Garamendi Secures Congressional Funding for Affordable Housing, Public Transit, Early Childhood Education, and More

National -

November 10, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – RealEstateRama – U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-CA08) secured more than $9.65 million in new federal funding in the annual for community projects across Solano and Contra Costa Counties in the “Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2024” (H.R.4820), which the U.S. House of Representatives passed today.

“Each year in Congress, I work to secure much-needed federal funding for local projects that deliver affordable housing, access to healthy food, better public transit, reliable childcare, and more walkable neighborhoods. These 11 projects will make our community an even better place to live for working families and all residents,” said Garamendi.

To date, Garamendi secured more than $9.65 million in new federal funding for the following projects:

Affordable Housing & Food Deserts

$1,050,000 for the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation’s Giant Road Apartment Rehabilitation Project in San Pablo, CA. This federal funding would allow this local nonprofit to rehabilitate 86 units of affordable, multi-family permanent rental housing to extremely low and low-income families and individuals.
$500,000 for the Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond’s proposed Heritage Point Grocery Store in Richmond, CA. This federal funding would help construct a new, community grocery store in north Richmond, which does not have access to fresh food and is widely considered a food desert in the East Bay.

Public Transit & Road Improvements

$3 million for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s (WETA) Ferry Terminal Reconfiguration Project in Vallejo, CA. This federal funding and project would relocate the gangway and float for the Vallejo Ferry Terminal further out into the Mare Island Strait at the mouth of the Napa River. This would allow direct ferry service from Vallejo to San Francisco for approximately 1.2 million passengers annually without interruption during low tide events or for dredging of the Mare Island Strait Channel, saving an estimated $21 million over the next 20 years.
$1 million for Contra Costa County’s San Francisco Bay Trail Gap Closure between Rodeo and Crockett, CA. This federal funding would be used to close a 3.2-mile gap along the regional San Francisco Bay Trail by converting one of the four lanes on San Pablo Avenue into a “complete street” with a protected Class I shared-use path for bicyclists and pedestrians between the unincorporated communities of Rodeo and Crockett.
$900,000 for the East Bay Regional Park District’s Martinez-San Francisco Bay Trail Gap Closure Project. This federal funding would help to complete a half-mile gap in a separated bicycle and pedestrian path between the existing George Miller Regional Trail and the Amtrak Station in downtown Martinez, CA. When completed, this project will achieve a continuously paved, regional trail route connecting the Cities of Vallejo, Benicia, Crockett, and Martinez, California within the San Francisco Bay Trail network.
$850,000 for the City of Hercules’ Hub Multi-Modal Transportation Station. This federal funding would help to complete both the preliminary engineering and environmental clearance and the final design phases for the Hercules Hub Project, a proposed multi-modal transportation station. The Hercules Hub will provide efficient, regionally connected transit services, alleviating road congestion along some of the busiest corridors in the Bay Area.
$850,000 for Solano Transportation Authority’s State Route 37-Fairgrounds Drive Interchange Improvement Project. This federal funding would help to improve safety and ease congestion by reconstructing the interchange of State Route 37 and Fairground Drive, a major roadway connection between Solano and Napa Counties.
$850,000 for the City of San Pablo’sSan Pablo Avenue Bridge Replacement/Complete Streets Project. This federalfunding and project would realign the skewed, five-legged intersection on top of the San Pablo Avenue Bridge, which was built in 1926 and must be replaced. This would complete the non-bridge aspects needed for this bridge replacement project.
$500,000 for the City of Fairfield’s Transit and Municipal Fleet Electrification Project. This federal funding would help to install maintenance and charging infrastructure for Fairfield’s transit vehicle fleet and purchase two additional battery-electric vehicles for a new micro-transit service providing point-to-point service for areas currently underserved by existing services.
$500,000 for Sonoma County Transportation Authority’s Tolay Creek Bridge Replacement and Restoration Project, with Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA04) and Jared Huffman (D-CA02). This federal funding will help to replace the existing 60-foot long, two-lane State Route 37 bridge over Tolay Creek, relieving congestion and improving safety by closing a gap on the San Francisco Bay Trail for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Early Childhood Education

$500,000 for Solano County’s Vallejo Early Learning Center. This federal funding would help to create a new Early Learning Center in Vallejo, CA, offering a variety of high-quality early education for young children and safe, reliable childcare for working families.

The House and Senate will now negotiate a final funding bill for the President’s signature. Congressman Garamendi continues working with his Democratic colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to safeguard funding for these critical projects in Solano and Contra Costa Counties.

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