The City of Bradford has been aggressive over the past two decades in undertaking a number of community development projects to improve the overall quality of life in the City.   The following identifies some of the funding received by the City of Bradford for community development activities:

Since 1975, the City has received $16,675,393 in Community Development Block (CDBG) funding.  The CDBG program has had a significant beneficial impact on housing, recreation and infrastructure and has helped to leverage millions in federal, state and local funding.  See the Activities Chart for a listing of CDBG activities funded under the FY 2006 and FY 2007 CDBG programs.

A second federal grant program called HOME has enabled the City to expand its housing rehabilitation program; construct new affordable housing in Colonial Heights; provided homeownership opportunities for existing and new housing and revitalized Onofrio Street.  Since the inception of the HOME Program in 1993, the City has secured $3,793,018 for affordable housing activities in the City of Bradford.  These housing programs have stabilized the City’s tax base and improved the quality of the City’s aging housing stock.

In addition to these two federal programs, the City has secured state funding from a number of different sources including grants from the Department of Community and Economic Development, PENNVEST, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Resources.

Additionally, the City has added to the influx of state and federal funding with local funding from the OECD’s Revolving Loan and local development programs.  The following projects provide an insight to the use of federal, state and local funds in the City of Bradford.

Elm Street

The City of Bradford received a $25,000 Elm Street Planning Grant in late 2004 and completed the Elm Street Neighborhood planning process in September 2005 with the selection of a city neighborhood with boundaries of Barbour Street north to School Street and from Charlotte Avenue west to North Bennett Street as the targeted Elm Street Neighborhood (see project area map).

In September 2006, the City of Bradford received approval for operational designation under the state's new Elm Street Program. This five-year program is designed to revitalize urban neighborhoods so that they can support a viable and vibrant downtown center. In January 2007, the City of Bradford hired Lisa Keck as the Elm Street Manager. The Elm Street Neighbohood (ESN) kick-off meeting was held in February 2007 to inform residents and property and business owners of the City's plans to revitalize the neighborhood.

Since receiving full operational status approval in September, the OECD has been working to secure $2,425,000 in grant, loan and local funding to undertake property acquisition, demolition, housing rehabilitation, facade improvements, infrastructure improvements, homebuyer assistance and other revitalization activities in the Elm Street Neighborhood. To show its commitment to the project, the City of Bradford has committed $1,000,000 for infrastructure improvements in the ESN.

Master Plan

In recognition of a need to revitalize the Bradford community and provide the impetus for the development of a new master plan for community growth, a group of community, private industry, government officials and university leaders began meeting one year ago to discuss how a new community and economic development strategy for the Bradford community would evolve. Discussions focused upon what the positive aspects of life are and what the best course of action would be to improve on the quality of life in the Bradford community. It was decided that a pro-active approach must be taken to the planning of the re-growth of our community. The new development strategy must include a realistic community and economic development action plan that can be immediately implemented by the Bradford community.

Despite the legal municipal boundaries, government leaders of all three municipalities recognize that our residents from one community or another also work and play in another community. All three Bradford municipalities, the City of Bradford, Bradford Township and Foster Township have agreed to participate and financially support the preparation of the Master Plan. As a part of the planning process, the City of Bradford will have a new zoning ordinance prepared to replace the outdated zoning ordinance now in use. In October 2006, a Land Use Planning and Technical Assistance (LUPTA) grant application in the amount of $122,500 was approved by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for the Master Planning project.

Several steering committees made up of members of the community will work with the consulting firm of MacLachlan, Cornelius and Filoni, to prepare a custom community and economic development strategy and action plan for the Bradford communities. Once the planning process begins, a new Master Plan web page will appear on this website to update the community on the planning process.

Citywide Sidewalk Program

In 2005, the City of Bradford began a volunteer sidewalk program to assist property owners with the replacement of their sidewalks and to improve the pedestrian pathways of our community. Over the first two years of the program, the City provided $63,784 in funding to nineteen property owners to assist with the replacement of their sidewalks.

The City of Bradford has $40,000 in funding available in 2007 for the sidewalk program. The sidewalk program has two funding alternatives. City funding is for those applicants who may be business owners, landlords or homeowners who do not meet grant funding income limits. CDBG funding, available through the OECD, is for homeowners who meet Section 8 Income Limits. Sidewalk Program Guidelines, Section 8 Income Limits and Application.

Community Development Projects

Onofrio Street Revitalization	Housing Rehabilitation	Recreation	Demolition

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