City updates on CDBG home‑rehab, water/sewer projects and workforce housing fund; staff reports nearly $1M distributed through CDBG

City Planning and Zoning staff briefed the council on three housing‑related programs: the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) single‑family home rehabilitation program, completed waterline and sewer work in two annexed neighborhoods, and the city’s Workforce Housing Fund.

Joanne Scoria, assistant director of Planning and Zoning, summarized the CDBG single‑family home rehabilitation program. Scoria said the city became directly eligible to contract with HUD in 2015 and since then used CDBG funds to "harden the existing housing stock for low to moderate income households" by replacing roofs, windows and doors and performing other repairs. She said the program received 47 applications, improved 32 homes, replaced 23 roofs and distributed "close to a million dollars to city residents." Scoria said 17 of the issued loans have been forgiven to date.

Scoria described two completed neighborhood infrastructure projects that extended potable water and, for Dania Drive, added sewer service. She said Mary Circle (46 homes) and Dania Drive (32 duplex units on 16 parcels) were annexed in 1999–2002 and previously relied on well and septic systems; the city completed required environmental review and design work and reported that construction began in February and finished that same year — August for Dania Drive and September for Berry/Mary Circle — and that initial connections are complete for several units.

Olivia Ellison, development compliance and zoning manager, presented the Workforce Housing Fund. Ellison said contributions from developers of Avenir and Arcadia Gardens have funded the program with $5,550,000. She described policies and the four program categories shown on the presentation slide: citywide multifamily home improvement, citywide single‑family home improvement, employee purchase assistance, and employee rent assistance; she also said $150,000 was set aside for administration. Ellison said the single‑family home improvement program was launched March 10 and 14 applications are under review. She reported two rounds of employee rent assistance have launched and 23 employees currently receive assistance representing $128,400 of the budgeted funds.

The presentation included a slide with a detailed dollar allocation that staff read aloud; the numbers on that slide as captured in the transcript do not reconcile cleanly with the stated $5,550,000 fund total (see clarifying details). Council members thanked staff and asked that officials share the program structure with neighboring jurisdictions; staff said they collaborate regionally and share best practices.

Ending: Council did not take additional formal action on the presentations. Staff noted community input meetings are planned for the city’s next five‑year consolidated plan and encouraged resident participation.