Council reviews draft 2025–29 Consolidated Plan and 2025 action plan; CDBG, HOME priorities and outreach outlined

Lakewood City Council members reviewed a draft of the 2025–2029 Consolidated Plan, the 2025 Annual Action Plan and an Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice at a Jan. 21 study session.

Jeff Gumb, a city housing/planning staff member, briefed the council on HUD program requirements, likely funding priorities and candidate projects; James Gilliland of JayQuad Planning Group, the city’s consultant, followed with planning and compliance details. The consolidated plan is a HUD prerequisite that sets community priorities for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funds over five years and establishes the one‑year budgeted uses covered in the annual action plan.

Why it matters: The consolidated plan frames how Lakewood may use federal HUD funds for housing, infrastructure and public‑service projects. It also collects data and strategies that cities use when competing for larger, competitive HUD grants.

Staff outlined the schedule and public outreach steps. Gumb said the draft will return to council for review on March 17, with a public hearing planned for April 21 and a 30‑day public comment period running April 1–30. Council action to approve the annual action plan and submit materials to HUD is planned for May 5. Gumb described public outreach already completed: presentations to the Community Services Advisory Board, youth council and planning commission, a public meeting Dec. 3, and online questionnaires that had drawn more than 50 responses as of the Jan. 21 meeting.

Planned funds and candidate projects: Staff described the 2025 allocations staff expects to program in year one of the plan: about $525,000 in CDBG funds and about $250,000 in HOME funds (figures presented by staff in the meeting). Gumb identified candidate uses that include parks or small infrastructure projects in low‑ and moderate‑income census tracts and targeted housing investments. Specific project examples discussed: preliminary work on Edgewater Park, sidewalk and lighting work near Tyee Elementary School, and a road/connection improvement near 84th and Pine. Staff said CDBG can support public‑infrastructure projects in eligible low‑income areas and HOME funds typically partner with nonprofit housing developers for affordable housing construction and rehabilitation.

Gumb and the consultant emphasized constraints and tradeoffs: rising construction and materials costs have increased per‑project expenses, reducing how many units can be built for a given federal allocation. City staff and community respondents noted interest in a range of programs beyond new construction, including tenant move‑in assistance (first, last and deposit support), targeted rehab programs and potential down‑payment assistance. The consultant said the five‑year strategic plan should remain broad so the city can respond to changing conditions and competitive grant opportunities.

Tacoma consortium and HOME administration: Gumb explained that Lakewood receives HOME funds through a consortium arrangement with the City of Tacoma and the Tacoma Community Redevelopment Authority (TCRA), which administers and monitors HOME projects for Lakewood and takes a portion of administration to support monitoring. Gumb said the arrangement helps Lakewood access HOME funds it could not administer directly and that Tacoma’s review provides financial and program monitoring for Lakewood projects.

Questions from council focused on practical implementation. Council member Brandstetter asked whether projects in a central business area would be eligible if they were easily accessible to low‑income residents; staff said HUD evaluates area‑benefit projects using census tract and block‑group data and typically looks for primarily residential beneficiaries in the immediate project area. Council member Laura Sella raised whether ADUs and tiny‑home models could be supported; staff said the draft plan keeps program language broad to permit funding creative approaches, and that HOME‑funded new construction typically carries affordability covenants (commonly 20 years) and rent limits.

Next steps: Staff will incorporate public comments and return with the draft consolidated plan and 2025 annual action plan for council review on March 17; a public hearing is scheduled for April 21 and council action for May 5 so the city can meet HUD’s submission timeline.