agency, and without increasing 

rents for eligible tenants, except when 

necessary to meet normal and necessary 

operating expenses, as determined by 

the Agency. 

6. If the Agency determines the 

transaction is financially feasible, it may 

be able to offer the borrower a 

revitalization proposal, subject to 

available funding. This will include a 

requirement that the borrower execute 

and record, an Agency-approved 

Restrictive-Use Covenant (RUC) for a 

period equivalent to the longest term of 

any MPR funding being authorized, the 

remaining term of any non-deferred 

existing loans, or the remaining term of 

any existing RUPs, whichever ends 

later. The proposal will be established 

in the offer presented to the applicant as 

part of a MPR Conditional Commitment 

(MPRCC) using a format determined by 

RD. 

7. MPR Agreements: If the applicant 

accepts the offer, the applicant must 

sign and return the MPRCC. By signing 

the offer, the applicant agrees to the 

terms of the MPRCC. Any third-party 

lender will be required to subordinate to 

the Agency’s RUC unless the Agency 

determines, on a case-by-case basis, that 

the lender’s refusal to subordinate will 

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not compromise the purpose of the MPR 

demonstration program. 

8. General Requirements: The MPR 

transactions are with a stay-in owner 

(simple) or may involve a change in 

ownership (complex or portfolio). Any 

housing or related facilities that are 

constructed or repaired must meet the 

Agency design and construction 

standards and the development 

standards contained in 7 CFR part 1924, 

subparts A and C, respectively. Upon 

completion, Section 515 MFH and 

Sections 514/516 FLH projects must be 

managed in accordance with 7 CFR 

3560. Tenant eligibility will be limited 

to persons who qualify as an eligible 

household under Agency regulations. 

Tenant eligibility requirements are 

contained in 7 CFR 3560.152. 

B. The MPR application submission 

and scoring will be completed in two 

phases in order to avoid unnecessary 

effort and expense on the part of 

applicants. The two phases are as 

follows: 

1. Phase I—The first phase is the preapplication process. Applicants, 

including applicants seeking deferral 

only, must submit a complete preapplication by the deadline listed under 

the DATES section of this Notice. The 

applicant’s submission will be classified 

as ‘‘complete’’ when the MPR preapplication is received in the correct 

format and place as described in this 

Notice for each existing property the 

applicant wishes to be considered in the 

demonstration program. When the MPR 

proposal involves a project 

consolidation, the consolidation will be 

completed in accordance with 7 CFR 

3560.410. One pre-application for the 

proposed consolidated project is 

required and must identify each project 

included in the consolidation. If the 

MPR proposal involves a portfolio 

transaction (sale or stay-in owner), one 

pre-application for each project in the 

portfolio is required and each preapplication must identify each project 

included in the portfolio transaction. 

Pre-applications must include all 

applicable information requested on the 

MPR pre-application form and must be 

provided to be complete for 

consideration. Additional information 

that must be provided with the preapplication to be considered complete, 

when applicable, includes: 

a. For all transfers of ownership, 

evidence of site control. 

b. Current market data (defined as no 

more than 6 months old at time of filing) 

for any project not meeting the 

occupancy standards cited in sections 

III (2) and III (3) above. The market data 

must demonstrate there is need for the 

project evidenced by waiting lists and a 

housing shortage confirmed by local 

housing agencies and realtors and 

accepted by the Agency. The market 

data must show a clear need and 

demand for the project once an MPR 

transaction is completed. The results of 

the survey of existing or proposed rental 

or labor housing, including complex 

name, location, number of units, 

bedroom mix, family or elderly type, 

year built, and rent charges must be 

provided, as well as the existing 

vacancy rate of all available rental units 

in the community, their waiting lists 

and amenities, and the availability of 

RA or other subsidies. The Agency will 

determine whether or not the proposal 

has market feasibility based on the data 

provided by the applicant. Any costs 

associated with the completion of the 

market data is NOT an eligible program 

project expense. 

c. For a property that has been sold 

to a non-profit entity under the Sale to 

Non-Profit process defined in 3560, 

Subpart N, a copy of the recorded Deed. 

