Starting April 1, Kingston residents and other stakeholders will get a chance to weigh in on the city’s plan to allocate $3.25 million in federal entitlement funds under the Community Development Block Grant Program. The proposal focuses on increasing access to housing, improving quality of life and creating economic opportunities for underserved communities.

Each year, Kingston receives an award under the HUD-administered CDBG program. The award is based on the city’s population of poor and underserved communities and is intended to provide services and opportunities that benefit Kingston’s poorest census tracts. To comply with program rules, municipalities must develop action plans for each year’s award, as well as a five-year consolidated plan. The plan currently up for public review lays out the city’s plan for housing and other priorities. It also identifies federal, state and local resources that are likely to become available in the next five years to address those priorities and includes a plan for allocating $650,000 in CDBG in the 2024 award.

The plan was developed following a series of focus groups, surveys and other outreach efforts to local housing and homeless service providers. City Office of Community Development officials also held public hearings around Kingston and took input from residents.

Starting April 1, the plan will undergo a 30-day public comment period before heading to the Common Council for approval. An in-person public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16 at 10 a.m. in Common Council Chambers at City Hall, 420 Broadway. Written comments can be submitted at the hearing or by mail to the Office of Community Development, City Hall, 420 Broadway, Kingston NY 12401 by April 30. The plan is available for review by clicking here: https://www.kingston-ny.gov/filestorage/8399/8469/8547/Kingston_2024-2028_CP_Draft_for_Public_Display_03.26.2024.pdf