Covered by Documenters Gennifer Harding-Gosnell and Alfreda Williams
What happened: City Council members discussed legislation allowing the city to accept an estimated $34 million for community development from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The legislation, which the full council passed at its evening meeting, sets aside about $1.2 million for community development corporations (CDCs). CDCs — nonprofits working to revitalize neighborhoods — must report prior accomplishments such as home rehabilitation and minor repairs to receive the funding. The committee added an amendment proposed by Council Member Kerry McCormack that says the city cannot set a minimum spending requirement of more than $2,000 for CDC home rehab accomplishments, down from $5,000. The amendment allows CDCs to report lower-cost rehab projects as accomplishments, increasing their chances of receiving more funding. Council also removed any minimum for CDC spending on minor home repairs like installing a sink or fixing steps.
Police headquarters: Members of the Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects gave a final presentation on the new police headquarters. Manager of Architecture and Site Development Carter Edman discussed how the cost of the proposed $90 million purchase and redevelopment of the ArtCraft building compared to the original plan for new construction along the Opportunity Corridor. Council President Blaine Griffin questioned the cost effectiveness of rehabbing the ArtCraft building instead of constructing a new building. He said he was worried about unforeseen expenses with an older structure. The committee advanced legislation allowing the city to buy the ArtCraft building, and the full council passed it that night.
Left wondering: Documenter Alfreda Williams asked, “What is the long-term impact of rehabbing a structure as opposed to building a new one?”
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Gennifer Harding-Gosnell:
Curious about how CDCs get some of Cleveland’s federal community development dollars? Jessica Trivisonno, a senior strategist for the city who used to work for CDCs, explained the process in this 2021 Twitter thread.