Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced more than $8.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for 12 projects in Virginia.
Since 1982, the federally-funded CDBG program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Virginia receives approximately $17 million annually for this grant program.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “In order to build a new Virginia economy, we need to use all available resources to improve the lives of Virginians. These projects help provide better infrastructure, affordable housing, and revitalize downtown districts to create sustainable and vibrant communities across the Commonwealth.”
Speaking at an event in Bassett, Virginia, Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones said, “The CDBG program continues to help localities across the Commonwealth make the necessary investments to stay competitive and thrive in today’s economic environment. These funds are critical in order to help our communities, particularly those in rural areas, become the best places to live, work and conduct business.”
CDBG grants are awarded through a competitive process. Most projects benefit low- and moderate-income persons, and many projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of slums and blight conditions.
During this year’s competitive cycle, 22 proposals were submitted by 21 localities, and 11 projects received the initial funding, with two projects receiving multi-year funding and one project receiving a letter of intent. Multi-year funding projects are those that will receive a contract allocating a portion of the funds this year, and after achieving specific performance targets, the project will then be eligible for additional funding. The letter of intent project is worthy of funding but lacks key components necessary for the project to be immediately implemented, and the grant allows the locality to address the missing key components.
2015 CDBG Community Improvement Grant Awards:
| Locality | Project Name | CDBG Award |
| Buchanan County | Hurley Regional Water Project Phase VI | $ 1,000,000 |
| Town of Damascus | Damascus Downtown Revitalization | $ 659,400 |
| Dickenson County | Georges Fork Sewer Project | $ 1,000,000 |
| Town of Dungannon | Dungannon Economic Revitalization | $ 700,000 |
| Henry County | Smith River Small Towns Business District Revitalization | $ 700,000 |
| Town of Smithfield | Pinewood Heights Redevelopment Project Phase III | $ 1,000,000 |
| Town of Strasburg | Strasburg Downtown Revitalization Project | $ 700,000 |
| Wise County | Roda, Osaka and Stonega Sewer Phase II | $ 690,000 |
| Town of Wytheville | Freedom Lane Housing Production | $ 505,625 |
| Town of Appomattox | Meadowlark Neighborhood Improvement Project Multi-year Funding |
$ 1,000,000 |
| Town of Pulaski | Kersey Bottom Neighborhood Revitalization Project Multi-year Funding |
$ 1,000,000 |
| Town of White Stone | White Stone Comprehensive Project Letter of Intent |
$ 1,400,000 |
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Chris Graham
