Minutes 03/25/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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March 2~, 1980 (2) Letter from the U. S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration, authorizing t~e City to submit a forma~ application for assistance in the proposed development of a drainage facility at the old Georgia Pacific site in the amount of $1,283,S13. (3) Letter from the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission will consider the placement of Truxtun on the Virginia meeting of April 15, 1980. advising that the Commission Landmarks Register at its Motion of Mr. Holley and seconded by Mr. Barnes, to be received as information, and was adopted by unanimous vote. NEW BUSINESS 80-117 The City Manager presented the following resolution: "A RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE PORTSMOUTH REDEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING AUTHORITY TO REVIEW AND IMPLEMENT ALTERNATE MEANS OF PROVIDING LOW AND MODERATE INCOME HOUSING IN THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1974 HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACT, AS AMENDED. WHEREAS, HUD. imposed conditions upon the approval of the City's 1979 Community Developmen' Application requiring the City to consider the deconcentration of low and moderate income housing; and WHEREAS, HUD has refused to approve the City's 1980 Community Development Application and~in fact prohibited the expenditure of any funds until certain conditions imposed b~y~H~D a~e satisfied, including the construction of 1OO units of low and moderate income /~housing in Census Tract 128; and WHEREAS, the City has objected to the action taken by HUD with regard to its 1979 and 1980 Community Development Application, but has proceeded to attempt to satisfy the conditions imposed by HUD in order to preserve options available to the City and to allow the City to consider other alternatives available to it in the implementation of its Housing Strategy; and WHEREAS, by letter dated March 14, 1980, HUD has now advised the City that within ten days of receipt of that letter the City must accept these conditions or it may forfeit the 100 units of Section 8 Housing for this site which in effect could forfeit its active Community Development Program; and WHEREAS, since 1975 the City of Portsmouth's Community Development Program, in accordance with Federal requirements, has addressed citywide problems including: (1) extensive blight and deterioration; (2) inadequate housing and service for low and moderate income families; (3) a limited tax base and land area; (4) a low per capita income and high rate of unemploymenl and underemployment; and (S) underdeveloped and inappropriately developed property, which problems the City has always undertaken to address through an aggressive program utilizing the Urban Renewal Program and the Community Development Program; and WHEREAS, there still exists a tremendous need to el&minate blight in this City as evidenced by the significant number of requests received from neighborhoods during the planning of the Community Development Program; and WHEREAS, in connection with the effort to address these problem areas the City's Community Development Program has been carried out to primarily benefit low and moderate income residents of Portsmouth; and WHEREAS, in conjunction with the City's objective to make the greatest possible impact on these problems in an expeditious manner, the City of Portsmouth has been among the first localities in the nation to receive Federal approval of its Community Development Program and has been among the leaders nationwide in the proper utilization of Community Development funds; and WHEREAS, the City's Community and deterioration in neighborhoods of those neighborhoods in order to hoods; and Development Program has addressed problems of blight on a concentrated basis and in accordance with the wishes make the greatest possible improvement to these neighbor- WHEREAS, successful Community Development activities have been undertaken in the Mount Hermon, Southside, Effingham, Cradock, Park View, Olde Towne, Northside and Crawford neigh- borhoods, and the 1980 Community Development funds will be spent in these neighborhoods as well as the Truxton neighborhood; and WHEREAS, the construction of low and moderate income housing has been a primary goal in the first five years of this effort, during which time the City of Portsmouth, through the Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority, has constructed 654 units of housing for low and moderate income people, including 48 units of housing constructed under the little used Housing of Last Resort provision of the Community Development Act; and WHEREAS, another Development's Section stage; and 190 units of housing under the Department of Housing and Urban 8 and Section 202 housing programs are currently in the planning