On Wednesday, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge came to Birmingham to announce a $50 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grant to revitalize the Smithfield, College Hills, and Graymont neighborhoods.
Fudge made the announcement at a press conference Wednesday morning, where she was joined by Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D-AL07), Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) President and CEO Dontrelle Young-Foster, as well as community members. The historic funding will be used to construct nearly one thousand mixed-income affordable housing units.
“This is a truly exciting and historic day for the City of Birmingham!” said Rep. Sewell. “With this monumental $50 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we will be able to revitalize the historic Smithfield, College Hills, and Graymont neighborhoods with new, affordable housing units. Not only will this project allow residents to live more comfortably and affordably, but it will attract millions in new investments. I want to thank Mayor Woodfin, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, and the Birmingham City Council for their collaboration on this important project. We are so grateful to Secretary Fudge for traveling to Birmingham and the entire Biden-Harris Administration for continuing to pour into our communities.”
“This investment represents HUD’s commitment to creating new housing for Birmingham residents and communities across the country,” said HUD Sec. Fudge. “When we envision the future of public housing investment, we think of programs like Choice Neighborhoods. These awards promote the innovative collaboration needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis. A community-driven, whole-of-government approach to neighborhood revitalization is what leads to impactful changes in the neighborhoods that need it the most.”
“This $50 million grant will be transformative for the Smithfield community and its residents,” said Mayor Woodfin on Facebook. “The City of Birmingham will match these grant funds with $35 million over 8 years.”
“The City plans to purchase Parker High’s 11 surplus acres of land and make way for the construction of 350 new affordable multi-family units on that land,” Woodfin added. “An estimated 1,100 new affordable housing units will be built across the entire Smithfield community.”
Woodfin said the “entire plan is estimated to generate $242 million in new economic activity in our community.”
“The awarding of this grant has changed the destiny of our community,” Woodfin said. “With the support of the federal government and our local partners, we will wrap our arms around this area to create a new Smithfield, one that honors its rich legacy as well as being a pioneer for innovative neighborhoods for the future.”
The $50 million in funding is part of a $370 million nationwide investment by the Biden Administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development. HABD received the maximum possible award under the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program, which helps revitalize and transform distressed public and/or assisted housing and neighborhoods across the country.
The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) and the City of Birmingham were awarded a $50,000,000 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant for the Smithfield Court public housing property and surrounding Smithfield, College Hill, and Graymont neighborhoods.
The City of Birmingham and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District have led a community-driven effort to change the narrative for the Smithfield, College Hill, and Graymont neighborhoods. The resulting plan for neighborhood investment was written with input from residents and community stakeholders. Their plan aligns with other once-in-a-generation investments, including a $10.8 million Good Jobs Challenge grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, a planned workforce/high-tech library hub, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Blazer Core’ City as Classroom,’ Live Health Smart Alabama expansion area programs, and 60 new for sale homes. Choice Neighborhoods hopes to build on this local momentum as part of a larger effort to transform these historic neighborhoods into areas of opportunity for generations to come.
The Choice Neighborhoods Transformation Plan calls for redeveloping the 456 severely distressed public housing units that comprise the 88-year-old Smithfield Court. The new Smithfield Court will include 920 new mixed-income apartments for families and seniors, including a one-for-one replacement of the original public housing units.
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