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Accomack supervisors send draft Community Revitalization Fund ordinance to Oct. 16 public hearing
Summary
County staff proposed an ordinance to establish a Community Revitalization Fund to make competitive grants to nonprofits to demolish derelict residential structures; the board voted to send the draft to a public hearing on Oct. 16. Staff said $300,000 is budgeted and the proposed cap per award is $150,000.
The Accomack County Board of Supervisors voted on Sept. 18 to send a draft ordinance establishing a Community Revitalization Fund to a public hearing at the board’s Oct. 16 meeting.
County administrator Mike Mason described the proposed program as a competitive grant vehicle to reimburse nonprofits for demolishing derelict residential structures. Mason said the county sought authority under a Code of Virginia provision identified in staff materials (noted in packet text as "code section 15.2958 0.5") to establish the fund and run a competitive process modeled on the county’s prior derelict‑building removal work.
Staff told the board $300,000 is currently budgeted for the program and recommended capping award amounts at $150,000 so the funds could support one or two projects in the fiscal year. Proposed scoring criteria include the number and condition of structures, projected average demolition cost per structure, project location and density, and bonus points for projects in federally identified disadvantaged areas or county priority areas. Successful applicants would be required to enter grant agreements with the county.
A board member moved to schedule the public hearing on Oct. 16, the motion was seconded, and the board approved the action by voice vote. The motion and vote were recorded as carried; the meeting transcript does not include a roll‑call tally.
Why it matters: The fund would create a formal county mechanism to fund nonprofit‑led demolition of derelict residential properties. Stakeholders and residents will have an opportunity to comment at the public hearing; staff said additional program details (application forms, scoring matrix and grant agreement terms) will follow.
No final awards or grant recipients were selected at the meeting.
