Select Board hears 5‑year CDBG consolidated plan and schedules May 13 action on FY26 annual plan

Town planning staff presented the five‑year Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) consolidated plan on April 15 and outlined the FY26 annual action plan process required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Community Planning Director Ijuana Linda Smith, community planner Jacob (Jake) Collins and CD administrator David Guzman told the Select Board their outreach over six months and consultations with nonprofits, advisory boards and residents produced priorities that place affordable housing, rehab of existing affordable units, economic opportunity for low‑ and moderate‑income residents, and public services as the plan’s top needs. The town anticipates roughly $6.5 million in CDBG and HOME funds over the five‑year consolidated plan period; the FY26 annual allocation was tentatively set at $1.38 million pending HUD’s May 15 notice.

Collins briefly recapped what the program has funded in the past five years: more than $2 million to the Brookline Housing Authority, $616,000 for Hebrew SeniorLife, $200,000+ to the Brookline Community Development Corporation and several public‑service awards constrained by HUD’s 15 percent cap on public services. The plan’s public‑outreach phase included Brookline Day, community forums, an online survey and consultations with a range of partners.

David Guzman detailed the FY26 annual action plan process: an RFP for subrecipients, community forums in January, two CDBG advisory committee meetings, and a public comment period. The advisory committee recommended level funding pending HUD’s allocation; they asked staff to return to the Select Board on May 13 for the required public hearing and a vote to authorize submission of the annual action plan to HUD.

Staff and the advisory committee recommended allocations traced to HUD rules: public services are capped at 15 percent of the annual allocation, program administration at 20 percent, leaving roughly 65 percent for housing and infrastructure. Guzman told the board the advisory committee favored fully funding a subset of programs rather than partially funding many. One applicant, the youth employment program, withdrew when staff concluded the proposed summer jobs model would not meet HUD’s economic‑development job‑creation standards. The advisory committee urged the town to fund outreach and technical support for applicants to increase program effectiveness.

The Select Board opened the consolidated plan public hearing on April 15 and heard two brief public comments praising the plan’s alignment with other town research and asking whether CDBG funds could go to accessibility improvements for seniors in private homes. Staff responded that HUD rules limit eligibility to low and moderate‑income households and that many private homes in Brookline fall outside those income parameters. The hearing was closed; staff reminded the public the May 13 Select Board meeting will include the second statutory public hearing and the public may submit written comments to be appended to the annual action plan to be submitted to HUD.