Unless an exception under this 

section applies, the requirements stated 

in Section III A(1) and (2) of this Notice 

must be met. 

Note: All documents must be received on 

or before the pre-application closing deadline 

to be considered complete and timely filed. 

Pre-applications that do not include valid 

and unexpired evidence of site control for 

transfer proposals, or current market data for 

projects that do not meet the occupancy 

standards of Section III A(1) and (2) of this 

Notice, will be considered incomplete and 

will be returned to the applicant without 

further action or appeal rights. 

2. Phase II—The second phase of the 

application process will be completed 

by the Agency based on Agency records 

and the pre-application information 

submitted. All complete, eligible, and 

timely-filed pre-applications will be 

scored and ranked based on points 

received during the application process. 

Further, the Agency will categorize each 

MPR proposal as being an Exiting 

Project Deferral, Simple, Complex, or 

Portfolio transaction based on the 

information submitted on the preapplication, in accordance with the 

category descriptions provided in 

Section I of this Notice. 

All pre-applications will only be 

submitted electronically. Preapplications received electronically will 

be recorded by the actual date and time 

received in the MPR Web site and used 

in ranking the pre-application as 

discussed under section I A 3. 

Assistance with filing electronic preapplications can be obtained from any 

Rural Development State Office. USDA 

Rural Development MFH State Office 

contacts can be found at http://

www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/stateoffices. 

(Note: Telephone numbers listed in the Web 

site are not toll-free.) 

The pre-application is in Adobe 

Acrobat format and will be completed as 

a fillable form online. The form contains 

a button labeled ‘‘Submit by Email’’ and 

must be clicked to receive an email 

indicating a pre-application has been 

sent to the MPR Web site and 

acknowledging that the pre-applicant 

will submit to the electronic mail box 

any required attachments for 

consideration. If a purchase agreement 

or market data is required, these 

additional documents are to be attached 

to the resulting email prior to 

submission. 

Pre-applications may be downloaded 

from the Agency’s Web site at http://

www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/ 

housing-preservationrevitalizationdemonstration-loansgrants or obtained by contacting the 

State Office in the State the project is 

located to assist the pre-applicant in 

gathering the details necessary to 

complete and submit their electronic 

application. Additional information 

may also be obtained in writing by 

contacting Dean Greenwalt or Abby 

Boggs, Multi-Family Housing 

Preservation and Direct Loan Division, 

STOP 0782, (Room 1263–S), U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Rural 

Development, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250– 

0782. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Pre-application ranking points will 

be based on information provided 

during the submission process, and in 

Agency records. Only timely, complete 

pre-applications requesting both debt 

deferral of eligible Section 514 or 

Section 515 loans AND other MPR 

funding tools will be ranked. Points will 

be awarded as follows: 

1. Contribution of other sources of 

funds. Other funds are those discussed 

in Section I.B, 4 ‘‘Other Sources of 

Funds’’ paragraph, items (a) through (g), 

above. Points will be awarded based on 

documented written evidence that the 

funds are committed, as determined by 

the Agency. ‘‘Commitment’’ means an 

actual award of funds evidenced by a 

documented approval, obligation, or 

another contractual agreement between 

a third-party funder and the borrower/ 

applicant entity to provide funds. 

Commitments that include the terms 

such as ‘may’ or ‘intend’ will not be 

acceptable for scoring purposes. The 

maximum points awarded for this 

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41922 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

criterion is 30 points. These points will 

be awarded in the following manner: 

a. Evidence of a commitment of at 

least $3,000 to $5,000 per unit per 

project from other sources—10 points, 

or 

b. Evidence of a commitment greater 

than $5,000 to $10,000 per unit per 

project from other sources—15 points. 

c. Evidence of a commitment greater 

than $10,000 to $15,000 per unit per 

project from other sources—20 points. 

d. Evidence of a commitment greater 

than $15,000 per unit per project from 

other sources—30 points. 

