(a) The estimated costs of a project for which an application is submitted shall be consistent with normal public construction costs in the applicant’s area.
(b) An applicant wishing to construct a project having costs that exceed normal public construction costs in the area may apply for a grant in an amount not to exceed 65 percent of the normal costs up to a maximum of twenty million dollars ($20,000,000) per project if the applicant certifies that it is capable of financing the remainder of the project costs from other sources.