A five-year plan outlining housing goals in Danville will be under consideration by the public and the city council at its regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The five-year plan includes a one-year action plan, identifying more immediate efforts and projects.
Both the five-year and the one-year plans are prerequisites for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Danville is a participating jurisdiction with HUD, meaning it receives annual funding from the department’s Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership programming, so long as it develops these plans.
The basic goals of the plans are to provide decent housing and a suitable living environment, and to expand economic opportunities, according to the staff report for this item in the meeting’s agenda packet.
The meeting will include a public hearing on the one-year action plan, where Danville residents can offer input. There will also be opportunities for input outside of the meeting, as the public review period for the one-year plan is 30 days. The deadline for submission to HUD is Aug. 16.
For the five-year plan, the comment period will run through Aug. 2.
The 168-page plan can be found in the meeting agenda packet.
It identifies main objectives for housing in Danville in the next five years, including:
- Increasing the viability for potential homeownership and rental housing opportunities.
- Addressing community needs through the improvement and expansion of public facilities and infrastructure.
- Increasing the city’s housing stock through new construction and modular homes.
- Addressing community needs through regulatory controls that maintain housing conditions and remove blight.
The Community Development Block Grant and the HOME Investment Partnership programs combined are expected to bring in a total of almost $1.2 million into the city to support affordable housing and homeless and community development efforts in the first program year, fiscal year 2025-2026.
About $868,000 is expected from CDBG, and about $295,000 is expected from HOME. Another $35,000 is the estimated program income.
Historically, most of the CDBG funds in Danville have been used for neighborhood revitalization efforts, the staff report says. “It is proposed to continue focusing on this effort in the 2025-2029 plan,” says the report.
City staff recommends that council approve both the five-year and the one-year plan, according to the agenda packet.
The city council meeting will be followed by a work session.
Also meeting this week in Danville is the board of zoning appeals, at 10 a.m. Thursday. In Pittsylvania County, the board of supervisors will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