2. Owner contribution. Points will be 

awarded if the owner agrees to make a 

contribution of at least $500 per unit to 

pay transaction costs. (These funds 

cannot be from the project’s reserve, 

operating funds, tax credit equity or be 

in the form of donated services provided 

by the applicant.) Transaction costs are 

defined as those Agency approved costs 

required to complete the transaction 

under this Notice and include, but are 

not limited to the CNA, legal and 

closing costs, appraisal costs, RD MPR 

credit report and associated MPR 

document filing/recording fees. This 

contribution must be deposited into the 

respective project reserve account prior 

to closing the MPR transaction from the 

owner’s non-project resources. The 

maximum points awarded for this 

criterion is 30 points. These points will 

be awarded in the following manner: 

a. Evidence of a contribution of at 

least $500 to $650 per unit—10 points, 

or 

b. Evidence of a contribution greater 

than $651to $900 per unit—20 points, or 

c. Evidence of a contribution greater 

than $901 per unit—30 points. 

3. Owner contribution for the hard 

costs of construction. (These funds 

cannot be from the project’s reserve 

account or project’s general operating 

account or in the form of a loan.) Hard 

costs of construction are defined as 

those costs for materials equipment, 

property or machinery required to 

complete the proposal under this 

Notice. Owner contributions under this 

criteria are not eligible for a Return on 

Investment (ROI) under 7 CFR 3560.68 

if they are part of the minimum 3 

percent or 5 percent initial investment 

required in conjunction with any 

Section 515 direct loan or have been 

contributed as any amount used to 

establish the RTO in a MFH transfer 

authorized under 7 CFR 3560.406. 

Owner contributions of the minimum 3 

percent or 5 percent initial investment 

required in conjunction with any new 

Section 515 direct loan used toward 

hard costs of construction may be 

included in the contribution amount of 

this section to qualify for points. Hard 

costs must be itemized on Form RD 

1924–13, ‘‘Estimate and Certificate of 

Actual Cost’’. Form RD 1924–13 can be 

found at: http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

RD1924–13.PDF. 

The minimum contribution required 

to receive these points is $1,000 per unit 

per project, and will be required to be 

deposited in the project reserve account 

or supervised/construction account as 

directed by Rural Development prior to 

closing. An increased RTO may be 

allowed for funds committed in 

accordance with 7 CFR 3560.406(d) 

(14)(ii). The maximum points awarded 

for this criterion is 15 points. These 

points will be awarded in the following 

manner: 

a. Evidence of a contribution of at 

least $1,000 to $2,500 per unit—5 

points, or 

b. Evidence of a contribution greater 

than $2,500 to $5,000 per unit—10 

points, or 

c. Evidence of a contribution greater 

than $5,000 per unit—15 points. 

