Fargo holds HUD public input meeting as city prepares five-year consolidated plan

Nicole Crutchfield, Fargo planning director, opened a public information meeting June 10 to begin the city’s five‑year HUD consolidated‑plan cycle and to solicit input from nonprofit and agency partners about housing and community development needs.

Crutchfield said the meeting satisfies a HUD public‑information requirement and is intended to share findings from five years of local studies, invite feedback from frontline service providers, and preview the city’s draft goals. “This information really is part of our standard requirement,” she said. “As part of the HUD Administration … we are required to have a public information meeting and so this meets that mandate.”

The meeting came as Crutchfield warned of administrative changes at the federal level that are creating uncertainty for entitlement communities that administer Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds. She said Fargo is coordinating with other North Dakota entitlement cities and the state to manage the risk of future program changes, and the planning office has hired national technical assistance firm Cloudburst to support recipients.

Why it matters: The consolidated plan guides how Fargo spends federally administered housing and community development dollars for the next five years. Crutchfield told attendees the planning department will publish a draft five‑year plan, open a 30‑day public comment period, hold a public hearing at the City Commission on July 7 and submit a plan to HUD in August; the city expects federal funds to be available in early 2026.

Key points from the presentation

- Programs and priorities: Crutchfield framed CDBG as focused largely on construction and public‑infrastructure projects and HOME as housing‑focused, including tenant‑based rental assistance and housing construction or rehabilitation. She said the city’s high‑level goals will remain the same as the prior cycle: affordable housing, ending and preventing homelessness, neighborhood improvements, and assistance to vulnerable populations.

- Local studies and needs: Crutchfield summarized recent local planning work that will feed into the consolidated plan, including Fargo’s 2024 growth plan, the Metro COG Regional Housing Study and a downtown affordable housing study with BSI. She said Maxfield research indicates the city would need to build roughly 300 subsidized units per year to keep pace with demand if current trends continue.

- Funding and allocations: Crutchfield reviewed the timing mismatch between HUD’s fiscal year and the city’s fiscal year and said the department is accounting for rollovers, recaptured project income and terminated or unfinished projects in its 2025 allocation. She said the city currently estimates about $1,600,000 available in HOME‑related recaptured or contingency funds for 2025 and is forecasting multi‑year allocation levels for the next four years. Crutchfield also told attendees that, for streamlined administration and risk management, the city expects minimum awards to be in the neighborhood of $150,000 for projects.

- Application and administration changes: Crutchfield said Fargo will not issue a broad Notice of Funding Opportunity this year. Instead the city will allocate funds to specific activities and work more closely with prospective subrecipients through pre‑application and capacity discussions to reduce spending delays and compliance risk. She said staff will probe organizational capacity and other funding sources during selection to avoid over‑committing organizations that administer federal funds.

- Fair housing and partnerships: The presentation named High Plains Fair Housing as a partner for fair‑housing work and noted partnerships with Metro COG, Lake Agassiz Habitat for Humanity, Cass Clay Community Land Trust and downtown housing developers. Crutchfield said the city will continue collaborating with public health and street‑outreach partners to maintain shelters and outreach programs.

Discussion and next steps

Crutchfield invited written comments and meetings with providers over the 30‑day comment period, announced a City Commission public meeting July 7, and said the draft consolidated plan would be submitted to HUD in August. She encouraged organizations to contact planning staff and to provide strategic plans, needs assessments and project details during the pre‑application phase. “When we do open notice of funding opportunities, please just submit your questions and reach out to us,” she said.

No formal votes, motions or policy adoptions occurred at the meeting; it was informational and intended to gather input prior to the consolidated plan submission.

Ending

Crutchfield closed the televised meeting and stayed afterward to talk one‑on‑one with attendees. The planning office will publish the draft consolidated plan and begin the 30‑day public comment period the week after the June 10 meeting.