COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
CITY FILES FINAL ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AND FIVE-YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN The City of Knoxville has filed its final 2010-2011 Annual Action Plan and final Five-Year Consolidated Plan (2010-2015) with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. See detailed explanation. Download or view the plans: 2010-2011 Annual Action Plan [PDF] 5-Year Consolidated Plan, 2010-2015 [PDF] Down Payment Assistance Offered on Six New or Renovated Homes The City of Knoxville’s Community Development Department is offering down payment assistance for the purchase of six new or fully renovated homes in Knoxville. Four of the homes are Energy Star certified, resulting in lower utility bills. See the sales brochure with pictures. ● $8,000 in down payment assistance is available to any buyer, regardless of income, who meets certain eligibility requirements and who will occupy the home as his or her principal residence. The $8,000 deferred payment loan will be forgiven at the rate of 20 percent per year, and payments are waived as long as the home buyer remains the owner and occupant of the property. ● Low-income buyers may be eligible for thousands of dollars of additional down payment assistance. Two of the homes - 718 and 722 Chestnut Street - not only are Energy Star certified but also are LEED Gold certified, an even higher standard for energy efficiency. The other homes are located at 1743 Moses Avenue, 2019 Washington Avenue, 2546 E. Fifth Avenue, and -- the newest availabe home -- 2517 Parkview Avenue. Questions about this program? Dial 215-2120. CONTACT INFORMATION Madeline Rogero, Director mrogero@cityofknoxville.org Room 532, City County Building 865-215-2865 Fax: 865-215-2962 Main Line: 865-215-2120 Fax: 865-215-2962 Disability Services: 865-215-2034 TTY: 865-215-4581 Fair Housing Program: 865-215-2120 Housing Programs: 865-215-2120 Neighborhood Strategy Areas: 865-215-2120 Solutions to Problem Properties: 865-215-2120	Disability Services Empowerment Zone Façade Improvement Program (FIP) Fair Housing Housing Programs Homemaker's Program Office of Neighborhoods APPLICATIONS No pending opportunities at this time. REPORTS and PLANS Action Plan 2009-2010 [PDF] CDBG-R Plan 2009 [PDF] Consolidated End-of-Year Review Letter from HUD [PDF] EZ Annual Report FY 2008-2009 [PDF] HPRP Plan 2009 [PDF] NSP1 Plan [PDF] NSP Quarterly Report [PDF] Past Reports and Plans NEWS RELEASES 03/22/10 - City Requests Public Input on Community Development Five-Year Plan 09/16/09 - Community Development Department Releases Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report 06/22/09 - City's My Front Yard Program Revealing Success 04/15/09 - New Empowerment Zone Loan Program 03/18/09 - Annual Action Plan Developed, Public Meeting April 14 12/11/08 - Knoxville's First Group of Gold-Certified LEED Houses Opening 12/03/08 - City Seeks Comments on 2009 Action Plan 11/18/08 - New Home Repair Program Available in Empowerment Zone 11/11/08 - Public Comments Sought for Neighborhood Stabilization Program Plan 05/08/08 - Mayor Names Massey New Neighborhood Coordinator 03/25/08 - Groundbreaking for "Green" House
Community Development administers a variety of programs geared toward the revitalization of Knoxville's low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. In order for resources to have the greatest impact, the Department targets its programs to strategy areas that are selected periodically. The Department also coordinates the city's participation in the Knoxville Empowerment Zone. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PROVIDES: Programs to improve housing opportunities for lower-income homeowners, tenants and first-time homebuyers as well as assistance to organizations serving Knoxville's homeless population. A Fair Housing Program to promote equal opportunity in housing and to investigate complaints of housing discrimination in Knoxville. Activities that identify vacant, blighted or problem properties and seek developers to return them to productive use. Support for programs that assist neighborhoods in identifying and solving their own problems. Support for programs that provide training and employment to lower-income citizens or to assist lower-income citizens in starting small businesses. REVITALIZATION PROJECTS: Five Points Commercial Development Lonsdale Redevelopment Vestal Redevelopment ENERGY STAR: The City of Knoxville is a proud partner of ENERGY STAR. Community Development Department's Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program have built five Energy Star homes and plan on building more Energy Star-certified homes. ENERGY STAR qualified products and practices help you save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. EPA and U.S. DOE. The ENERGY STAR label also designates superior energy performance in homes and buildings. More information is available on the ENERGY STAR website at www.energystar.gov. KNOXVILLE'S FIRST GROUP OF GOLD-CERTIFIED LEED HOUSES OPENED The City of Knoxville’s Community Development Department and the Knox Housing Partnership celebrated the completion of the first group of affordable Gold-certified LEED houses in the State of Tennessee on Saturday, December 13, 2008. The seven houses – five located on Chestnut Street and two others nearby on Houston Street – join former Vice President Al Gore’s home in Nashville as the only LEED certified homes in the state. The moderately-priced homes, built by the Knox Housing Partnership with funding provided by the city’s Community Development Department, are available to any qualified buyer. However down payment and other financial assistance will be available to low-to-moderate income families. “This is a great example of how the City and other agencies like KHP and the Partnership for Neighborhood Improvement are working together to make good things happen in our neighborhoods,” said Mayor Bill Haslam. “We’ve been looking forward to this day. These are going to make great homes for some great families.” [NEWS RELEASE] [KNOXVILLE HOUSING PARTNERSHIP] FUNDING AVAILABLE: Façade Improvement Program (FIP) BASIC INFO LINKS Owners of commercial properties in targeted Knoxville business districts may apply for financial assistance to renovate street-facing exteriors under a program administered by the City of Knoxville and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants or city capital funds. Funding is available in the form of five-year forgivable loans for qualifying properties in certain areas such as Five Points, Jackson Avenue, Burlington, and Mechanicsville. Before completing an application, please call John Huff at 215-3077 to confirm availability of funds. FIP Application [PDF] FIP Description [PDF] FIP North Zone Advisory Council [PDF]