City of Arcata Awarded $5 Million ‘Community Development Block Grant’

This is a press release from the City of Arcata:

ity of ArcataArcata, CA – The City of Arcata Community Development Department is thrilled to announce that the California State Department of Housing and Community Development has awarded Arcata with a five-million-dollar Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The City will be using funds awarded to make much-needed upgrades in the community.

The majority of CBDG funding will be used to make upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment facility, including the installation of a new Ultraviolet (UV) light disinfection system. The new UV system will be used for the disinfection of wastewater, and it will greatly reduce the City’s use of chlorine and sulfur dioxide that the current system requires. This wastewater system upgrade will greatly decrease the hazards those chemicals pose to the community as well as the ecological impacts associated with chlorine disinfection by-products.

The City of Arcata will also use CBDG funding to help provide affordable housing opportunities in the community. Funds in the amount of $1.9 million will be used to assist Housing Humboldt, a local nonprofit dedicated to developing and managing affordable housing, with the rehabilitation of the Arcata Gardens Apartments, which consists of 37 units of affordable housing.

“We are thrilled that the City of Arcata has been awarded CDBG funds to help preserve and improve the Arcata Garden Apartments, which provides affordable housing to community members with low incomes. The public investment will help improve access for folks with disabilities, enhance energy efficiency of the buildings and refresh the property’s overall appearance in the Westwood neighborhood. We appreciate the City’s willingness and capacity to not only create new affordable housing, but also to ensure that the needs of the existing affordable housing stock are addressed,” said Beth Matsumoto, Executive Director of Housing Humboldt of the CDBG award.

Remaining CDBG funding will be used for the planning and technical assistance required for the City’s Community Development Department to create a new Housing Strategic Plan. The department’s goal is to create a mixed-use, mixed-income, infill development program that will incentivize development consistent with Arcata’s future housing, commercial, and industrial needs. In order to create this new plan, the Community Development Department will be updating several elements of the City’s General

Plan, conducting market studies of Arcata’s housing and commercial needs, conducting environmental reviews and engaging the community.

For more information on Community Development Department projects, visit cityofarcata.org.

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Ben Round
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Ben Round
5 years ago

Congratulations to Arcata!
Now. To go beyond the lip service many municipalities pay to ‘affordable housing’ and to deliver on a plan to create more! Arcata citizens who care (and there are plenty!) NOW is a time to step up to help!!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Ben Round

Rehabbing apartment complex, maybe not new housing, according to the article:-).

I know Humboldt Housing manages Arcata Gardens but who actually owns it?

noroomtobreath
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noroomtobreath
5 years ago

“infill development program “…great that’s what we need, to be stacked on top of one another…when the urban open space within the City of Arcata neighborhoods are gone it will be too late.

Tailgate
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Tailgate
5 years ago

Great news!