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Leoman CRA proposes grants, land‑acquisition funds and Joe’s Creek master‑plan money
Summary
The Leoman (Lehman) CRA director outlined the FY2025 work plan that keeps home‑improvement grants, expands the Habitat for Humanity contract, and adds $250,000 for Joe’s Creek master‑plan implementation and $500,000 for opportunistic land acquisition.
Amy Davis briefed commissioners on the Leoman Community Redevelopment Area work plan and proposed changes for next fiscal year. She said the CRA’s work plan is structured around nine objectives and ties directly to the budget. "For our current forecast, 33 applications were submitted, 22 of them approved," Davis said of the residential improvement program, capped at $15,000 per owner‑occupied project as a reimbursement.
Davis described a commercial façade program (matching grants up to $40,000), an alleyway cleanup program (176 alleys in Leoman; 68 had debris removed during the prior two‑year contract), and a five‑year amended contract with Habitat for Humanity that removes the prior $500,000-per‑year cap and instead allows use of the full contract amount across years. "Two years in, they have constructed 30 homes with a total CRA investment of $790,000," she said.
Among proposed new items Davis highlighted $250,000 to implement recommendations from the Joe’s Creek master plan and $500,000 set aside for opportunistic land acquisition; she said larger purchases would return to the board for budget amendments. Commissioners asked about fund balance and reserve levels; Davis said the estimated starting fund balance for FY2025 is about $7,548,000 with estimated tax revenues of $4,300,000.
Commissioners discussed priorities for reserves and potential use of CRA funds for larger, multi‑million projects that would also require matching grants and outside funding.
