Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears update on scaled-back North End Choice Neighborhood grant; debate over scope intensifies
Summary
Metropolitan Housing and partners told council HUD reduced the possible Choice Neighborhood implementation award to $26 million, forcing a smaller two-phase plan and fewer housing units; some council members praised the partnerships and forward momentum while the ward representative criticized the plan as insufficient to address neighborhood-wide blight.
Metropolitan Housing Authority executive Melody McClurg told the Steubenville City Council that HUD reduced the implementation grant cap to $26 million, down from earlier expectations of $30–$50 million, forcing the authority to shrink its housing plan and reconfigure phases. She said the revised plan keeps the core grant elements—housing, people and neighborhood—but reduces the total development cost to about $74.7 million and consolidates phases to make financing feasible.
"So with the two phases, we're deferring a lot of the fees to be able to get this project done, and now we're looking at a total development cost of $74.7 million," McClurg said. She outlined that phase design changes would preserve commercial space on Sixth Avenue sized for a grocery store and add a 57-unit senior building with ground-floor retail, while single-family infill would continue through partner programs such as Welcome Home Ohio.
Ward councilman Royal Mayo sharply criticized the narrowed geographic focus and acquisition strategy, saying the application uses only a small portion of the neighborhood that HUD identified and arguing the plan will not sufficiently tackle long-standing blight. "I have yet to receive a call from housing on any of this," Mayo said, contending more outreach and a broader acquisition strategy were needed to meet the grant's neighborhood-revitalization goals. Other councilmembers, including Mr. McManamon and Ms. Hoover, expressed support for moving the application forward and highlighted ancillary services and partners already participating, including Brookfield counseling and College of St. Joseph the Worker streetscape work.
The council did not take a vote on the matter at the meeting; staff said application materials and letters of support are being finalized ahead of the filing deadline.
