2023 Annual Comprehensive Report

it will leverage federal, state, and other housing funding opportunities to implement the goals of the Housing GSO , Greensboro’s 10-year plan for affordable housing adopted by City Council in 2020. The $30 million bond dollars also builds on the successful 2016 bond referendum, which provided $25 million in Housing Bonds to support the development and repair to date of more than 1,800 housing units and has leveraged approximately $119 million from other funds. Implementation of the plan will also help reach the Council strategic priority to provide attainable housing for all residents, especially those earning between 0% and 80% of average median income. In 2022, the Neighborhood Development Department was re-branded, as Housing and Neighborhood Development Department, and restructured to strengthen our approach to plan implementation. The FY 2022-23 budget includes an increase in the dedicated portion of the tax rate for the Nussbaum Housing Fund from 0.69 cents to 1.00 cent. This will help to provide an additional $1.1 million in support of housing programming outlined in the Housing GSO plan. The FY 2023-24 budget maintains this dedicated portion of the tax rate and provides $3.6 million for housing programs. Additionally, $8.9 million in ARP enabled funds have been dedicated by Council to support housing programs within the community including affordable housing development, down payment assistance, and to support private and non-profit organizations who are active in addressing community housing challenges. Further, the City launched the Public Service Heroes down payment initiative to support public agency employees and veterans in need of homebuyer acquisition support. The Greensboro City Council has taken on the challenge of meeting the needs of our unsheltered residents. In FY 2022-23, the Mayor and Council partnered with Guilford County leadership to launch a Homeless Task Force with the goal of meeting the temporary housing and social services needs of our unsheltered residents. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, the City, through its Housing and Neighborhood Development Department, partnered with Lowe’s Home Improvement Centers to launch the Neighborhood Toolbox Lending Center. With donated tools and equipment from Lowe’s, this free program loans residents tools and equipment to make home and neighborhood improvements at no cost. It is our way of assisting our homeowners to improve their homes and neighborhoods and helping homes stay in compliance with City ordinances. • Transportation and Infrastructure - A key Council priority is for Greensboro to be a well-connected city. As existing businesses expand and the City continues to attract new economic development opportunities, the impacts on our streets, sidewalks, trails, parks and recreation amenities, parking, public transit, and bicycle infrastructure will continue into the foreseeable future. More people are moving to Greensboro than at any time in recent memory, thus our aging infrastructure will need to be updated and expanded to accommodate this growth. The FY 2024-2033 Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) totals over $2.0 billion in projects, and outlines a future financing plan to maintain our current infrastructure and develop new facilities as needed. The capital budget continues the

commitments previously adopted by Council to invest in Greensboro’s future to address diverse transportation priorities across the City for walkers, bikers, transit riders, drivers and those who use our greenway network. The 2016 bond referendum included $34.5 million for capital improvements to, and expansion of, Parks and Recreation facilities; $28 million for transportation enhancements, including $18 million for enhanced roadway resurfacing; $4.5 million for new transit buses; and $5 million for new sidewalk and

intersection improvements. As of September 2023, $102 million of the 2016 bond referendum amount has been spent or encumbered, while the remaining is planned for projects currently in progress. The July 2022

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