S.C. Department of Commerce awards $4.3 million in Community Development Block Grant funds
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Eleven communities from across South Carolina are slated to benefit from public improvement projects supported by more than $4.3 million in funds from the latest round of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The S.C. Department of Commerce is awarding CDBG funds to these communities, representing more than 26,600 residents, for the following projects:
City of Denmark – Highway 321 Streetscape Improvements $500,000
Town of Edgefield – Courthouse Square Streetscape Improvements $447,088
City of Georgetown – Fire Truck $500,000
City of Greenwood – Mineral Court Apartments Demolition $500,000
Hampton County – Furman / Yemassee Fire Trucks $500,000
Town of Iva – E. Front/E. Green Streetscape Improvements $323,585
City of Pickens – Pickens Rail Depot Demolition $169,790
Town of Ware Shoals – Fairview Avenue Apartments Demolition $228,670
City of Beaufort – Greenlawn Neighborhood Revitalization $500,000
Colleton County – Gadsden Loop Neighborhood Revitalization $483,502
City of Gaffney – Tank Branch Neighborhood Revitalization $229,000
“The CDBG program continues to be a powerful tool in our economic development arsenal, allowing local communities to offer the best quality of life possible,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt. “Businesses don’t locate to states or regions but, rather, to communities. And, that is why the CDBG program is essential to attracting new investment to communities in all corners of South Carolina.”
S.C. Commerce awards CDBG funds in the fall and the spring of each year. Selected through a statewide competitive process, local governments receiving CDBG funds are required to provide at least a 10 percent match in funding to complete the projects. Grant funds are allocated on an annual basis to South Carolina from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and S.C. Commerce administers the CDBG program on the state’s behalf. CDBG assists communities in providing housing, a suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities.
All grants awarded through the CDBG program must meet at least one of three objectives:
- Benefit LMI (low- to moderate-income) persons.
- Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blighting conditions.
- Meet other urgent community development needs where existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to public health and welfare, and where other financial resources are not readily available to meet such needs.
For additional information on South Carolina’s CDBG program, including application guidelines and frequently asked questions, please visit www.cdbgsc.com.