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Council amends CDBG action plan, hears updates on affordable housing projects; partners against violence asks city for bridge funding
Summary
Council considered an amendment to the annual CDBG action plan to reallocate projects and heard updates on several affordable-housing developments. Partners Against Violence requested an interim $25,000 general-fund contribution while it seeks federal/subgrant funding.
City staff asked the City Council to amend the 2024—02025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) action plan to prioritize several neighborhood projects and to update funding commitments for affordable-housing initiatives.
What was proposed: Staff described an amendment to the action plan that would move CDBG funds into projects at Encanto Park, Guti'rrez Park, the Rub'n Campos community center and Hellside Street improvements. The amendment also included updates to multi-year affordable housing allocations and described projects that local officials said would pursue additional construction financing and regulatory agreements.
Affordable housing update: Staff and council discussed previously committed funds, which staff described as a roughly $4.9 million city commitment made in a prior year. Councilmembers asked for clarity on unit counts and affordability levels for a proposed Jamboree (Jamboree Housing) project; staff said unit counts were approximately in the low 90s and that regulatory agreements and loan documents were still pending. Councilmembers expressed concern about concentrating city funds in a small number of large projects and urged staff to continue seeking subsidy leverage so the city's contribution reaches more households.
Partners Against Violence request: Representatives of Partners Against Violence (Annie) spoke during public comment and asked the council for near-term support after grant funding shortfalls. Councilmember Se1nchez proposed a $25,000 general-fund line-item to provide bridge support to the organization until the next CDBG/HUD funding cycle; she asked staff to return with a budget amendment and application criteria so other nonprofits could apply for similar emergency assistance. Council directed staff to prepare the requested budget item for the council's upcoming budget workshop.
Public engagement: The public record for this item included multiple speakers representing community groups and student teams that had conducted neighborhood needs assessments and who urged investment in homelessness services, parks and neighborhood infrastructure.
Next steps: Staff said a formal funding commitment for any particular housing project will return to the council as part of subsequent actions once regulatory agreements, unit counts and subsidy documentation are finalized. The council moved and voted to approve staff recommendations with amendments (motion details recorded in the council minutes).
