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Soledad council weighs CDBG priorities; staff to refine application for community center and container‑village planning
Summary
At a public hearing on the state—s 2025 CDBG NOFA, Soledad staff recommended using the competitive project slot for community‑center facility upgrades and the planning slot to advance the container‑village concept; council asked staff to return with refined cost estimates and a final recommended package.
City staff told the Soledad City Council the state—s 2025 competitive CDBG NOFA presents three separate application tracks: (1) projects (capital improvements or facility rehabilitation), (2) programs (services or operating assistance), and (3) planning/technical assistance (smaller planning grants up to about $303,100).
Staff recommendation and rationale
Beatrice (city staff) and the city—s economic‑development coordinator recommended the city prioritize a project application to complete and harden the Soledad Community Center so it can serve reliably as an emergency and cooling center (generator pad/enclosure, HVAC and lighting upgrades, accessibility improvements). Staff noted the community center project was already scoped in prior grant work and argued that a project tied to an existing site is more competitive than beginning a brand‑new construction project.
As a complementary submission, staff recommended using the planning/technical assistance track to take the container‑village concept from conceptual renderings into detailed planning and environmental/technical work needed to reach shovel‑readiness. The planning track is limited in dollar size but can be a useful way to get a complex downtown activation into a position to attract construction funding.
Council discussion
Councilmembers discussed several alternatives: a first‑time homebuyer program (some councilmembers favored this as a programmatic priority), the purple‑pipe/recycled‑water elements of park upgrades, and expanded recreation programming. Members emphasized two tradeoffs:
- Competitiveness: reviewers typically prefer applications that demonstrate procurement/financial commitment or a project that is already in a pipeline rather than an idea only at concept stage.
- National objectives: CDBG requires activities benefit low‑ and moderate‑income persons or areas; staff and council discussed how each candidate project meets that standard.
Direction to staff
Councillors did not select a final application at the hearing. Instead, the council directed staff to:
- Consult the city—s CDBG consultant about relative competitiveness (community center project versus other candidate projects), - Get updated cost estimates and contingency assumptions for community center repairs/improvements, and - Return on the Nov. 19 agenda with a final recommendation on which project, program and planning application the city should submit under this NOFA window.
Why it matters
The CDBG NOFA is competitive; staff said the state released roughly $27 million for the NOFA pool but limits the size of individual competitive requests for small jurisdictions. A targeted, shovel‑ready project with matching commitments or local investments is usually more competitive than a proposal that starts from scratch.
Public input
There were no live public comments for the CDBG item at the time of the hearing. Staff will follow up with the council after consulting the consultant and partners.
Attribution: Staff presentation and council direction are drawn from the public hearing; direct quotations of eligible activities are based on staff remarks recorded at the meeting.
