Westchester Reporter

Today, the City of New Rochelle announced that they are seeking public input as they develop their five-year Consolidated Plan, including the Annual Action Plan and Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.  New Rochelle’s five-year plan will include a list of housing and community development priorities to guide the City’s spending plan for its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and HOME funds from 2023 through 2027. 

Residents are encouraged to attend an in-person community meeting on February 2 to learn more about the plans, and offer comments on affordable and fair housing and other neighborhood needs. An online survey is also available for input in both English and Spanish.

Public input is needed for the City to establish its priorities to best represent the interests of residents. The 2023 Annual Action Plan will include the City’s specific activities that will address these needs, building off past years’ successes. In 2021, the City invested CDBG funds in the following projects:

• The Lincoln Park Field Improvement Project
• The Feeney Park Sidewalk & ADA Accessibility Project
• The Downtown Transit Area ADA Sidewalk Enhancement Project
• City’s Signage and Awning Programs to assist businesses in making and installing new signage and awnings

In addition to City-led projects, several public service organizations have also received funds to carry out important activities to benefit low- and moderate-income residents. These included Meals on Wheels, Developmentally Disabled Therapeutic Recreation, CAREERS Support Solutions, HOPE Community Services, Women’s Enterprise Development Center, Westhab, Westchester Jewish Community Services, and the Urban League of Westchester, among others.

“As we look forward to the next five years in New Rochelle, we are excited to work collaboratively with residents to expand our ongoing and upcoming investments into our ever-growing city”, said New Rochelle Commissioner of Development, Adam Salgado. “With expanded community input and collaboration, the new five-year plan will reflect the wants and needs of our neighbors, with expanded community engagement and feedback effectively representing where residents would like to see financial and social investment.”

The US Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) will release the exact funding amount the City of New Rochelle will receive in late February. In 2022, the City received $1,476,774 in CDBG funds and $503,049 in HOME funds and anticipates receiving similar funding in 2023.

The public meeting is scheduled for February 2 at 6:00 p.m. Bethesda Baptist Church of New Rochelle located at 71 Lincoln Avenue. This location is accessible to persons with disabilities.  Individuals requiring language assistance should contact the Community Development Office at 914-654-2184 or kparisi@newrochelleny.com no later than January 27th to request assistance.

Residents are also encouraged to complete an online survey available in English and in Spanish to relay their interests for the upcoming five-year plan. By responding to the survey, residents can rank the affordable housing, fair housing and community needs in their neighborhoods. The survey results will be included in the five-year Consolidated Plan.

 For additional information please contact Kristi Parisi at kparisi@newrochelleny.com

Original source can be found here.