North Carolina Construction News staff writer
The North Carolina Department of Commerce has approved funding to 27 local governments totaling $42.3 million for housing and public infrastructure improvements.
“North Carolina has made significant investments in our communities to help them provide affordable housing,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Building stronger and more resilient communities is important to our economic success and these neighborhood revitalization grants will support them in doing just that.”
The CDBG-NR program offers non-entitlement municipalities and counties the opportunity to tailor community development projects to address the specific and most critical needs of their communities. This year’s awards include $5 million in funding that was earmarked by the N.C General Assembly exclusively for the Rural Community Development (RCD) Fund, a set aside for non-housing community development projects in Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties.
“These additional federal resources will help our most vulnerable communities as building and living costs have increased,” said N.C. Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “This is a banner year for economic development and this infusion of funding will greatly benefit more North Carolina families and local economies by providing more housing options, jobs, and economic opportunities.”
The program conducted two rounds of funding with increased maximum per grant awards to offset the rising construction costs and other special needs that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first round of funding included 18 projects receiving a total of $15.7 million.
Round two of CDBG-NR funding included 12 projects totaling $26.6 million with a maximum award of $5 million. Among these is Granite Falls, the first recipient of the Rural Community Development Fund. 
The CDBG program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program administered in part by N.C. Commerce Rural Economic Development Division. CDBG funds are awarded to enhance the vitality of communities by providing adequate housing, suitable living environments, infrastructure development, and expanding economic opportunities. The State must ensure that at least 70 percent of its CDBG grant funds are used for activities and projects that serve households of low- and moderate-income.
Visit the N.C. Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division webpage for more information.