Neighborhood Enhancement Assistance Program

Under the Neighborhood Enhancement Assistance Program, the city may provide an award not to exceed $12,000 to a traditional neighborhood group for a small improvement project in the neighborhood. Funds will be paid at the completion of the project, and payments will be made on behalf of the NEGP directly to the contractor and/or supplier providing goods or services to the neighborhood for the project. Vendor approval is required, and a current W-9 must be submitted upon approval.

To be considered for an award, an applicant must comply with each of the following application requirements:

1. The applicant must be an unincorporated association or group of property owners within a residential neighborhood acting jointly or in concert for the betterment of the neighborhood.
2. The applicant must be an active and current participant in the City of Chandler Neighborhood Registration Program.
3. At least one member of the registered neighborhood must have attended a Neighborhood Programs education class (such as Good Neighbor 101, HOA Academy, or a Golden Neighbors event), OR must have hosted a Golden Neighbors supply drive. Please contact Neighborhood Programs staff for more details.
4. Neighborhoods applying for a Neighborhood Enhancement Assistance Program may not have an active NICE Assistance award.
5. The applicant may not have been awarded a Neighborhood Enhancement Assistance award within the three-year period immediately preceding the date of the filing of the application for benefits under this program.
6. The applicant must not hold an uncompleted assistance award from the City of Chandler for any year prior to the date of the filing of the application for benefits under this Program.
7. The project for which an award is sought must be of an "eligible project type."
8. The project for which an award is sought shall not have commenced prior to the city providing written approval of the award for the project. Any ongoing project and any funding expended prior to the approval of the award are not eligible.
9. A completed written application in such form is required by the city and signed by a neighborhood leader for and on behalf of the neighborhood shall have been submitted to the Neighborhood Programs Office. In addition, three (3) written proposals or bids for materials and/ or services being obtained for the project must be attached to the application. Applications submitted without three bids will be considered incomplete and will be denied.
10. The neighborhood must have participated in the previous year's G.A.I.N. event.
11. Neighborhood leaders must notify the entire neighborhood upon approval of the award. This may be done through social media, mail, or a neighborhood meeting.

In all cases, a site plan drawing and photos (in color) indicating the site location of the proposed project must be submitted along with the completed application. Where the proposed project is such that a permit - either a building permit, a special use permit, or both - must be issued by the city before beginning construction of the project improvements.

There are three eligible project types for which assistance may be awarded. They are:

1. Improvement of monument entry signs
2. Painting of planned development perimeter walls
3. Enhanced or improved landscaping in common development areas
4. Addressing safety concerns

The improvements to be constructed, repaired, replaced, or maintained as part of the eligible project must occur in areas of the development that are viewable by the general public.

An application filed under the Neighborhood Enhancement Assistance Program shall be processed as follows:

1. A division staff member will review the application for completeness and basic eligibility. Deficiencies will be noted and must be corrected by the applicant prior to the application being deemed completed.
2. A completed application will be submitted to the Neighborhood Programs Office, who will review the proposed project and overall impact it will have on the applicant’s neighborhood and the general community. The Neighborhood Programs Office will rate each application based on the following:
   • Is there substantial community involvement in the project?
   • To what extent will the project contribute to the long-term sustainability and enhance the appearance and vitality of the neighborhood?
   • To what extent will the general public be impacted by the enhanced visual appearance of the neighborhood resulting from the project? (E.g., a project involving improvements along an arterial road within the city limits will generally be considered to impact the general public to a greater extent than a project whose improvements are more localized.)
3. Neighborhood Programs staff will forward the application, together with their recommendation, to the city’s Neighborhood Resources Director for final action.
4. Neighborhood Programs staff will provide written notice by email of the action taken
   by the Neighborhood Resources Director. Notice of approval will be deemed to constitute program approval and the date of such notice shall constitute the “award date.”  If an application is denied, the applicant may reapply on or after the 31st day following the date that the notice of denial is transmitted.

The project must be completed within 12 months from the award date. The 12-month period is the maximum time period; many projects can and should be completed in a shorter time frame.

If you have any questions regarding the application or process, please contact Neighborhood Programs, or call 480-782-4363.