City Seeks Public Comment on Application for Major HUD Grant

CITY SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT ON APPLICATION FOR MAJOR HUD GRANT

RAPID CITY, SD—The City’s Grants Division is seeking public comment on the City’s application for a US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Pathways to Removing Obstacles (PRO) Housing grants.  The City is eligible to request up to $7 million in grant funding.

             HUD requires a 15-day public comment period on the grant application.  The City’s draft application is available on the Grants Division webpage https://www.rcgov.org/departments/finance/grants-division.html.  E-mail comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the subject line: Public Comments on PRO Housing Application. Comments can also be dropped off at the City Finance Office to the attention of Katie Pavel.

             The City’s Legal and Finance Committee will review the resolution for grant application at next Wednesday’s meeting with the City Council considering action at its October 7 meeting.  If approved, the Grants Division would submit formal application by the October 15 deadline.

            Successful grants provide six years of funding for communities and organizations working to remove barriers to affordable housing.  Grant awards will be announced in the spring or summer of 2025.

            “Housing is a key issue for our residents,” said City Grants Division Manager Jamie Toennies.  “This grant, if awarded to Rapid City, would bring additional resources to the table to help the City and our partners identify and implement long-term solutions to address the affordable housing situation in our community.”

            The grant funds would be used to build capacity for the creation and preservation of affordable housing, preserve the City’s aging housing stock, create new affordable housing, improve aging infrastructure, identify best practices for policy and procedure improvements, and expand efforts between the community and interested stakeholders.

            The City would utilize the grant funding in several ways, including piloting a new affordable housing project in partnership with the Black Hills Area Community Foundation; update City processes and create procedures to assist developers who wish to create new affordable housing; invest in neighborhood infrastructure improvements including the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads, sewer and storm sewer; and supplement a Rehabilitation and Preservation Fund for low- and middle-income residents to apply for low interest loans and/or grants for needed improvements to keep homes from becoming substandard.

            Specifically, Toennies said the City has committed to revitalizing the Robbinsdale neighborhood by investing more than $30 million to update aging infrastructure.  The grant would complement those effort by focusing on preserving current housing stock and exploring new affordable housing options.  The approach would be used to help other Rapid City neighborhoods.