Planning & Development

Annual Funding Process

Notice of Public Comment Period and Public Hearing on the City of Duluth FY 2023 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development

The City of Duluth is seeking public comments on the Draft FY 2023 Action Plan for Housing and Community Development. All input is welcome including identification of current community issues, especially those affecting people of color, people with low and moderate incomes, and people with disabilities, and comments about the City’s progress toward five-year community development goals are outlined in the Plan. This plan includes funding recommendations for approximately $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Community Development Committee (CD Committee) plans and advises on the use of these funds to the Duluth City Council.

The Community Development Committee (CD Committee) plans and advises on use of these funds to the Duluth City Council. There is a 30-day public comment period for the draft Annual Action Plan and funding recommendations from October 29, 2022 – December 6, 2022. Please send comments to: Adam Fulton, afulton@duluthmn.gov or 411 W. First Street, Room 160, Duluth, MN 55802.  All comments will be shared with the CD Committee. Copies of the Plan are available below as PDFs and paper copies are available at the City of Duluth Community Development Division (Room 160 City Hall), Duluth City Clerk’s Office (City Hall), the Duluth Public Library and library branches.

A public hearing on the recommendations will be held by the CD Committee at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, in the Council Chambers - 3rd Floor -
City Hall. The purpose of the public hearing is for citizens to comment on the Draft Plan and the funding recommendations. Members of the public, especially
persons having low and moderate incomes, persons of color, and persons with disabilities, are encouraged to attend and provide comments.

To submit comments or questions about this draft Action Plan, contact:
Adam Fulton, Planning & Development
411 W 1st St, Room 160, City Hall
Duluth, MN 55802
218-730-5580
afulton@duluthmn.gov

If you have special needs, such as an interpreter, please contact the Planning and Development Division at 218-730-5580 so that your needs can be accommodated. For hearing impaired persons please call the City’s TTY/Information Assistance at 730-5000 or the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.

Community Development Program FY23 Application Information

Applications were due on August 31, 2022. The Community Development Committee will review and evaluation applications in September and October before providing preliminary funding recommendations for public comment. Information about how to provide input on funding recommendations will be posted here in the coming weeks. 

QUESTIONS?

Applicants can contact City Staff at duluthcommdev@DuluthMN.gov or by phone 218-730-5580 between 8:00am and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. All applicants are encouraged to seek guidance from city staff to review drafts, answer questions, or discuss new ideas. Please make appointments via phone or email prior to August 29, 2022 to ensure staff availability before the application deadline.

Virtual technical assistance Q&A session

Application Materials

Application Instructions

Application Scoring Criteria

Application Form

Other resources for the application process:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has finalized its Fiscal Year 2022 funding to the City of Duluth. The final proposed FY 2022 Action Plan includes recommendations for expenditure the following anticipated HUD FY 2022 grants to the city of Duluth:

  • Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): $2,350,309.28
  • HOME Investment Partnership (HOME): $585,461
  • Emergency Solutions Grant Program (ESG): $206,998
  • Total HUD FY 2022 Grant: $3,142,768.28

The Community Development Committee (CD Committee) plans and advises on use of these funds to the Duluth City Council. The CD Committee’s recommendations were finalized by the Duluth City Council on January 10, 2022 in Resolution 22-0040R. Further comments will be accepted on the final proposed funding recommendations of this Action Plan between August 22, 2022 and September 22, 2022. Copies of the Plan are available at the City of Duluth Community Development Division (Room 110 City Hall), Duluth City Clerk’s Office (City Hall), the Duluth Public Library and library branches and below on this website:

For more information or to submit comments on this Draft Action Plan, contact: Steven Robertson, Planning & Development, Room 160, City Hall Duluth, MN 55802. Phone: 218-730-5580. Email:srobertson@duluthmn.gov

If you have special needs, such as an interpreter, please contact Planning and Development Division at 730-5580 so that your needs can be accommodated. For hearing impaired persons please call the City’s TTY/Information Assistance at 730-5000 or the Minnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.

The Consolidated Plan is a five year planning document. It lays out the goals for the City of Duluth’s Community Development program. Based on a collaborative process involving community members and local organizations, the City establishes a unified vision for effective, coordinated neighborhood and community development strategies. The current Consolidated Plan outlines the community’s goals and objectives for 2020 through 2024. Each year the City’s Action Plan shows how it will pursue these goals for all community development and housing programs. The City submits the annual Action Plan to Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of the monitoring process for HUD funds.

Major community needs addressed by the goals and objectives in the Action Plan include decent, affordable housing, a suitable living environment, and expanded economic opportunities for all community members. The projects funded through the Community Development Program address these community needs by creating and maintaining affordable housing, providing economic opportunities, offering public services to community members in need, and providing access to quality public facilities.

The City of Duluth expects to receive almost $3,000,000 per year in funds from HUD. The City disperses these funds to meet the goals and objectives in the Consolidated Plan. HUD provides three types of funds: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG). CDBG funds support community development projects including affordable housing, public services, public facilities, and economic development. HOME funds support programs that create affordable housing for low-income households. ESG funds support projects that offer basic needs and housing stabilization services to community members experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. Local organizations apply to the Community Development Program requesting these HUD funds for their projects.

The Community Development (CD) Committee reviews applications for Community Development Program funding and makes funding recommendations to the City Council. Learn more about the CD Committee. The CD Committee sets funding priorities based on input from the community.

Read HUD's end of year review letter for the 2021 program year. Also, the annual summaries for Community Development Block Grant, HOME Investment Partnership, and Emergency Solutions Grant are available.


 

2022 Community Development Funding

The City of Duluth held a public comment period from November 3, 2021 – December 3, 2021 and a Virtual Public Hearing on November 16, 2021 to gather public comments on the Draft FY 2022 Action Plan and funding recommendations for approximately $3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Based on community input, the Community Development Committee (CD Committee) made funding recommendations to the City Council in early 2022. The Duluth City Council voted on and approved funding recommendations on January 10, 2022. 

2022 Community Development Program Funding (approved by City Council 1-10-22)

Community Development Program FY22 Application Information

Applications were due on August 29, 2021. The Community Development Committee will review and evaluation applications in September and October before providing preliminary funding recommendations for public comment. Information about how to provide input on funding recommendations will be posted here in the coming weeks. 

Virtual technical assistance Q&A session

The virtual technical assistance session was held on Thursday, August 12, 2021 at 11am

Application Materials

FY 2022 Application Information Sheet

Application Instructions

Application Scoring Criteria

Application Form

Other resources for the application process:

2021 Community Development Funding

The City of Duluth Planning and Development Division held a 15-day comment period on its 2021 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER), prior to the submission of the report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The public comment period was June 4- June 21, 2022. The Draft CAPER report and the full public notice can be found below.

The CAPER summarizes annual and five-year accomplishments and assesses progress toward meeting the vision in the Consolidated Plan. Duluth’s Consolidated Plan has the following five goals: 1) Ensure all residents have access to necessary transportation and utility infrastructure 2) Increase the supply of affordable, quality housing 3) Support thriving neighborhoods by addressing neighborhood issues and improving aesthetics 4) Build employment skills and opportunities 5) Support health and well-being.

The comment period was held Saturday, June 4, 2022 to Tuesday June 21, 2022. A public hearing was held on June 21, 2022 at 5:30 PM by the Community Development Committee in Room 330 at City Hall, located at 411 West First Street, Duluth, MN 55802.