Council approves Program Year 2025 CDBG allocations after public hearing

Petersburg City Council on June 17 held a public hearing and approved the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program-year 2025 allocations recommended by the city's CDBG advisory board.

The advisory board reported eligibility guidance from HUD and asked the council to prioritize housing and gap financing for community projects. The city's available allocation for program year 2025 was reported as approximately $585,812. The advisory board reviewed 25 applications requesting roughly $1.385 million and recommended funding a cross-section of public-service and housing-repair projects within the available allocation.

During the hearing multiple nonprofit representatives and residents spoke in favor of preserving funding for critical home repairs, arts programming, neighborhood preservation and targeted revitalization on Pocahontas Island. Applicants described rehabilitation work, public programming, and neighborhood outreach that the grants would support.

Councilmember Myers moved the recommended allocations as listed by the advisory board; the motion passed on a roll call recorded in the transcript as adopted. Council asked staff to prepare a revised and reconciled allocation schedule reflecting the precise total and to provide the council with the regulatory recommendations that may accompany funded projects during the city's retreat.

The adopted allocations (as read into the record) included, among other items: People's Advantage Federal Credit Union ($101,467), Parks & Leisure Department ($166,751), Coalition on Homelessness/VA Community Resource Center (combined $88,000), administration and operations ($116,000), and smaller awards to local nonprofits for services and rehabilitation. The CDBG advisory board chair noted the HUD recommendation to consider Section 108 and to focus funds on opportunity zones and housing gaps.