4. Exiting Projects. Points will be 

awarded to properties where all existing 

RD loans will mature (make their final 

loan payment) on or before December 

31, 2023, and which are also competing 

for other MPR tools. 25 Points 

5. Persistent Poverty Counties. Points 

will be awarded to projects located in 

persistent poverty counties. A persistent 

poverty county is a classification for 

counties in the United States that have 

had a relatively high rate of poverty over 

a long period. The USDA’s Economic 

Research Service (ERS) (http://

ers.usda.gov/) is the main source of 

economic information and research for 

USDA and a principal agency of the 

U.S. Federal Statistical System located 

in Washington, DC ERS has defined 

counties as being persistently poor if 20 

percent or more of their populations 

were living in poverty over the last 30 

years (measured by the 1980, 1990, and 

2000 decennial censuses and 2006–2010 

American Community Survey 5-year 

estimates). Projects in RD designated 

Strike Force and Promise Zones, 

Colonias, tribal lands, Rural Economic 

Area Partnership (REAP) Zone 

communities, or in a place identified in 

the State Consolidated Plan or a State 

needs assessment as a high need 

community for will also qualify for 

points under this priority. 15 points 

6. Points may be awarded to projects 

that have been adversely impacted by an 

event that, as determined by the 

Agency, directly and exclusively results 

from the occurrence of natural causes 

that could not have been prevented by 

the exercise of foresight or caution over 

the previous 24 months, or other 

unavoidable accident causing physical 

property damage or failure that is not 

reimbursable by property, casualty or 

liability insurance or any other form of 

third-party compensation, such as 

disaster loans and grants from other 

agencies. 25 points 

7. Age of project. For a project 

consolidation (including portfolio 

transactions) proposal, the project with 

the earliest operational date (operational 

date is the date the project initially 

placed in service and documented in 

MFIS) will be used in determining the 

age of the project. Since the age of the 

project and the date the project placed 

in service are generally directly related 

to physical needs, no pre-application 

will receive more than a maximum of 30 

points based on the following criteria: 

a. Projects with initial operational 

dates prior to December 21, 1979—30 

points. 

b. Projects with initial operational 

dates on or after December 21, 1979, but 

before December 15, 1989—20 points. 

c. Projects with initial operational 

dates on or after December 15, 1989, but 

before October 1, 1999—10 points. 

d. Projects with initial operational 

dates on or after October 1, 1999—0 

points; 

8. Projects with Open Physical 

Findings. An ‘‘Open Physical Finding’’ 

is a physical condition to the property 

buildings or improvements, identified 

by the Agency that is not in compliance 

with the Agency standards published in 

7 CFR 3560.103. Projects with Open 

Physical Findings classified ‘‘B’’, ‘‘C’’, 

or ‘‘D’’, as defined below, will be 

awarded points in the following 

manner: 

Class ‘‘D’’ Projects 

Class ‘‘D’’ projects are those projects 

that are in default and may be taken into 

inventory, be lost to the program, or 

cause the displacement of tenants. 

Defaults can be monetary or nonmonetary. Projects in default are those 

where the Agency has notified the 

borrower of a violation using the 

Agency’s servicing letter process, and 

the borrower has not addressed the 

violation to the Agency’s satisfaction. 

Class ‘‘C’’ Projects 

Class ‘‘C’’ projects are projects with 

Open Physical or Financial findings or 

violations, which are not associated to 

an approved workout and/or transition 

plan. This can include projects with 

violations where a servicing letter has 

been issued but 60 calendar days have 

not passed since the issuance of the first 

servicing letter. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 41923 

Class ‘‘B’’ Projects 

Class ‘‘B’’ projects indicate the 

Agency has taken servicing steps and 

the borrower is cooperating to resolve 

identified findings or violations by 

associating an approved workout plan 

and/or transition plan. 

For transfer proposals: 

a. For projects classified a ‘‘C’’ or ‘‘D’’ 

for 24 months or more. 20 points 

b. For projects classified as a ‘‘C’’ or 

‘‘D’’ for less than 24 months. 15 points 

Stay-in owner proposals: 

a. For projects classified as a ‘‘B’’ 

because of a workout and/or transition 

plan approved by the Agency for not 

more than 12 months prior to the 

application closing dates contained in 

this Notice. 25 points 

b. Projects with an Agency ‘‘C’’ 

classification for 24 months or longer 

with Open Findings that were within 

the owner’s ability/control to cure at the 

time the MPR pre-application is filed 

will not be eligible to participate in the 

MPR demonstration program. 

9. Closed Sale of Section 515 projects 

to non-profit/Public Housing Authority. 

The Agency will award 30 points for 

projects that have been sold to nonprofit 

organizations under the prepayment 

process as explained in 7 CFR 3560, 

Subpart N. To receive points, the 

borrower/applicant must provide a copy 

of the filed deed with their preapplication. 30 points 

10. Prior approved CNAs. In the 

interest of ensuring timely application 

processing and underwriting, the 

Agency will award up to 20 points for 

projects with CNAs already approved by 

the Agency. ‘‘Approved’’ means the date 

the CNA or an updated CNA was 

approved by the Agency. CNAs or 

updates previously approved more than 

12 months prior to the pre-application 

submission, may not be used for MPR 

underwriting without an update 

approved by the Agency. Points will be 

awarded for: 

a. CNAs approved no earlier than 12 

months before MPR closing date 

specified in this NOTICE for which the 

MPR pre-application is filed, 20 points 

b. CNAs approved no earlier than 24 

months before MPR closing date 

specified in this NOTICE for which the 

MPR pre-application is filed, 10 points 

11. Tenant service provision. The 

Agency will award 5 points for 

applications that include new services 

provided by either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization, which may include 

a faith-based organization, or by another 

Government agency. Such services shall 

be provided at no cost to the project and 

shall be made available to all tenants. 

