(a) To distribute funds from the Uniform Developer Fees Subaccount to eligible applicants, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 8879.71, the commission shall administer a competitive grant application program pursuant to this section.

(b) Under this section, each fiscal year in which funds are appropriated for the program shall constitute a funding cycle. To ensure that as many eligible applicants as possible may benefit from the competitive portion of the program, no single project shall receive more than one million dollars ($1,000,000) in a single funding cycle in which program funds are allocated by the commission.

(c) Each eligible applicant desiring to participate in the program in any funding cycle under this section shall submit to the commission all of the following:

(1) A description of the eligible project nominated for funding, including a description of the project’s cost, scope, and specific improvements and benefits it is anticipated to achieve.

(2) A description of the project’s current status, including the phase of delivery the project is in at the time it is nominated for funding and a schedule for the project’s completion.

(3) A description of the ways in which the project would support transportation and land use planning goals within the region.

(4) The amount of eligible local matching funds the applicant is committing to the project.

(5) The amount of program funds the applicant seeks from the program for the project.

(d) The commission shall review nominated projects under this section and their accompanying documentation to ensure that each nominated project meets the requirements of this article and to confirm that each project has a commitment of the requisite amount of eligible local matching funds as required in this article. Upon conducting the review of the requirements and determining the proposed projects to be in compliance with this article, the projects shall be deemed eligible.

(e) The commission shall adopt a program of projects under this section that is geographically balanced and provides cost-effective and multimodal safety, reliability, and environmental benefits. In allocating funds to specific projects, the commission shall give priority to projects that can do any of the following:

(1) Commence construction or implementation of the project in a manner to provide the public benefit at the earliest possible date.

(2) Enhance the leveragability of bond funds by utilizing a higher proportion of nonbond funds toward a project’s total cost than is otherwise required by this article.

(3) Demonstrate quantifiable air quality improvements, including, but not limited to, a demonstration that the project can result in a significant reduction in vehicle-miles traveled.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 140, Sec. 83. (AB 1164) Effective January 1, 2010.)