Owensboro proposes Monarch NRSA and a draft CDBG/HOME plan to boost affordable housing and rehab projects

Abby Shelton, community development director for the City of Owensboro, told the Citizens Advisory Committee on March 4 that the city is advancing a draft five-year consolidated plan and a proposed Monarch Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area (NRSA) and will open a 30-day public comment period beginning March 4.

Shelton said the consolidated plan and the accompanying annual action plan are being prepared for submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and that the Louisville HUD field office has instructed the city to continue operations “as normal.” She cautioned the committee that the city cannot submit the annual action plan until it receives its federal allocation and that budget figures in the draft will be adjusted when HUD announces final amounts.

The draft plan recommends designating the Monarch NRSA (the city presented proposed boundaries that run from the east side of Clay Street north to Ninth Street and to the river) and prioritizes a mix of exterior rehabilitation, targeted new construction and rental development intended to increase affordable housing and reduce cost burden for low- and moderate-income households.

According to material presented by Shelton and staff, Bowen National Research provided a market analysis used in the plan. The presentation summarized property and demographic findings for the proposed NRSA: roughly 2,000 residents in the area; about 60.34% of households are classified as low- to moderate-income (the NRSA requirement is at least 51%); a median household income of about $36,000; and a poverty rate of roughly 34.2%. A property review using PVA records showed an estimated 529 parcels in fair condition, 227 parcels in average condition and 51 parcels in very poor condition; the city reported that more than 72% of parcels need some level of rehabilitation.

Shelton gave the…