Community Development

The top priorities and goals include the following:

1. Revitalization of several neighborhoods in West Greenville that are in a state of decline through:

 Rehabilitation of owner occupied units.

 Acquisition and demolition of dilapidated rental housing.

 Acquisition of vacant parcels to assemble land for suitable building sites.

 Construction of affordable housing in West Greenville Revitalization area.

 Establishing a neighborhood commercial focus area.

 Preserving historical business district along Albemarle Avenue and West Fifth Street.

Conversion of rental dwellings to owner occupants with down payment assistance.

 Identification of infrastructure improvements.

 Improving but preserving the neighborhood character.

 Developing programs and services with the private sector that will aid in the success of revitalization efforts.

Landscaping/Streetscape improvements.

2. Supporting nonprofits that provide housing assistance to special needs populations, provide youth services, and encourage entrepreneurship.

3. Providing homebuyer assistance for first-time homebuyers.

4. Continue to eliminate lead-based paint hazards in dwellings assisted with federal funding.

Resources available to support housing activities includes Community Development Block Grant funds, HOME Investment partnership, Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Program, general revenues, local Bond program, North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, private lending institutions and private developers.

CDBG Program

The Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 created the Community Development Block Grant program in 1974. Since 1975, the City of Greenville has participated in the program with a variety of activities. The City of Greenville became an Entitlement in 1994. As an Entitlement, the City receives an annual allocation of funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The primary objective of CDBG is the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities. All activities carried out must meet one of the three National Objectives. Those objectives are:

Benefit low-moderate income persons;

Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; or

 Addressing an “urgent need”

HOME Investment Partnership Program

The HOME Investment Partnership program was created by the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 to create local partnerships for providing decent affordable housing to lower income households. It is intended that local jurisdictions work with nonprofit organizations and the private investment community to achieve this goal.

Cities receiving HOME funds must reserve 15% of their HOME funds to Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) for affordable housing development.

In 1997, the Pitt County HOME Consortium was formed. The Consortium included the City of Greenville as lead entity, the Towns of Farmville, Ayden, Bethel, Grifton and Pitt County. The Town of Winterville became a member in 2001. As a Consortium, the communities were eligible for further financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Pitt County Consortium has provided affordable housing and improvements for over ten years.

However, as of January 2008, the City Council of Greenville voted to disband the Consortium partnership and apply to become a “Participating Jurisdiction” for HOME funding.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

The City of Greenville was awarded through the 2009 Federal Stimulus Plan, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development a Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Grant.  The proposed $1.9 million grant funds will be used to accomplish the following within 36 months, beginning April 15, 2009:

 Control and reduce lead hazards in one hundred and ten (110) low-income housing units in the Greenville area (owner occupied units, occupied rentalunits and vacant units).

 Addressing one hundred and ten (110) housing units occupied or regularly visited by children under the age of six.

 Provide eighty five (85) outreach programs for community awareness and education regarding lead hazards aimed at reaching 5,000 people.

 Screening and test for elevated lead levels in children under age six.

 Provide Lead Safe Work and Lead Supervisor Certification training  to at least ten (10) Contractors involved in the City of Greenville housing rehabilitation program.

 Provide economic opportunities to at least sixty (60) unemployed and underemployed persons in the targeted neighborhoods, creating sixty (60) jobs.

Develop a self sustaining program by integrating lead hazard reduction into housing rehabilitation programs.

Affordable Housing Bond Program

On November 2, 1992, the citizens of Greenville approved a one million dollar bond referendum for affordable housing. The funding was divided into three revolving loan categories. The categories include homeownership, land banking, and elderly housing rehabilitation. As revolving loans, these funds are continually recaptured and recycled into the activities to further efforts to promote and preserve affordable housing. This bond lead to the production of 149 affordable homes for first time low and moderate income buyers and flood survivors and over seventy (70) loans to low and moderate families for home purchases and rehabilitation of low income elderly homeowner residences. These funds have been recycled since 1992 and are available for the 45 Block Revitalization program and other affordable housing initiatives of the City of Greenville.

In 2004, citizens again approved $10 million in bond referendums for the revitalization efforts in the Uptown and West Greenville 45 Block Revitalization focus area. Five million of the $10 million is set aside for the priorities and goals identified below within the 45 Block Revitalization Area for the use with CDBG and HOME funds.

Meet the Staff