The Annapolis Housing and Community Development Committee will hold a virtual public hearing Wednesday to get feedback on its five-year plan for providing decent housing and expanding economic opportunities for low and middle-income residents.
The hearing will be held at 7 p.m. and can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook or the city website. Public comment will be accepted until Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Testimony can be submitted at annapolis.gov.
The Five Year Housing and Community Development Consolidated Plan for FY 2021-2025 is a guiding document used to spend grant money issued each year by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department through its Community Development Block Grant Program.
The city’s Community Development Division in the Planning and Zoning Department administers the program. The Housing and Community Development Committee, chaired by Alderman DaJuan Gay, D-Ward 8, has oversight responsibility.
Once the public comment is considered, the plan must be finalized by Aug. 15 prior to going before the City Council, which approves all community block grant-funded projects, said Theresa Wellman, Chief of Community Development.
Annapolis is an entitled community, which means it is eligible to receive such funds from HUD. The available grant funding for 2021 is $305,040.
A draft of the five-year plan can be viewed on the city website. It lays out the goals and objectives for the city’s housing needs over the next five years, including improving existing housing stock for low and middle-income residents, supporting the homeless and those who are at risk of becoming homeless and providing affordable housing for individuals with special needs and the disabled.
Last year, the city provided $247,696 in block grant funding to a range of organizations including Arundel Lodge, Housing Authority of the City of Annapolis, Community Action Agency, Bless In Tech Industries, among others.
The city is also seeking feedback on its Citizen Participation Plan, which has been amended to allow for virtual hearings as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Public comment will be accepted for that until 4:30 p.m. on Friday.
The participation plan is what the city follows to encourage residents to participate in the “development, revision, amendment, adoption, and implementation” of the following items: the Citizen Participation Plan (CPP); the Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH); the Consolidated Plan (CP); The Annual Action Plan (AAP); the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), and the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program.
A copy of the amended plan can be found on the city website, or by contacting Theresa Wellman at tcw@annapolis.gov or by phone at 410-263-7961 x 7798. Public comment should also be submitted to her by email.
