Detroit council committee advances $346.9 million CDBG-DR plan for stormwater, sewer repairs and housing

Detroit council committee members advanced a plan on May 15 to allocate $346,864,000 in Community Development Block Grant — Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds toward a mix of infrastructure, housing and mitigation projects tied to the August 2023 storm.

The proposal, presented by Julie Schneider, director of the Housing and Revitalization Department (HRD), calls for about 72% of the funds for infrastructure projects — including a $175 million sewer alley repair program and $25 million for the Brightmoor green stormwater infrastructure project — about 22% for housing (roughly $75 million), $17 million for compliance and administration, and $2 million for planning. Schneider said the funds respond to an unmet needs calculation based on federal assessments and are intended for long-term recovery rather than immediate FEMA relief.

The plan matters because the August 2023 storm damaged roughly 6,000 homes in the region and about 5,000 in Detroit; Schneider said infrastructure limits, such as insufficient stormwater capacity, amplified housing impacts. “These CDBG-DR funds are what's considered long-term recovery funds,” Schneider said. “The unmet need calculation is what creates the amount of the…