The City of Statesboro’s planning and development department will host the first of two public information meetings this Tuesday, March 9 to discuss neighborhood revitalization and development within the Johnson Street neighborhood. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at Agape Worship Center, located at 810 West Grady Street.
The second meeting will be April 13, same time and location.
From City of Statesboro: Attendees will hear presentations on several development strategies the city hopes to implement in the Johnson Street neighborhood which is located in the city’s westside and spans roughly from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to West Jones Avenue. The city has identified the neighborhood as a target area in both its 2021 Urban Redevelopment Plan and Revitalization Area Strategy with the latter designation making the neighborhood eligible for grant funding through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA).
The city has also applied for DCA’s Community Home Investment Program which would provide funding to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes as well as build and renovate affordable single-family homes within the neighborhood.
In addition to applying for state funding, the city plans to apply for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant to assist in revitalizing the neighborhood. This grant program funds the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.
Funding for these programs has not yet been acquired, but the framework for the revitalization of the Johnson Street neighborhood is being laid to support the community in years to come.
