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Community Development
Duties
The Saratoga Springs Office of Community Development works to advance the City Council's goals of increasing access to affordable housing, improving the living environment, and expanding economic opportunities for persons of low and moderate income.
History
The Office of Community Development was created in 1975 to implement City programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Since qualifying for Entitlement Grant funds in 1994, the City has utilized these dollars to develop affordable housing, establish residential rehabilitation grant and loan programs, provide funding for public improvement projects in low and moderate income areas of the city, and support a host of legal, education and outreach programs for low and moderate income residents.
Economic Development Revolving Loan Program
The City of Saratoga Springs established, and recently expanded the Economic Development Revolving Loan Program to stimulate job creation, and support job retention, for residents of low-moderate income. The program helps to subsidize these job opportunities, and preserve jobs that would otherwise be lost by offering low interest loans to businesses physically located within the City of Saratoga Springs. Read more here.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funding Applications
Typically, applications are available during the month of December to those interested in applying to the City of Saratoga Springs for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Entitlement Funds for each program year (July 1 – June 30). These funds are designed to assist activities that address community development needs as prioritized in the city’s Consolidated Plan, and that benefit persons of low and moderate income. Eligible activities may include job creation; affordable housing acquisition, construction and rehabilitation; infrastructure improvements; and other federally eligible activities.
*** 2020 CDBG Entitlement Grant & CDBG-CV Funding Applications are now closed***
In light of the emerging needs of the low-moderate income community resulting from the current COVID-19 Pandemic, the Community Development Department reopened applications for the 2020 CDBG Program Year on May 8, 2020. Funding for this program remained unchanged at $315,491.
The City was allocated additional funding by HUD through the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The first tranche of this CDBG-CV funding totaled $181,629, and must be used for COVID-19 related activities benefiting the low-moderate income population. Details on funding allocations for this allotment are contained within the Second Amended 2019 CDBG Program Year Action Plan.
The City was recently allocated an additional $358,743 of CDBG-CV funding through the third tranche of the CARES Act. The CDCAC will present its recommendations for a Substantial Amendment to the 2019 Annual Action Plan to facilitate the expenditure of this CDBG-CV funding to the City Council on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Following this presentation, the public comment period will be opened, culminating in a public hearing at the City Council Meeting on November 2, 2020.
Funding recommendations were informed by the CDCAC’s re-consideration of subgrantee applications submitted under the first tranche, and an evaluation of gaps in support for CDBG-CV funding priorities as adopted by City Council. Applicants were given the opportunity to update their requests to reflect any change to needs as the pandemic, and its impacts, have progressed.
A summary of the CDCAC's recommendations can be found here.
The City was allocated additional funding by HUD through the CARES Act to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The first tranche of this CDBG-CV funding totaled $181,629, and must be used for COVID-19 related activities benefiting the low-moderate income population. Details on funding allocations for this allotment are contained within the Second Amended 2019 CDBG Program Year Action Plan.
The Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee (CDCAC) presented it's recommendations to City Council on these funds at the June 2, 2020 Council meeting. These recommendations were open for public comment through June 16, 2020, and concluded with a public hearing at the City Council meeting. These recommendations were approved via a unanimous vote by City Council.
A summary of the CDCAC's recommendations can be found here.
The City was recently allocated an additional $358,743 of CDBG-CV funding through the third tranche of the CARES Act. The CDCAC will present its recommendations for a Substantial Amendment to the 2019 Annual Action Plan to facilitate the expenditure of this CDBG-CV funding to the City Council on Tuesday, October 20, 2020. Following this presentation, the public comment period will be opened, culminating in a public hearing at the City Council Meeting on November 2, 2020.
Funding recommendations were informed by the CDCAC’s re-consideration of subgrantee applications submitted under the first tranche, and an evaluation of gaps in support for CDBG-CV funding priorities as adopted by City Council. Applicants were given the opportunity to update their requests to reflect any change to needs as the pandemic, and its impacts, have progressed.
A summary of the CDCAC's recommendations can be found here.
If/when further CDBG-CV funding is made available to the City by HUD, opportunities will be posted here.
Questions should be directed to the Community Development Planner at lindsey.connors@saratoga-springs.org.