A public hearing will take place at the Tuesday, Dec. 1 City Commission meeting to hear any public comment on the housing and Community Development needs of the Battle Creek community.
The regular City Commission meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 10 N. Division St.
At that meeting, Community Development staff will issue the attached report on community concerns and needs, gathered during the 2015 annual community engagement process. Staff held conversations with each of the city’s eight Neighborhood Planning Councils.
Most of those NPC conversations involved a city presentation on how the city has spent federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership funds to strengthen our neighborhoods, as well as maps that show eight indicators of neighborhood health, including numbers of vacant buildings in an area, junk and trash complaints, recent home sales and foreclosures.
These documents are available on the city’s website, battlecreekmi.gov. Under Your Government, click Community Services, then Community Development. Also available is a fact sheet that quickly shows how funds have been spent in 2015 and lists high-priority community needs identified in the recently-updated 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan.
The Calhoun County Land Bank Authority partnered with the city for the NPC 1, 2, 3 and 4 presentations, giving information on Land Bank-owned properties and plans for demolition and reuse.
Citizens wanting to make comments on these issues may do so either at the Dec. 1 public hearing or in writing to:
Chris Lussier
Community Development Manager
City of Battle Creek
10 N. Division St., Room 117
Battle Creek, MI 49014