Examples of such services may include 

transportation for the elderly, 

afterschool day care services or afterschool tutoring. 5 points. 

12. For portfolio sales with project 

consolidations as defined in this Notice, 

the Agency will award the following 

points: 

a. Proposal does not involve a 

consolidation of properties 0 points; 

b. Proposal involves a consolidation 

of 2–4 properties 5 points; 

c. Proposal involves a consolidation 

of 5 or more properties 10 points. 

13. Energy Conservation, Energy 

Generation, and Green Property 

Management. Project may receive a 

maximum total of not more than a 

combined 42 points under three 

categories: Energy Conservation, Energy 

Generation, and Green Property 

Management. 42 Points 

a. Energy Conservation. Under the 

MPR Energy Initiatives, projects 

participating in the Green Communities 

program by the Enterprise Community 

Partners, http://

www.enterprisecommunity.com/ 

solutions-and-innovation/enterprisegreencommunities, will be awarded 40 

points for any project that qualifies for 

the program provided at least 30 percent 

of the points needed to qualify for the 

Green Communities program are being 

earned under the Energy Efficiency 

section of the Green Communities 

program. Participation in Green 

Communities has an initial checklist 

indicating prerequisites for 

participation. Each applicant must 

provide a checklist establishing that the 

prerequisites for each program’s 

participation will be met. Additional 

points will be awarded for checklists 

that achieve higher levels of energy 

efficiency certification as set forth in 

paragraph 2 below. All checklists must 

be accompanied by a signed affidavit by 

the project architect or engineer stating 

that the goals are achievable. 40 Points 

b. Other Energy Conservation. If you 

are not enrolling in the Green 

Communities program, then points can 

be accumulated for each of the 

following items up to a total of 30 

points. Provide documentation to 

substantiate your answers below: 

documentation may include a signed 

statement agreeing to replace the items, 

when needed, with Energy Star rated 

items. 

i. This proposal includes the 

replacement of heating, ventilation, and 

air conditioning (HVAC) equipment 

with Energy Star qualified heating, 

ventilation, and air conditioning 

equipment. 4 points 

ii. This proposal includes the 

replacement of windows and doors with 

Energy Star qualified windows and 

doors. 4 points 

iii. This proposal includes additional 

attic and wall insulation that exceeds 

the required R-Value of these building 

elements for your areas as per the 

International Energy Conservation Code 

2012. Three points will be awarded if all 

exterior walls exceed insulation code, 

and 2 points will be awarded if attic 

insulation exceeds code for a maximum 

of 5 points. 

