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Council committee forwards ARPA amendment so South End Concerned Neighbors can use $250,000 for hub
Summary
The community planning committee sent Resolution 10-20-26 to full council to allow South End Concerned Neighbors to use its $250,000 ARPA award solely for a community hub; the organization said earlier bids doubled and it has a new architect and expects to expend funds by the end of 2026.
Lancaster’s community planning committee on Jan. 6 voted to forward a proposed amendment to the city’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding agreement that would allow South End Concerned Neighbors to use its $250,000 award entirely for a hub project rather than splitting that money with a one-unit apartment.
Rebecca (city staff) summarized the city’s ARPA allocations and said Council previously set aside $5 million for community facilities in 2022. "These funds were not a part of the affordable housing money but were part of the community facilities money," she said, and she confirmed the award to South End Concerned Neighbors followed 2022 RFPs and an April–July 2023 award and subsequent agreement.
Arlene, representing South End Concerned Neighbors, told council the original project bids came in at more than double the estimate — "the project came in over a 100%" — and that the organization has replaced its architect and is preparing revised plans for permitting. Arlene said they expect to have the project completed or the funds spent by the end of 2026. She also clarified that the award was never housing money but community-facilities funding, and the amendment would align the agreement language with project intent.
Councilor Solsous moved Resolution 10-20-26 to the Jan. 13 full-council meeting and the committee voted to forward it.
The committee asked about the ARPA spending timeline (staff said the funds must be spent by 2026) and about whether the award originally included housing; Arlene confirmed it did not and that the project scope was narrowed to fit the available dollars.
