Washtenaw County gets $3M grant for affordable housing and sustainable development initiatives

Mary Jo Callan, director of the county's Office of Community and Economic Development, said representatives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development are coming to Ann Arbor on Monday to announce the award at a 1 p.m. press event.

Callan called the grant funding a "tremendous opportunity for all of the communities and residents who will benefit from the important and innovative activities included in this project."

The grant focused on the I-94/US-12 business loop — including Jackson Road, Washtenaw Avenue, and Michigan Avenue — for corridor planning and redevelopment.

"It also focused on revitalizing distressed neighborhoods," Callan wrote in an e-mail. "The proposal included adding affordable housing to a higher-income neighborhood to address social disparities in affordable housing, and also included a green energy strategy for rental housing."

The proposal also included extensive public outreach and participation through activities such as a public health survey to gauge the impact of the proposed activities, a leadership development strategy for low-income neighborhoods, and workforce and economic development through a local food incubator.

The entire application can be found on the county's website.

Callan said the county is excited to move forward with the work outlined in the project with several partners, including the city of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority, Arts Alliance, Community Housing Alternatives, Eastern Michigan University, Food System Economic Partnership, Growing Hope, Habitat for Humanity, Pittsfield Charter Township, SEMCOG, SPARK, University of Michigan Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, Washtenaw Area Transportation Study, Washtenaw County Public Health, Ypsilanti Housing Commission, Ypsilanti Township, and the city of Ypsilanti.