FAQs
What types of projects can ARPA funds be used for?
ARPA dollars are flexible and may be used to address a wide range of community needs such as infrastructure, public health, transportation, safety, community services, and economic development. Examples of how other cities and counties are using ARPA dollars include the expansion of childcare access, infrastructure upgrades, broadband internet upgrades, and entrepreneur technical assistance centers. A community-led process determined which investments will be made within the Fourth Plain corridor.
Why use ARPA funds for the Fourth Plain corridor?
Residents and businesses in this area were disproportionately impacted by pandemic-related challenges. ARPA-funded projects within the Fourth Plain area can help address historic and continuing inequities and build economic resilience. The Fourth Plain community is vibrant and growing, with needs that this project will look to address in order to support a continued thriving Fourth Plain.
How long do we have to spend the ARPA funding?
There are specific rules around the ARPA funding, including strict rules on when the funding must be spent by. Projects and programs must be identified and ARPA funding formally allocated to these specific projects by the end of 2024. Once projects and programs have been identified, the City of Vancouver will have until the end of 2026 to spend the money or else it will have to be returned to the Federal government. This means only projects or programs that can be fully completed by the end of 2026 will be eligible to be funded with ARPA dollars.
What happens when the ARPA funding has been spent?
The City of Vancouver has until the end of 2026 to spend all of its allotment of ARPA funding. Projects and programs that were identified by the community that will not fit into this timeline were included in the overall investment strategy for the Fourth Plain area. The City of Vancouver will work to secure the funding needed to complete projects and programs identified in the long-term investment strategy.
How will ARPA funding be spent?
The FPFA Investment Strategy, including the plan for how to spend ARPA funding, was a community-driven process. This means the process was co-developed with the community and decision-making was centered around what people in the investment area told us they wanted to see in their community. The Investment Strategy is scheduled to go to Vancouver City Council for approval on November 13, 2023. Once approved, ARPA funding will be spent in the following categories: Housing; Community Building & Public Health; Parks & Public Space; Transportation; and Economic Development.
