Consolidated Plan 2025-29
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In-person meeting: May 21, 2025
*To request a language or ASL interpreter or other accomodation to participate in a public hearing or comment opportunity, please contact Stephanie Hyde at Stephanie@Highland-Planning.com at least five days prior to the meeting or comment deadline.
Official Public Notice and Draft Plan Documents
On February 25, 2025, the City of Rochester issued a Public Notice which outlined upcoming opportunities for public input to inform the City's 2025-2029 Consolidated Plan and 2025-26 Annual Action Plan.
On April 22, 2025, the City of Rochester issued a Revised Public Notice which superseded the February 25, 2025 notice. It added new notice of substantial amendments to prior year Annual Action Plans and new notice of the 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan. It also revised the dates of the public display and comment period that had been previously scheduled to start April 22 per the original notice. New dates are included below.
These Plan documents will be submitted to City Council for approval in June 2025.
Draft 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan
Original Public Notice: 2025 Consolidated Plan Public Process, 2/25/2025
Revised Public Notice - 2025 Consolidated Plan Public Process and Substantial Amendments
Background on the Citizen Participation Plan & 2025-29 Consolidated Plan
As a direct recipient of certain federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the City of Rochester is required to adopt and follow a Citizen Participation Plan. This document outlines specific procedures the City will use for issuing public notices, conducting public hearings, and soliciting comments from the public to inform the City's planning and budgeting related to HUD funded activities.
Every five years, the City must prepare a Consolidated Plan in accordance with HUD regulations. The five-year Consolidated Plan identifies priority needs and goals to inform the City’s use of four HUD grant programs:
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
- Home Investment Partnership (HOME)
- Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)
- Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
The City of Rochester’s Consolidated Plan supports three overarching goals:
- To provide decent housing by preserving the affordable housing stock, increasing the availability of affordable housing, reducing discriminatory barriers, increasing the supply of supportive housing for those with special needs, and transitioning persons and families experiencing homelessness into housing.
- To provide a quality living environment through safer, more livable and accessible neighborhoods, greater supports and opportunities for low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents throughout the City, improved public infrastructure and facilities, increased housing choices, and neighborhood reinvestment.
- To expand economic opportunities through job creation, homeownership opportunities, façade improvement, development activities that promote long-term community viability and the empowerment of low- and moderate-income persons to achieve self-sufficiency.
The purpose of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan is to develop a strategic framework that will guide the City's funding decisions for CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA over the next five years.
Each year an Annual Action Plan will also be produced that provides the annual budgets for how the City’s HUD grant funding will be allocated to specific projects in alignment with the priority needs and goals identified in the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan. The 2025-26 Annual Action Plan covering the HUD program year beginning July 1, 2025 will be contained within the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan document.
For reference, the current 2020-24 Consolidated Plan and associated documents can be viewed on the following webpage:
Consolidated Plan 2020 Web Page
Public Input to Inform the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, FY 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan
To inform the development of the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan, the City of Rochester is conducting a three-phase public outreach campaign to solicit feedback from residents and stakeholders. We invite you to participate in this essential planning process. Your feedback will help us identify and prioritize our community's needs and shape the strategic goals that will be outlined in this plan.
This public engagement campaign is being overseen by Highland Planning on behalf of the City. General questions about the outreach campaign should be directed to Stephanie@Highland-Planning.com
Special Accommodations Requests
The City of Rochester will make reasonable accommodations and services necessary for individuals to participate in the public process who are unable to read English, are sensory-impaired, disabled, and/or require a non-English language or ASL interpreter. Persons requiring such accommodations/services should contact Highland Planning who is overseeing the public engagement efforts on behalf of the City. Please email Stephanie Hyde at Stephanie@Highland-Planning.com at least five working days in advance of a scheduled meeting or deadline to request special accommodations.
Public Input, Phase I: Prioritizing Community Needs and Goals (Concluded March 31)
Summary: Phase I of the City’s public engagement process is now complete. During Phase I the City solicited public input to inform the priority needs and goals that will appear in the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan as well as comments on recent program performance.
At each Phase I public hearing, City staff reviewed the historic amounts of assistance that the City has received, the range of housing and community development activities that may be undertaken with CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA funds, the process for developing the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, the amount of assistance the City expects to receive during the 2025-26 program year, and summarized recent performance by program area as documented in the City’s 2023-24 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER).
Dates: February 25, 2025 through 5pm March 31, 2025
Files and Recordings:
Public Input, Phase II: Draft Plan 30-Day Public Display and Comment Period
Summary: To begin Phase II the City will issue an additional public notice on May 12, 2025 to notify the community that it has publicly posted the draft 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan for the required 30-day public display and comment period. The City will then solicit public comments in response to the contents of the draft Plans through 5pm on June 12, 2025.
At each Phase II public hearing, City staff will review and solicit feedback on:
- The draft 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan, including the specific procedures the City will use for issuing public notice, conducting public hearings, and soliciting comment from the public, as required by HUD
- The draft 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, including the priority needs and goals the City will focus on for the next five fiscal years
- The draft 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, including the proposed budget allocations recommended to specific projects for the upcoming fiscal year
All draft Plan documents are subject to change based on any changes to estimated funding levels included in final allocations announced by HUD, as well as comments received during the 30-day public comment period. A summary of all comments received, as well as a summary of any comments not accepted and the reasons why, will be attached to the final Consolidated Plan for formal action by City Council and submission to HUD.
Written comments must be received no later than 7pm on Thursday, June 12 to be included in the finalized documents for City Council approval and submission to HUD.