iv. This proposal includes the 

reduction in building shell air leakage 

by at least 15 percent as determined by 

pre- and post-rehab blower door testing 

on a sample of units. Building shell air 

leakage may be reduced through 

materials such as caulk, spray foam, 

gaskets, and house-wrap. Sealing of duct 

work with mastic, foil-backed tape, or 

aerosolized duct sealants can also help 

reduce air leakage. 4 points 

v. This proposal includes 100 percent 

of installed appliances and exhaust fans 

that are Energy Star qualified. 3 points 

vi. This proposal includes 100 percent 

of installed water heaters that are 

vii. Energy Star qualified. 3 points 

viii. This proposal included 

replacement of 100 percent of toilets 

with flush capacity of more than 1.6 

gallon flush capacity with new toilets 

having 1.6 gallon flush capacity or less, 

and with Environment Protection 

Agency (EPA) Water Sense label. 2 

points 

ix. This proposal includes 100 percent 

of new showerheads with EPA Water 

Sense label. 2 points 

x. This proposal included 100 percent 

of new faucets with EPA Water Sense 

label. 1 point 

xi. This proposal included 100 

percent energy-efficient lighting 

including, but not limited to, Energy 

Star qualified fixtures, compact 

fluorescent replacement bulbs in 

standard incandescent fixtures and 

Energy Star ceiling fans. 2 points 

AND 

c. Participation in local green/energy 

efficient building standards. Applicants 

who participate in a city, county, or 

municipality program will receive an 

additional 2 points. The applicant 

should be aware and look for additional 

requirements that are sometimes 

embedded in the third-party program’s 

rating and verification systems. 2 points 

14. Energy Generation (Maximum 5 

Points). 

Pre-applications which participate in 

the Green Communities program by the 

Enterprise Community Partners, or 

receive at least 20 points for Energy 

Conservation measures, are eligible to 

earn additional points for installation of 

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41924 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 

on-site renewable energy sources. 

Renewable, on-site energy generation 

will complement a weather-tight, wellinsulated building envelope with highly 

efficient mechanical systems. Possible 

renewable energy generation 

technologies include, but are not limited 

to: wind turbines and micro-turbines, 

micro-hydro power, photovoltaic 

(capable of producing a voltage when 

exposed to radiant energy, especially 

light), solar hot water systems and 

biomass/biofuel systems that do not use 

fossil fuels in production. Geo-exchange 

systems are highly encouraged as they 

lessen the total demand for energy and, 

if supplemented with other renewable 

energy sources, can achieve zero energy 

consumption more easily. 

Points under this paragraph will be 

awarded as follows. Projects with 

preliminary or rehabilitation building 

plans and energy analysis that propose 

a 10 percent to 100 percent energy 

generation commitment (where 

generation is considered to be the total 

amount of energy needed to be 

generated on-site to make the building 

a net-zero consumer of energy) may be 

awarded points corresponding to their 

percent of commitment as follows: 

a. 10 to 20 percent commitment to 

energy generation receives 1 point; 

b. 21 to 40 percent commitment to 

energy generation receives 2 points; 

c. 41 to 60 percent commitment to 

energy generation receives 3 points; 

d. 61 to 80 percent commitment to 

energy generation receives 4 points; 

e. 81 to 100 percent or more 

commitment to energy generation 

receives 5 points. 

In order to receive more than 1 point 

for this energy generation paragraph, an 

accurate energy analysis prepared by an 

engineer will need to be submitted with 

the pre-application. Energy analysis of 

preliminary building plans using 

industry-recognized simulation software 

must document the projected total 

energy consumption of the building, the 

portion of building consumption which 

will be satisfied through on-site 

generation, and the building’s Home 

Energy Rating System (HERS) score. 

15. Green Property Management 

Credentials (5 Points). 

Pre-applications may be awarded an 

additional 5 points if the designated 

property management company or 

individuals that will assume 

maintenance and operations 

responsibilities upon completion of 

construction work have a Credential for 

Green Property Management. 

Credentialing can be obtained from the 

National Apartment Association (NAA), 

National Affordable Housing 

Management Association, The Institute 

for Real Estate Management, or the U.S. 

Green Building Council’s Leadership in 

Energy and Environmental Design for 

Operations and Maintenance (LEED 

OM). Credentialing must be illustrated 

in the resume(s) of the property 

management team and included with 

the pre-application. 

16. Sponsor Bonus. 

Pre-applications submitted solely by 

an Indian tribe or non-profit 

Organization as defined in 7 CFR 

3560.11 and providing appropriate 

documentation with the pre-application 

will receive an additional 10 points. 

The Agency will total the points 

awarded to each pre-application and 

rank them according to their respective 

total score. If point totals are equal, the 

earliest time and date the preapplication was received by the Agency 

will determine the ranking. In the event 

pre-applications are still tied, they will 

be further ranked by giving priority to 

those projects with the earliest Rural 

Development operational date as 

defined under section V A 7. 

