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Community development director outlines housing targets and downtown projects
Summary
The new community development director presented the 2027 priorities: housing targets from a 2024 study (690 owner units and 868 rental units needed in five years), $117 million in 2025 construction value, downtown redevelopment projects and a focus on placemaking and parking-ramp maintenance.
The community development director gave a first budget presentation that described department structure—community development, inspections, parking utility and the senior center—and highlighted recent activity and near-term capital priorities. "In 2024, we completed a housing study that demonstrated that the community would need 690 owner occupied homes and 868 rental units within 5 years," the director told the council.
The director said inspections processed $117,000,000 in construction projects in 2025 and reported $39,000,000 in projects as of mid-July 2026. Key projects cited included downtown investments such as the Home Depot property redevelopment, new health-care facilities and industrial expansions. The director described grant programs and incentives, ongoing zoning updates to increase density, and partnerships with HUD-funded programs and Habitat for Humanity to rehabilitate housing and support affordability.
Council members asked about gateway projects, which prompted a discussion of timing and costs; the director said designs are incomplete but that the CIP schedules gateway work beginning in 2027. The presentation also reviewed the senior center's programming (about 70 unique monthly programs) and parking-ramp maintenance priorities for Portland Street and Macy Street ramps.
On redevelopment, Councilmember Moore and others updated the council on the former Dillinger's building (a city-led food-hall renovation). Moore said the building is "about 95 plus percent renovated" and outlined next steps including recruiting a contracted manager to operate vendor spaces. Several council members praised the department's early work and asked for follow-up on implementation timelines and grant promotion to downtown businesses.
