Committee Discusses Slum and Blight Inventory Expansion
Community Development Block Grant Steering Committee · Meeting of April 28, 2026
Gardner seeks expanded slum and blight inventory for CDBG funding. The Community Development Block Grant Steering Committee discussed expanding the city's slum and blight inventory area, set to expire June 30, as Gardner's low- and moderate-income population fell to 47.3 percent, below the 51 percent threshold for traditional CDBG projects. Assistant Director Amy Yuhasz recommended the BSC Group expand the inventory beyond the current 300-parcel Downtown Urban Renewal Area to add approximately 670 parcels in high-concentration low- and moderate-income Census Tract Block Groups.
The expanded inventory would cost $60,000, funded through existing FY2022-23 and FY2024 CDBG program administration accounts. The Committee discussed the expansion, which provides an alternative pathway for utilizing CDBG funds for community-wide projects.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 350 words
Source: the Community Development Block Grant Steering Committee meeting of April 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Keep reading with a 14-day free trial
Subscribe to Gardner News to keep reading this post and get 14 days of free access to the full post archives.
A subscription gets you:
- Subscriber-only posts and full archive
- Post comments and join the community
- 24x7 access to local news