B. Confirmation of Eligibility. 

For pre-applications submitted under 

this Notice requesting debt deferral only 

of the eligible Section 515 or Section 

514 loans, the Agency will conduct 

eligibility determinations on an ongoing 

basis, and eligible applicants will be 

authorized to proceed, subject to the 

availability of appropriated funds under 

the MPR program. 

For pre-applications submitted under 

this Notice, eligibility will be confirmed 

after ranking is completed. If one or 

more of the pre-applications is 

determined ineligible then the next 

highest-scoring pre-application will be 

confirmed for eligibility. 

If one or more of the pre-applications 

is a portfolio transaction, eligibility 

determinations will be conducted on 

each pre-application associated with the 

portfolio. Should any of the preapplications associated with the 

portfolio be determined ineligible, those 

ineligible pre-application(s) will be 

rejected, but the overall eligibility of the 

portfolio will not be affected as long as 

the requirements in Section I and other 

provisions of this Notice are met, as 

determined by the Agency. 

If one or more of the pre-applications 

in a State is a project consolidation, and 

one of the projects involved in the 

consolidation does not meet the 

occupancy standards cited in Section III 

A (4) and (5), that project(s) will be 

determined ineligible and eliminated 

from the proposed consolidation 

transaction. 

1. Award Administration Information. 

A. Selection of Pre-Applications for 

Further Processing. 

For pre-applications submitted under 

this Notice and requesting debt deferral 

only, the Agency will complete the 

eligibility confirmations on an ongoing 

basis and authorize those applicants 

determined eligible to proceed, subject 

to the availability of appropriated funds 

under the MPR program. 

B. Pre-Application Selection. 

State offices will score complete preapplications, received on or prior to the 

submission deadlines in the ‘‘DATES’’ 

section of this Notice, using the criteria 

in Section ‘‘V. Application Review 

Information’’ in this Notice. State 

Offices will process the pre-applications 

selected under this Notice to submit an 

application in ‘‘highest score to lowest 

score’’ order. Pre-applications selected 

under this Notice to submit an 

application that request and receive 

application submission extensions will 

not be processed in ‘‘highest score to 

lowest score’’ order. Rather, they will be 

processed after those pre-applications 

selected under this Notice to submit an 

application not requesting extensions 

and in the order their complete 

application is received by the State 

Office. 

Those eligible pre-applications that 

are ranked and then selected for further 

processing will be invited to submit a 

formal application on SF 424, 

‘‘Application for Federal Assistance.’’ 

Applications (SF 424s) can be obtained 

and completed online. An electronic 

version of this form may be found at: 

http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/ 

efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/ 

SF424.PDF. Refer to Section VIII of this 

Notice, below, for a link to all Rural 

Development State Offices. 

Applicants rejected will be notified 

that their pre-applications were not 

selected and advised of their appeal 

rights under 7 CFR part 11. 

Awards made under this Notice are 

subject to the provisions contained in 

the Agriculture, Consolidated and 

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2015, Public Law 113235, Division E, 

Title 1, sections 744 and 745, regarding 

corporate felony convictions and 

corporate federal tax delinquencies. In 

accordance with those provisions, only 

selected applicants that are or propose 

to be corporations need submit the 

following form as part of their MPR 

formal application; such applicants 

must submit an executed form AD– 

3030, which can be found online at: 

http://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ 

ad3030. 

If a pre-application is accepted for 

further processing, the applicant must 

submit additional information needed to 

demonstrate eligibility and feasibility 

(such as a CNA), consistent with this 

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2017 / Notices 41925 

Notice and other pertinent RRH or FLH 

transfer and program provisions 

consistent with 7 CFR part 3560, prior 

to the issuance of any MPR offer. In the 

case of transfers, the transferee must 

comply with the requirements of 7 CFR 

3560.406 including all Agency approval 

and closing conditions prior to closing 

any of the MPR tools. The Agency will 

provide additional guidance to the 

applicant and request information and 

documents necessary to complete the 

underwriting and review process. Since 

the character of each application may 

vary substantially depending on the 

type of transaction proposed, 

information requirements will be 

provided as appropriate. 

