City Cuts Ribbon on CDBG Reconstructed Brookwood Drive Home

The City of Valdosta will host a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, June 21, at 10:30 a.m., for a newly reconstructed home on 607 E. Brookwood Drive, located in one of the city's Designated Revitalization Areas. The reconstructed home was built utilizing Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding.

This home reconstruction was a CDBG/Land Bank Authority joint project that took two months to complete. Homeowner Andrecus Rountree was living at 808 First Avenue on a parcel which was too small to reconstruct his new home (460 square feet), so the Land Bank Authority approved a property exchange in order for this new home (1113 square feet) to be built.

Mr. Rountree's new home is one of seven CDBG homes that the city has reconstructed in the past year to eliminate substandard housing within the city limits. It is one of reasons why the city was recognized last year by the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program for its determination to provide decent, safe and affordable housing and increased economic opportunities for citizens of the City of Valdosta.

The Neighborhood Development Division, which oversees the CDBG entitlement funds, is responsible for directing, coordinating and managing all Valdosta programs receiving local, state or federal funding for neighborhood and community development, which also includes the First Time Homebuyer Education, the Single Unit Housing Rehabilitation Program and the Southern Hospitality Group Workcamp.

To be eligible for the reconstruction home program, a homeowner must meet income eligibility, must reside in the home, and the home must be deemed unsafe for occupancy.

For more information, call the Neighborhood Development Division at 229-671-3617 or visit www.valdostacity.com/neighborhood-development.