ACTION REQUESTED:
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Communication from the City Manager and Director of Community Development with a Request to APPROVE $50,000.00 in Matching Funds for the CHOICE NEIGHBORHOODS PLANNING GRANT APPLICATION.
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BACKGROUND: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant. The purpose of the planning grant is to provide financial support for locally driven strategies that address neighborhoods with distressed public housing through the development of a transformation plan. Harrison Homes is considered a distressed public housing complex in Peoria.
The transformation plan would include significant community engagement from neighborhood residents and stakeholders. The funding can also be used for some predevelopment costs to prepare for future housing development based on the community input. The transformation plan would include not only the footprint of the current Harrison property, but also the recently demolished Harrison School property and the surrounding neighborhood. The boundaries for the application will be Antoinette to Adams and Laramie to Western.
City of Peoria staff have been in discussions with the Peoria Housing Authority (PHA) about being a co-applicant on their application. The City's reputation, previous grant management, and capacity to handle redevelopment projects would assist in creating a strong application for the very competitive grant.
The maximum award for the grant is $500,000. Based on a review of the grant requirements, a match is required and helps an application score higher. Both the PHA and the City proposed to each contribute $50,000 in matching funds to the grant application. The funding would only be spent if awarded the grant. The grant application is due June 6. The grant would be a steppingstone for applying for larger funding opportunities in the future for actual housing redevelopment and construction...
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