Complete project information must be 

submitted as soon as possible, but in no 

case later than 45 calendar days from 

the date of Agency notification of the 

applicant’s selection for further 

processing. MPR transfer applicants 

must submit a preliminary transfer 

request as required by 7 CFR 3560.406 

(c) within 45 days of the RD notification 

and will be allowed a total of 180 days 

in which to submit the final transfer 

MPR application. If the State Office 

determines there exists compelling 

reasons the full transfer application 

cannot be delivered within the stated 

timeframe and upon the receipt of the 

applicant’s written request the MPR due 

date may be extended for an additional 

period of 90 days (Section VI. B. will 

apply). Any extensions beyond the 

former must recommended by the State 

Office and concurred by the HQ Review 

Underwriter assigned to the State. 

Notwithstanding the aforementioned, 

any pre-applications selected under this 

Notice’s, will be considered withdrawn 

on December 31, 2018, if not approved 

by the Agency. These deadlines will not 

be extended, so please plan your 

transaction’s timeline accordingly. 

Applicants may reapply for funding 

under future rounds and/or Notices as 

they may be made available. 

Failure to submit the required 

information in a timely manner will 

result in the Agency discontinuing the 

processing of the request. 

The Agency will work with the 

applicants selected for further 

processing in accordance with the 

following: 

a. Based on the feasibility of the type 

of transaction that will best suit the 

project and the availability of funds, 

further eligibility confirmation 

determinations will be conducted by the 

Agency. 

b. If an Agency-approved CNA has not 

already been submitted to the Agency, 

an Agency-approved CNA will be 

required (see 7 CFR 3560.103(c) and the 

Agency’s published ‘‘Guidance on the 

Capital Needs Assessment Process’’ 

available at http://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

programs-services/housingpreservationrevitalizationdemonstration-loansgrants and the CNA Statement of Work 

together with any non-conflicting 

amendments). Agency-approved CNAs 

must be prepared by a qualified 

independent contractor, and are 

obtained to determine needed repairs 

and any necessary adjustments to the 

reserve account for long-term project 

viability. 

c. Underwriting will be conducted by 

the Agency. The feasibility and 

structure of each revitalization proposal 

will be based on the Agency’s 

underwriting and determination of the 

MPR funding tools that will minimize 

the cost to the Government consistent 

with the purposes of this Notice. 

C. MPR Offers. 

Approved MPR offers will be 

presented to successful applicants who 

will then have up to 15 calendar days 

to accept or reject the offer in writing. 

If no offer is made or if the applicant 

fails to accept or reject the offer 

presented, the application will be 

rejected and appeal rights will be given. 

Closing of MPR offers will occur within 

six months of the obligation of MPR 

tools unless extended in writing by the 

Agency. All Offers are explicitly made 

subject to the availability of 

appropriated funds. Should sufficient 

funds not be available at any time to 

funds any authorized MPR offers for 

which funds have not been obligated, 

including those with only transfer debt 

deferral, the Agency may notify the 

applicant accordingly and the 

authorization may be cancelled. 

VI. Non-Discrimination Statement 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) civil rights 

regulations and policies, the USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/ 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (e.g., Braille, large 

print, audiotape, American Sign 

Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or contact USDA through the 

Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339. 

Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other 

than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_

cust.html and at any USDA office or 

write a letter addressed to USDA and 

provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To 

request a copy of the complaint form, 

call (866) 632–9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–9410; 

(2) fax: (202) 690–7442; or 

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

VII. Award Agency Contacts 

USDA Rural Development MFH State 

Office contacts can be found at: http:// 

rd.udsa.gov/contact-us/state-offices. 

(Note: Telephone numbers listed are not 

toll-free.) 

Appropriation Act funding will be 

posted on the Rural Development Web 

site. 

All adverse determinations are 

appealable pursuant to 7 CFR part 11. 

Instructions on the appeal process will 

be provided at the time an applicant is 

notified of the adverse action. 

Dated: August 29, 2017. 

Richard A. Davis, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18753 Filed 9–1–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; 2017–2019 

Business Research and Development 

Surveys 

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

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