Kalamazoo staff present draft five‑year HUD Consolidated Plan and 2025 action plan priorities

Kalamazoo City staff presented a finalized draft five‑year HUD Consolidated Plan and the related 2025 annual action plan to the City Commission’s Committee of the Whole on Monday, Feb. 3, asking commissioners to approve the draft so staff can begin notices of funding opportunity and request‑for‑proposal (RFP) processes ahead of HUD submission.

The draft plan sets priorities and funding goals for 2025–2029 tied to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entitlement requirements. City staff said the plan emphasizes two “critical” priorities: preserving existing single‑family housing for low‑income households and providing stable, affordable rental housing to prevent or resolve homelessness. City staff recommended these receive the largest share of funding over the five‑year period.

Housing development supervisor Sherilyn Parsons told commissioners, "We have finalized the draft consolidated plan," and said the plan builds on 2024 public outreach, neighborhood surveys, federal and local housing data and coordination with subrecipients and nonprofit partners. Julie, a city staff member leading the strategic and action plan presentations, summarized the priority ranking system: "Critical, important and desirable," explaining HUD requires prioritization rather than an undifferentiated list.

What staff presented

Staff described four primary goals that guide project choices: attainable and affordable housing; expanding access to public service grants; neighborhood beautification and improvement; and administration of HUD programs. The attainable and affordable housing goal was presented as the highest‑funding priority and blends two critical priorities with additional important and desirable…