Scappoose Urban Renewal Agency adopts amended grant guidelines; adds pre‑proposal meeting and three‑quote threshold

The Scappoose Urban Renewal Agency voted unanimously Nov. 17 to adopt amended grant program guidelines that change how the agency evaluates and funds downtown and corridor improvement projects.

Associate Planner NJ Johnson told the agency the revisions respond to earlier rounds of applications that often required more engineering and permitting than staff had anticipated. Johnson said staff is recommending a mix of procedural and substantive changes — including a mandatory preproposal meeting, a three‑quote requirement for awards over $5,000, and limited reimbursement for design and engineering costs — to reduce post‑award surprises and better align awards with the Urban Renewal Plan’s goals.

"This preproposal meeting is a big, big deal to staff," Johnson said, arguing that early involvement from planning, public works and engineering would help applicants understand permitting and traffic‑control needs before preparing final quotes. She added, "grant requests that seek funding for design work will only be reimbursed upon the physical completion of the proposed improvements," a safeguard intended to avoid paying for studies that do not result in built outcomes.

Under the adopted language, projects requesting grants in excess of $5,000 must include three or more professional quotes; staff said the agency may consider documented, reasonable efforts to obtain quotes when contractors decline to bid. The policy also clarifies that design or engineering costs may be eligible for reimbursement up to 50% of those fees, but payment will be made only after the funded improvements are physically completed.

Members discussed practical examples and thresholds during the meeting. Staff told the board that the minimum grant request remains $1,000 and the program cap is $50,000; past award examples cited by staff included roughly $5,500, $17,000 and $37,000. The agency also added a required check in the application that the applicant or the project site has no active violations of the Scappoose Municipal Code and requires property‑owner authorization to prevent misleading applications.

Agent Miller moved to adopt the amended Scappoose Urban Renewal Agency grant program guidelines "as discussed"; Agent Santiago seconded. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.

Staff said the amendments are intended to make the program easier to administer, reduce unanticipated cost increases after award, and better target limited urban renewal funds toward projects that meet accessibility, walkability and aesthetic goals in the Urban Renewal District. The agency did not set an additional implementation timeline during the meeting; staff will incorporate the edits into the packet language and proceed under the adopted policy.