The City of Knoxville Department of Community Development will hold the first of two public meetings at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the John T. O’Connor Senior Center, 611 Winona St.
The purpose of the meeting is to gather information and public input as the City’s Community Development Department develops its Annual Acton Plan for the proposed use of federal funds for the 2016-2017 program year.
“Gathering input from city residents about the current state of affairs in their neighborhoods is definitely one of the goals of this public meeting,” said Community Development Director Becky Wade.
Community Development staff will review priorities and strategies from the 2015-2019 Five-Year Consolidated Plan as well as constraints on how the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds can be allocated. In addition, staff will get specific feedback from neighborhood, business and non-profit housing and homeless service partners on opportunities/challenges and take comments from citizens.
Citizens may also send comments/questions by email to
[email protected]; by mail to Linda Rust, City of Knoxville Community Development Department, P.O. Box 1631, Knoxville, Tenn., 37901; and by fax to 865-215-2962. Or call 865-215-2120 for additional information.
“Each group will be facilitated by Community Development staff, and all comments will be written down for inclusion in the development of the Annual Action Plan update,” Wade said.
The second public meeting, to be held on April 11, will seek specific feedback on the draft of the Annual Action Plan to be submitted by the City to HUD by May 15.
The draft of that plan will be available for public comment from March 15 through April 15 and will be posted on the Community Development page of the City's website,
www.knoxvilletn.gov/development. Copies will be available at the Community Development's office at 400 Main Street, Suite 515, at the Lawson McGhee Library downtown, and the Community Action Committee office, 2247 Western Ave.
In the event of inclement weather on Tuesday, Jan. 12, the alternate date for the first public meeting is 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 at the John T. O’Connor Center.