FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified the City that its 2017 Annual Action Plan has been approved by the agency.
A change in the way the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) calculates a timeliness ratio (what it means to use grant money in a timely manner) required the City’s Planning and Development Department to reallocate $4.05 million of the HUD funds the City uses to run a commercial loan program. The loan program was started by the City using Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) from HUD and has made more than 230 small business and facade improvement loans.
The City was notified May 17, 2017 it was not in compliance with the new interpretation of HUD rules and was given a March 31, 2018 deadline to spend the money. On June 12, City Council approved a plan which outlined the list of "shovel-ready" priority projects assembled by City staff. The projects were listed in two tiers so that if any of the lists of tier 1 were not completed before the March 31, 2018 deadline, tier 2 projects would be pre-identified to move forward.
Projects were selected using HUD’s strict criteria that includes meeting national objectives for the program, including benefiting low-to-moderate income people and eliminating slum and blight. The evaluation team also had the goal of funding high-impact and/or transformational projects, making sure projects were geographically dispersed and taking into account staff resources and other implementation issues.
The projects in the final plan include:
Project | Zone | Amount |
Loan for Eden Village affordable housing project | 2 | $100,000 |
Loan for Springfield Affordable Housing Center | TBD | $1,000,000 |
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Commercial Street Sidewalk | 1 | $25,000 |
Grand Street Sidewalk | 1 | $30,000 |
Jefferson Avenue Sidewalk | 1 | $25,000 |
Kansas Expressway Sidewalk | 1 | $43,400 |
Turner Street Sidewalk | 1 | $35,000 |
1300 Block North West Avenue Sidewalk | 1 | $1,000 |
1600 Block East Central Street Sidewalk | 2 | $25,000 |
College Street Streetscape | 3 | $750,000 |
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Nichols Park Playground Improvements, Trail, Picnic Tables, Benches, Signage and Semi-Permanent Soccer Goals | 1 | $520,000 |
Tom Watkins Park New Restrooms/Support Facility, Playground Improvements, Trail and Signage | 1 | $695,000 |
Cooper Park Playground Improvements, Picnic Tables, Benches and Signage | 2 | $140,000 |
Jenny Lincoln Park Picnic Tables, Benches and Signage | 3 | $45,000 |
Trail Development from Cruse Dog Park to Ewing Park | 3 | $25,000 |
Meador Park Playground Improvements, Tennis Court/Pickle Ball Lighting and Fence, Trail and Signage | 4 | $465,000 |
According to HUD, Annual Action Plans provide a concise summary of the actions, activities, and the specific federal and non-federal resources that will be used each year to address the priority needs and specific goals identified by a city’s Consolidated Plan. View the City of Springfield’s 2015-2017 Consolidated Plan.
Cities then report on accomplishments and progress toward their Consolidated Plan goals in a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). View the City of Springfield’s 2016 CAPER.
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For more information, contact Director of Planning & Development Mary Lilly Smith at 417-864-1094 or Director of Public Information & Civic Engagement Cora Scott at 417-380-3352.