Jacksonville eyes grant funding as part of plan to create affordable housing

Jacksonville is prepared to use the results of a $75,000 state grant to develop a plan to pursue a new grant to bring more affordable housing to the city.

Mayor Andy Ezard told the Jacksonville City Council Monday night that he was willing to help turn the funds the city received from the state into more money.

“The money we received last year is seed money to put things together and get something bigger,” Ezard said. “I want permission to take that next step.”

According to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Jacksonville was one of 42 communities and economic development groups that shared $3.5 million in research in Illinois to spur economic recovery.

Jacksonville is using that money to help develop what Ezard called “workforce housing.”

Ezard wanted to have a broader discussion about the plans, but the council did not have a quorum on Monday because only five members attended the meeting. In attendance were Don Cook, Kent Hannant, Lori Oldenettel, Darcella Speed ​​​​and Mary Watts.

The initial RISE grant was intended for planning a project, while the next phase is to obtain funding to put the plans into action.

“I’m asking for permission to go out and get a scholarship,” Ezard said. “We have taken the first step, now we want to take the bigger step.”

Although a vote could not legally take place due to the lack of a quorum, council members agreed that the city needs more housing.

“We need to be able to provide employee housing. There are many definitions of employee housing, but I see it as people who can’t afford townhouses but are looking for more than a starter home that meets their budget needs,” says Ezard. said.

“There’s not a lot of availability between these two types of housing. I’d like to see what we can do and apply for that,” Ezard said.

Grants are available for between $250,000 and $2 million, Ezard said, and require a 25% match from the city, but that could come from things like out-of-state grants and private investments. The deadline for registration is July 22.

Oldenettel said there is no question there is a shortage of affordable housing in Jacksonville.

“We can only grow our businesses if the people who come here have a place to live. This seems like a great opportunity. We know we need to grow our housing stock,” Oldenettel said.

Ezard said no sites have been chosen for development.

“We have identified a number of areas where development would be feasible,” Ezard said. “And I’d like to go after the whole $2 million. With state subsidies, you are more likely to get money if you have a project ready and everything in order.’

The council also briefly discussed three zoning change requests that were unanimously approved by the Jacksonville Plan Commission.

Most significant was a request from Martha and Brian Johnson, owners of Johnson and Johnson Mobile Veterinary Clinic, to open a location at 610 N. Prairie St. They requested that the property be rezoned from B-1 to B -1 with special use.

Rebecca Reese requested that the property at 321 Finley St. be rezoned from R-2 to R-2 with a special use for short-term rental housing. Tim and Colleen Flinn are asking to rezone the property at 523 W. State St. from B-1 to R-1 to convert the building into their family home.

City Attorney Dan Beard said the council had two choices for dealing with the zoning issue. A special meeting could be held to vote on the first reading of the zoning changes before the June 24 meeting, or they could be passed on June 24 with an emergency clause waiving the first reading of the changes.