By Michael Aron
Chief Political Correspondent
“We should hear in October the decision from the government. We’re short-listed. There’s nine finalists right now,” said Marc Riondino, city attorney in Camden.
Three vans carried reporters and officials through a Camden neighborhood called Mount Ephraim this afternoon.
Thirty-three cities have applied for the federal government’s Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant program and the competition is now down to nine.
Mayor Dana Redd and Sen. Bob Menendez toured the targeted area today. Parts of it are blighted, other parts not so bad. At issue, said Menendez, is how much the Republican controlled Congress is willing to put toward the program.
“Last year Republicans in the House prevailed in setting a low funding level. Lower than the president’s requests which were around I think $250 million. They set it at $80 million. This year they’re proposing even less — another 75 percent decrease which amount to only $20 million nationwide — which is a starvation diet for a program that needs more than 10 times that amount to stay alive and be effective,” Menendez said.
The revitalization plan that Camden submitted to HUD would center on the creation of 460 new units of housing in the neighborhood — some new schools and infrastructure for a new factory, and some demolition of decaying buildings.
It’s expected that four or five of the finalist cities will get grants.
“If the funding’s not there then we have a problem, quite frankly. That’s why we’re raising the importance of how this program has not only transformed places like Camden, but other distressed communities across this nation,” Redd said.
An old public housing project will be replaced and 53 of the new homes will be for sale at about $85,000 dollars.
“And we’re not just doing public housing. We’re doing home ownership as well. Because we understand that we need to have options for our residents. Our residents are not just interested in renting, but they are also interested in owning a home,” said Maria Marquez, Executive Director of the Camden Housing Authority.
“They want people to rent, they want housing, they want the whole thing. but in the long run it’s about sustainability in your community. Making sure that you have residents own homes and it just makes for a better, a much stronger community,” said Freeholder Jon Young.
Camden is hoping for $30 million from the HUD program. If the Republican Congress puts forward only $20 million for the whole country, there are going to be some disappointed officials in this city.