Dates: May 12, 2025 through 7pm June 12, 2025
Official Contact: Stephanie Hyde, Senior Community Engagement Planner, Highland Planning
585-649-1291, Stephanie@Highland-Planning.com
Accessing the Draft Plan Documents:
Beginning on or before May 12, 2025, the draft Plan documents will be available to view or download from the City of Rochester’s 2025 Consolidated Plan webpage at the following link: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/ConsolidatedPlan2025
The draft Plan will also be available for printing by request at the following locations:
- City Hall: 30 Church St. (Rm. 224-B)
- Northeast Neighborhood Service Center: 500 Norton Street
- Northwest Neighborhood Service Center: 400 Dewey Ave
- Southwest Neighborhood Service Center: 923 Genesee Street
- Southeast Neighborhood Service Center: 320 N Goodman Street
Public Input Opportunities:
- In-Person Public Hearing
- Date: May 21, 2025
- Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
- Location: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 30 Church Street, Rochester, NY
- Virtual Public Hearing via Zoom
- Date: May 22, 2025
- Time: 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
- Register at: Virtual Meeting Link
- Written Comments via Email
- Comments must be received by 7pm on June 12, 2025
- Send to: Stephanie@Highland-Planning.com
- Written Comments via US Mail
- Comments must be received by 7pm on June 12, 2025
- Addressed to: HUD Program Management, City Hall Rm 224B, 30 Church St., Rochester, NY 14614
Public Input, Phase III: Formal Adoption of the Plan
Summary: During Phase III legislation will be submitted to City Council for approval to formally adopt the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan.
The City Council process provides an additional opportunity for the public to comment on the draft Plans at a public hearing to be held on June 12, 2025 in City Council Chambers.
Dates: June 13, 2025 through June 17, 2025
City Council Public Hearing:
A final public hearing will take place at 6pm on Thursday June 12, 2025 prior to formal action by City Council on June 17, 2025. The location will be: City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 30 Church Street, Rochester, NY
Information on how to participate can be found here: https://www.cityofrochester.gov/publicmeetings/
The Public Hearing can be viewed via livestream on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/RochesterCityCouncil
City Council Action and Submission to HUD:
The City anticipates bringing the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and 2025-29 Amended Citizen Participation Plan to City Council for formal action on Tuesday June 17, 2025. The final documents must be submitted to HUD no later than June 30, 2025.
Public Input to Inform the Substantial Amendments to the 2017-18 Annual Action Plan and 2018-19 Annual Action Plan
In accordance with the federal regulations at 24 CFR § 91.320, and the City of Rochester’s Citizen Participation Plan, the City is in the process of substantially amending two prior Annual Action Plan documents that guide its use of funds for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 program years from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development and Planning Program.
The Consolidated Planning process is a requirement for direct financial assistance under certain HUD formula grant programs including the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) programs, the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program, and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program.
The City is proposing to amend the two prior plans as follows:
Plan Year | Project Number and Name | Funding Type | Current Budget | Amended Budget | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 16. Homeownership Promotion Fund – Homebuyer Training | HOME | $45,000 | $24,798.47 | -$20,201.53 |
| 2017-18 | 15. Homeownership Promotion Fund – Buyer Assistance | HOME | $300,000 | $320,201.53 | +$20,201.53 |
| 2018-19 | 15. Homeownership Promotion Fund – Home Rochester | HOME | $280,000 | $33,210.02 | -$246,789.98 |
| 2018-19 | 13. Homeownership Promotion Fund – Buyer Assistance Program | HOME | $398,000 | $644,789.98 | +$246,789.98 |
The amendments are being proposed to facilitate timely spending of the grant funds before they expire. Due to the tight housing market that has emerged since 2018, exacerbated by the pandemic, the number of vacant houses available through the City’s tax foreclosure auction that are well positioned for rehab through the HOME Rochester program has decreased. Meanwhile, buyer competition has increased. To continue to effectively impact increased homeownership in the city of Rochester, funds are being relocated to Homebuyer Assistance down payment and closing cost assistance.
Solicitation of Public Input
The City is encouraging members of the public to provide input in response to the proposed substantial amendments. In particular, the City is interested in receiving input from low- and moderate-income individuals, as they are meant to be the primary beneficiaries of HUD’s formula grant programs. The City is providing the opportunity to provide feedback in writing as well as at public hearings.
30-Day Public Display and Comment Period:
Copies of the draft substantial amendments to the 2017-18 and 2018-19 Annual Action Plans will be available for download or printing by request at the following locations on or by May 12, for the required 30-day public display and comment period:
- City Hall: 30 Church St. (Rm. 224-B);
- Northeast Neighborhood Service Center: 500 Norton Street;
- Northwest Neighborhood Service Center: 400 Dewey Ave;
- Southwest Neighborhood Service Center: 923 Genesee Street;
- Southeast Neighborhood Service Center: 320 N Goodman Street; and,
- City of Rochester website: www.CityofRochester.gov/ConsolidatedPlan2020
Written comments will be accepted by the City during the public display and comment period. The City will consider comments received during the public display and comment period in preparing the final amended Annual Action Plans. A summary of these comments, and a summary of comments not accepted and the reasons why, will be attached to the final amended plan for formal action by City Council and submission to HUD. Written comments must be received no later than 7pm on Thursday, June 12 to be included in the finalized documents for final City Council approval.
Written comments can be submitted via
US Mail: HUD Program Management, City Hall Room 224B, 30 Church Street, Rochester, NY 14614
City Council Public Hearing:
A public hearing will take place at 6pm on Thursday June 12, 2025 prior to formal action by City Council on June 17, 2025. The location will be City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3rd Floor, 30 Church Street, Rochester, NY