Notice of Community Meetings and Request for Public Comment – The City of Peabody, in cooperation with the North Shore HOME Consortium

Notice of Community Meetings and Request for Public Comment
The City of Peabody, in cooperation with the North Shore HOME Consortium, an organization comprised of thirty cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore, will convene three Community Meetings in preparation for the creation of their Five-Year Consolidated Plan for the period from 2020 through 2025 and its One-Year Annual Action Plan for the Program Year 2020. The City of Peabody and the Consortium are hoping to receive comments from interested parties concerning 1.) The use of HOME funds for the development of affordable housing in the North Shore HOME Consortium region; and 2.) The use of CDBG funds in the City of Peabody, over the next five years. The Consortium’s member communities include: Amesbury, Andover, Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Georgetown, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury and Wilmington. These meetings are being held to obtain information from the public on how needs have changed in the region from the prior years and to evaluate how well the City and the Consortium are carrying out the goals set out in last year’s action plan. After the conclusion of the community meetings, a draft of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan will be created and made available for public comment. At that time three additional public hearings will be held to obtain feedback on the document. The public comments received will then be incorporated into the final draft of the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan, which will then be submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Community meetings will be conducted for the purpose of receiving comments on local housing needs and Community Development needs at the following dates and locations:

(All of these locations are accessible.)

On Tuesday, January 28th at 3:00 p.m.
At the Sawyer Free Public Library, the Friend Room, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester;

On Wednesday, January 29th at 10:00 a.m.
At the Haverhill Public Library Milhendler Room, 99 Main Street, Haverhill, MA 01830;

And on Thursday, January 30th at 5:30 p.m.
At Peabody City Hall, Lower Level Conference Room, 24 Lowell Street, Peabody

Citizens, all interested parties, representatives from the City of Peabody and from the Consortium’s member communities, and nonprofit providers are urged to participate in these hearings. Written comments are also encouraged, and may be addressed, on or before January 22, 2010, to:

The Department of Community Development
City Hall, 24 Lowell Street
Peabody, Massachusetts 01960
FAX (978) 538-5987
e-mail addresses:
lisa.greene@peabody-ma.gov or stacey.bernson@peabody-ma.gov