Flint City Hall winter.jpg

Flint City Hall

(Dominic Adams | MLive.com)

FLINT, MI – Flint’s master plan is already paying dividends as the city was named to a federal program targeted at helping financial distressed cities.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan touted the Flint's master plan as one of the reason’s the city was picked for an expansion of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities initiative.

“One of the things that really impressed us about Flint is that there is a brand new master plan and provides a clear road map strategy for the city and we really felt we could be helpful on,” Donovan said.

The seven new locations will receive technical advice and expertise from federal inter-agency teams, HUD said in a statement.

The SC2 teams will help Flint more effectively invest existing resources, provide advice and expertise in support of local priorities, better align federal programs and investments, and facilitate new partnerships and peer learning opportunities, the statement said.

The program was started with six cities in 2011 by the White House Domestic Policy Council. Detroit was one of the original cities.

“This initiative puts federal staff on the ground in mayor’s office, to cut through red tape,” said DPC Director Cecilia Muñoz, adding that the initial SC2 program helped cities get to more than $300 million in federal funds during its first phase. “This is about doing more with what we have.”

Donovan said a team would work in Flint for at least a year, but could be here up to two years.

“SC2 will bring additional capacity to the implementation of the new master plan for a sustainable Flint and to the innovative work being done here to improve economic opportunity, neighborhood safety and community quality of life for all of Flint’s residents, businesses and students,” Mayor Dayne Walling said in a statement. “Flint is transforming into a diverse 21st century city and SC2 engagement will speed our progress.”

The SC2 award follows in the footsteps of Flint getting federal demolition dollars to get rid of vacant homes throughout the city, according to Flint's Director of Planning and Development Megan Hunter.

“Obviously one of our challenges is because of our financial, situation we’re extremely limited on hiring staff,” she said. “We’re looking at having at least one to two embedded staff that work at the city who have a high-level expertise and knowledge of federal programs to bring more resources here.”

Hunter said the focus would be in high-priority areas such as public safety, blight, neighborhood stabilization and economic development specifically focusing on brownfield redevelopment.

She said she expects the federal employees to be working in the city by the end of March.

“In my opinion, to have the knowledge and expertise in a way is almost better than grant dollars,” Hunter said. “I think we’ll be able to get more resources to the city.”

Other cities added to the program include St. Louis, Gary, Ind., Brownsville, Texas, Rockford, Ill., Macon, Ga. And Rocky Mount, N.C.

There were 91 economically distressed cities across the country invited to apply, Donovan said. Flint was one of 51 that applied and ultimately chosen.

“This will help coordinate and direct federal programs and investments to spark additional economic growth and opportunity in Flint,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, in a statement. “I have spent most of my career focused on reinventing America’s older, industrial cities and towns like Flint, Saginaw and Bay City, and a true collaborative partnership like this designation with the federal government is vital to our success.”

Dominic Adams is a reporter for The Flint Journal. Contact him at dadams5@mlive.com or 810-241-8803. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.