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Lodi staff: downtown specific plan nearing adoption; HUD boosts CDBG allocation slightly
Summary
City staff reported the downtown specific plan final draft is scheduled for Planning Commission on May 13 and City Council on June 3, and that HUD increased the city’s CDBG allocation to $665,236 for the current program year; staff outlined implementation measures and grant-seeking plans.
Interim Community Development Director Cynthia Marsh told the Lodi Improvement Committee on April 14 that the downtown specific plan final draft is heading to Planning Commission (scheduled May 13) and is tentatively scheduled for City Council action June 3.
Marsh said the plan — developed over roughly 18 months with consultants — includes implementation measures and a chapter of near-term actions (wayfinding signage, corridor improvements) and longer-term objectives (railroad-property coordination and acquisition, multimodal investments). She described the implementation effort as a public–private partnership that will rely on grants and private development as well as city coordination.
Separately, staff reported a small HUD increase to the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation to $665,236 for the program year, up slightly from the prior allocation. Staff said the increase reduces concerns about near-term program cuts and that the annual action plan will be posted for review; statutory public‑hearing timelines will govern final approval and HUD submission (the annual action plan deadline cited was in August).
Committee members asked about phase‑one items, bike parking and wayfinding; Marsh said short-term items such as wayfinding signage are achievable sooner, while corridor-level projects and railroad-property work will depend on funding and more complex negotiations. Staff said two alleyway capital projects are planned through the CDBG program years and that environmental and procurement steps add time to construction schedules.
Why it matters: Adoption of the downtown specific plan will shape zoning, capital improvements and grant priorities in the downtown core; the small CDBG increase preserves funding for public services and planned capital projects in the near term.
Next steps: Planning Commission review is scheduled for May 13 and City Council consideration is tentatively planned for June 3; staff will post the annual action plan and contact the committee when the document is available for public review.
