[Durham INC] New "City Hall This Week" Begins Friday

[Blalock, Amy]

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2011

 

New "City Hall This Week" Begins Friday

New Episode Begins Airing Friday, April 22 on DTV8 and "On Demand" on
the City's DTV8 Website

 

DURHAM, N.C. - The following highlights from the April 18, 2011 Durham
City Council meeting and other topics of interest will be featured in
this episode of "City Hall This Week." The show begins airing on Friday,
April 22 at 10 a.m. and will also be available to watch on demand at 
www.DurhamNC.gov/DTV8/CityHallThisWeek.cfm. 

 

City Leaders Continue Public Hearing on Proposed Annual Action Plan to
May 2

The City Council continued a public hearing on the proposed Annual
Action Plan to the May 2nd meeting. The plan serves as the City's
application for federal housing funds from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development. This year's proposed plan would give
partial or full funding to some of the organizations requesting money,
while using approximately a third of the money to support various
aspects of the Southside redevelopment project. The Annual Action Plan
specifies how Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment
Partnership, Emergency Shelter Grant, and General Funds from the federal
government will be spent.

 

City Council Considering Creation of Business Improvement District for
Downtown

The City Council is considering whether it should approve the
establishment of a Municipal Services District - or Business Improvement
District - in downtown. Such a designation would allow both commercial
and residential property in downtown to be taxed an extra $0.07 per $100
of assessed value. The money generated by the tax would go toward
providing specialized services for downtown, such as for appearance and
maintenance. Council members received input from dozens of residents
during a public hearing on the proposed district. Downtown Durham, Inc.
says the creation of the district is needed to help revitalize downtown
and ensure its long-term economic viability.

 

Several Small Businesses Receive Financial Support from the City 

Several small businesses in and around downtown are receiving financial
support from the City in the form of building improvement grants. The
Community Reinvestment Association of North Carolina will receive
$75,000 for a building renovation project at 1201 N. Roxboro St.
ClearSense Properties will receive $75,000 for a building renovation
project at 502 Rigsbee Ave. A $75,000 grant will help 300 East Main
Street, LLC to turn the vacant designated historic building at 300 E.
Main St. into 21,000 square-feet of retail and office space.

 

City Adopts New Approach in Dealing with Struggling or Failed
Developments

The City Council approved a recommendation from the City's Public Works
Department on how to handle the increasing number of struggling and
failed developments in Durham. The number of developments falling into
these categories has gone up over the past couple of years because of
the recent economic downturn.  Engineering and Stormwater Manager Ed
Venable with the City's Public Works Department explains how the City
will now work with these developments to address the problem on the
upcoming episode of "City Hall This Week."

 

Other interviews featured on upcoming episode of "City Hall This Week":

*         Assistant Director Larry Jarvis with the City's Community
Development Department - Offers an update on the Southside redevelopment
project and a look at what happens next.

*         Deputy City Manager Ted Voorhees - Explains what so-called
"donut holes" are within the city and what Durham is doing to address
them.

*         Engineering and Stormwater Manager Ed Venable with the City's
Public Works Department - Explains what the City is doing to fix the
lighting problems with the R. Kelly Bryant, Jr. Pedestrian Bridge.

 

"City Hall This Week" is a news program dedicated to informing Durham
residents about what is going on inside Durham's City Hall. Each edition
is taped on the first and third Tuesday of the month - the day after
City Council meetings. It airs three times a day on DTV8 (Time Warner
Cable channel 8) through the week of the next City Council meeting. For
more information, call the City's Office of Public Affairs at (919)
560-4123 or visit www.DurhamNC.gov/DTV8.  

 

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