TIGER II Program of the USDOT

Oakland County Planning & Economic Development Services, in partnership with the City of Pontiac, applied for and was awarded a Tiger II Grant in October, 2010. The TIGER II Program of the USDOT is a partnership between USDOT, HUD, and Environmental Protection Agency, and encourages communities to develop plans addressing the Six Livability Principles below:

1. Provide more transportation choices.
   Develop safe, reliable and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote public health.
2. Promote equitable, affordable housing.
   Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.
3. Enhance economic competitiveness.
   Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers as well as expanded business access to markets.
4. Support existing communities.
   Target federal funding toward existing communities - through such strategies as transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling - to increase community revitalization, improve the efficiency of public works investments, and safeguard rural landscapes.
5. Coordinate policies and leverage investment.
   Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.
6. Value communities and neighborhoods.
   Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe and walk able neighborhoods - rural, urban or suburban.

The grant provides $300,000 to develop a plan to address livability and connectivity in downtown Pontiac and surrounding neighborhoods. Oakland County Planning & Economic Development Services is providing $104,000 in in-kind services as match to the grant.