Department of City Development staff described a proposed $1.6 million city contribution to supplement $1.2 million in federal PATHWAYS (Pearl) grant funds. The combined pool (about $2.8 million) would be used for new-construction owner-occupied housing targeted at city-owned vacant lots and other infill opportunities, focusing on townhomes, duplexes and other “missing middle” housing types.

Staff said the combined funds could support approximately 24 to 25 homeownership units, implying subsidy levels near $110,000 per unit. The department said it will issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for development teams by the end of the year and expects selected projects to start construction in 2026 depending on permitting and weather. The committee discussed overlap with existing programs and expressed interest in coordinating demolition and vacant-lot strategies with the Revive initiative.

No final appropriation decision was made at the committee meeting; staff described the $1.6 million as part of the proposed executive budget for 2026 and said the RFQ and program guidelines are in development.