(a)

1. (1) Arkansas Site Development Grant applications will be date stamped and reviewed in order of receipt.
2. (2) A review team shall be designated by the Director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

(b) Eligible and complete applications will undergo a four-step review process:

1. (1) Each grant application received will undergo an initial eligibility review to determine that:

   1. (A) The applicant and scope of project both meet eligibility requirements;
   2. (B) The application is complete, signed, and includes all supporting documents;
   3. (C) The sources and use of funds are sufficient to ensure the successful completion of the project; and
   4. (D) All project costs submitted are eligible for funding;

2. (2)

   1. (A) For each application deemed complete and eligible, the review team will conduct a project review and assessment.
   2. (B) Each application will be scored, using the following rubric:

      MaximumPoints	Category	Factors to consider
      30	Site Conditions	The applicant’s site has favorable site conditions including but not limited to adequate size, favorable slope, minimal wetlands, outside of the 100-year floodplain, industrial zoning, compatible neighboring land use, and controlled access to the site.
      25	Utilities	The applicant’s site has proximity and capacity for: electricity, natural gas, water, sewer, and telecommunications.
      20	TransportationInfrastructure	The applicant’s site has proximity to paved roads, rail infrastructure, intermodal facilities, ports, or commercial airports.
      10	Site Due Diligence	The applicant’s site has undergone site due diligence studies in the last 5 years including but not limited to: geotechnical survey, environmental studies, endangered species survey, archeological survey, wetlands delineation, and soil borings.
      5	Current Marketing Efforts	The applicant’s site is actively being marketed for industrial use, the site has hosted prospects for site visits, the site is currently under consideration for an active economic development project, or both.
      5	Local Match	The applicant’s match is above the minimum 5% required for eligibility.
      5	Site Certification	The applicant’s site is currently a certified site or Competitive Communities Initiative (CCI) designated site.
      100 Total Maximum Points Possible

3. (3) The review team will provide a summary of each reviewed application and the application’s score to the director, or his or her designee, along with funding recommendations; and

4. (4) The director, or his or her designee, will:

   1. (A) Review the recommendations; and
   2. (B) Specify which applicants may receive funding.