The City of Frankfort has earned a Community Development Block Grant through the Planning Grant program of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) to support the creation of a new comprehensive plan. The granted amount of $60,000 will allow the City to update their last completed comprehensive plan from 2014.
OCRA announced the recipients of the federal funding on April 16.
Updates to the current comprehensive plan will ensure the City is positioned to address challenges and seize new opportunities. The plan will serve as a blueprint for the City’s future, guiding development, infrastructure improvements, and community initiatives.
“In the fall, we surveyed the community as part of the grant process, and it was an opportunity for residents to provide constructive feedback on our strengths and weaknesses, as well as suggest changes they would like to see implemented,” said Community Development Director Kimberly Black. “This helped us identify priorities such as downtown development, neighborhood revitalization, housing, parks, and public safety.”
The grant will reduce the city’s reliance on local tax dollars and make it possible to pursue big-picture improvements in a cost-effective manner.
“The community’s voice and participation made this a successful initiative, and those same visions are essential in setting direction for us,” said Mayor Judy Sheets. “We’ll continue to work collaboratively with the public to build a vibrant and prosperous future to move Frankfort forward.”
The CDBG Planning Grant is a competitive grant program administered by OCRA that provides funding to Indiana communities for various planning activities, including the development of comprehensive plans, downtown revitalization plans, and other initiatives.
Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA.