PITTSFIELD, Mass. - On Friday, Apr. 24, the City of Pittsfield’s Department of Community Development (DCD) will release the draft plan outlining the city’s housing and community development needs and the strategies that will be used to address these needs over the next five years. The department has also prepared a draft budget for the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds during Fiscal Year 2021, which begins July 1, 2020 and ends June 30, 2021.

The preparation of the Consolidated Plan, including the fiscal year 2021 Annual Action Plan, is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which provides approximately $1.341 million annually to Pittsfield in the form of CDBG funds.

The draft Consolidated Plan will be available online at the city’s website. The required 30-day public comment and review period ends May 20. Written or verbal comments may be submitted to the Department of Community Development via mail: 70 Allen St., Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201; by phone, 413-499-9368; or via email to jdodds@cityofpittsfield.org through 4 p.m., on May 20 and will be included in the public record of the plan.

The Department of Community Development will hold a virtual public hearing at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5 which will be broadcast on Pittsfield Community Television. This public hearing provides an opportunity for public review and comment on the draft five-year Consolidated Plan including the department’s draft CDBG budget for the 2021 fiscal year.

This year’s draft budget totals $1.341 million and includes:

  • $1.341 million in FY 21 CDBG entitlement
  • $140,000 in program income expected to be received during the year from projects funded by grants and loans from HUD

The proposed fiscal year 2021 budget represents level funding allocated to the city’s core programs of housing rehabilitation, parks and public facilities improvements, public services, economic development, and demolition of vacant buildings.

For more information, please call 413-499-9368.

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