Introduction

The Town of Colonie, in cooperation with the Villages of Colonie and Menands, has been participating in the federal Community Development Block Grant program since 1978, the Section 8 Rental Assistance program since 1979, and the HOME program as part of the Colonie Schenectady Troy consortium since 1992. In 1981, the Town Board created the Community Development Department in order to efficiently administer these programs. It is the Town Board's responsibility to determine what programs they want to fund with the Federal funds allocated to the Town. To assist them in determining what projects the Town should undertake each year, the Town Board appoints a Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee with each member serving a three-year term.

The major emphasis of the programs pursued by Community Development has been to preserve the existing housing stock; construct and replace public facilities and infrastructure; provide rental assistance and affordable new housing for individuals and families with moderate income or special needs; and extend supportive services aimed at improving the quality of life and self-sufficiency of those individuals and families that could benefit from such services.

Community Development is responsible for compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act, and for affirmatively furthering fair housing. The department is the point of contact for the Census Bureau and disseminates census information to Town departments and to the public.

In 1995, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revised its regulations and required municipalities to prepare a Five Year Consolidated Plan in order for the Town and non-profit agencies who wish to provide services in the Town to access funds from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR). This plan describes our housing and community development needs and priorities and the steps we would take to further develop partnerships among government agencies and between government and private groups in order to marshal government and private resources to achieve intended public purposes. Each year hence a one-year action plan which lists the activities the Town would undertake to address priority needs and local objectives during that year is submitted to HUD.

Five Year Consolidated Plan

The Town of Colonie has developed its 2020 Consolidated Plan which was submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on June 22, 2020.

Consolidated planning is a collaborative process whereby a community establishes a unified vision for community development actions with emphasis on citizen participation and consultation with relevant governmental jurisdictions and public and private agencies. The Consolidated Plan is the result of this process, which combines the planning, application and reporting requirements for the Town's two (2) federal programs, the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships, into one document.

As required under Consolidated Plan regulations, the Town of Colonie contacted all potentially interested organizations to solicit input in developing our priority housing and community development needs and in defining improvement strategies that bring needs and resources together.

Each year the Town seeks community input, solicits proposals and receives recommendations from the Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee on activities to further address the Town's priorities. The Town Board then finalizes its decision and this Action Plan is submitted to HUD for approval.

Therefore, we would like all Town and Village residents to express to us what the Town of Colonie's housing and community development needs should be.

Needs that should be addressed include:

• housing needs (renter and owner);
• lead based paint needs;
• barriers to affordable housing;
• public facility/infrastructure needs;
• public service needs (e.g. elderly, youths, substance abuse, employment training, etc.);
• accessibility needs;
• historic preservation needs, and;
• economic development needs.