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April 10, 2001 <br /> <br />WHEREAS, for many years a trucking terminal was located on a <br />two-block site in the heart of the neighborhood, which resulted in <br />nuisances and hazards and had a blighting effect on the <br />surrounding properties; and <br />WHEREAS, the Martinsville Bulletin and an anonymous donor <br />generously contributed $150,000 to acquire the property, and the <br />City has invested a further $358,900 to demolish the buildings and <br />clear the site; and <br />WHEREAS, the City engaged a consultant to prepare a Phase I <br />Environmental Site Assessment which identified all environmental <br />hazards, and the City has since remediated these hazards; and <br />WHEREAS, the residents of the neighborhood participated in a <br />series of workshops to determine the targeted future use of the <br />property, and the consensus was to pursue redevelopment for <br />single-family homes; and <br />WHEREAS, the City has since rezoned the property to R-6 Medium <br />Density Residential, the same classification as the surrounding <br />neighborhood; and <br />WHEREAS, during the course of the Planning Grant study the City <br />and neighborhood residents identified problems with storm <br />drainage, substandard streets, substandard housing conditions, <br />and dilapidated vacant houses; and <br />WHEREAS, the Planning Grant study identified a demand for <br />moderately priced new single-family housing in the <br />Martinsville/Henry County market area, which can be partially <br />satisfied within the City of Martinsville, as proven by the City's <br />recent success in fostering new housing development on vacant <br />lots in the Moss-Barton Neighborhood; and <br />WHEREAS, the City is eligible for and wishes to submit a 2001 <br />Community Improvement Grant application for a Comprehensive <br />Community Development project to address the needs and desires <br />of the R.P. Thomas neighborhood, for the amount of $1,218,400 in <br />CDBG funds; and <br />WHEREAS, said project will benefit 123 neighborhood residents, of <br />whom 80% are low- or moderate-income (LMI), and an additional <br />estimated 91 residents of the new housing, of whom 85% will be <br />LMI; and <br /> <br /> <br />