Shoreline council adopts 2026 CDBG plan, directs funds to minor home repairs and affordable-housing acquisition

The Shoreline City Council voted 4–1 to adopt its 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding plan and to reprogram $50,909 in uncommitted CDBG funds from 2025, approving the staff-recommended allocation that prioritizes restarting the Minor Home Repair program.

The action matters because CDBG dollars are federal funds governed by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and an interlocal agreement with King County. Council and staff framed the vote as an attempt to restart a program that helps low-income homeowners with essential repairs while also supporting a nonprofit’s affordable-housing acquisition project that would use a state tax-exemption to preserve units as affordable.

Staff told the council there is an estimated $320,000 available for CDBG in 2026, with roughly $153,600 available for local programming after required set-asides (25% for the major home repair loan program, 5% for housing stability, 12% for King County administration, and 10% for city planning/administration). The staff recommendation adopted by the council (staff called this “Option 1”) allocates the local programming remainder as follows: $130,000 for the Minor Home Repair program and $23,600 to a nonprofit…