EJP congratulates the Oxnard Housing Authority on a successful FY24 Choice Neighborhoods Planning grant to develop a comprehensive plan for the transformation of the Felicia Court and Colonia Road communities and the surrounding La Colonia & Central Oxnard neighborhood. EJP served as the grant writer for the application and continues to support the planning process as the planning coordinator.
During its Tuesday, October 1, meeting, the City Council approved its Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers different opportunities through its mission, providing affordable housing in the City’s areas in need.
Housing Department Director Emilio Ramirez presented the item, and the Choice Neighborhood’s Program creates vibrant public housing and leverages public and private dollars to provide for improvements and developments in those neighborhoods.
“It focuses on replacing public housing that’s distressed, but also creating mixed-income housing for outcomes related to employment, health, education, recreation, and a reinvestment in the neighborhood,” he said. “The program is comprised of two parts: a planning grant, and if that grant is approved, we become eligible for submission to the second program: Implementation Grant, which offers up to $50 million for investment in those neighborhoods.”
He said the Choice Implementation Grant supports the Comprehensive Redevelopment of the site, but it requires the City to enact the current Planning Grant to seek the $50 million investment.
“The City and Housing Authority engaged a consulting group, EJP, to help us draft the implementation grant,” Ramirez said. “We’re going to enter into a subsequent agreement with them so they can help us with the Planning Grant process.”
He said June 10 was the application’s deadline, and the City submitted the application.
“We were awarded the $500,000 planning grant from Choice,” he said. “The Colonia Neighborhood is the area in question, along with Downtown, and must include public housing areas.
“The Colonia Neighborhood has a significant amount of public housing,” he added. “The Downtown Area allows for other aspects of the Planning Grant, employment and transportation.”
He said the Staff received a notification from HUD on September 9 for $500,000 and were notified that the Grant Agreement needed to be signed and submitted by October 16.
“We wanted to bring you a comprehensive Staff report with multiple actions, but due to the deadline for the Grant’s submission, we decided to split it into several actions,” he said. “The Staff will come back to the City Council to request approval of an amendment to the EJP’s contract to help us with the continued process of the Planning Grant and prepare all the other regular elements of the Planning Grant, including outreach functions.”
He said the Neighborhood Transformation Plan will cost about $1.25 million, which includes the $500,000 HUD Planning Grant, $250,000 of General Fund money, $250,000 from CDBG (Community Development Block Grant), $250,000 from the Housing Authority’s Central Fund, plus a variety of in-kind contributions.
“The action delegates any agreements between the City and Housing Authority and City Manager will occur in 2024 or 2025,” Ramirez said. “The Staff will return with any other appropriations necessary to complete the October 16 deadline. The Housing Authority must provide the $750,000 funds.”
Ramirez said his entire Department is happy and proud to present the opportunity to the Council and City Manager Alex Nguyen’s Office.
“I have a special thanks to the Housing Department team, Albert Ramirez, who led the effort in getting this application completed, and Brenda Lopez, who was also integrally involved in the application, and the balance of the team that supported completing this application,” he said. “It was really a combined effort.”
Read the original article at https://www.tricountysentry.com/articles/choice-neighborhood-grant-moves-forward/
By Chris Frost
Published on Oct. 4, 2024