City Commissioners Consider Home Rehab Plan

bhcityhall2-54
bhcityhall2-54

Benton Harbor City Commissioners have voted to begin drafting an agreement to turn over some city owned property to a local group seeking to develop affordable housing. At a Monday meeting, they discussed setting up a contract option for the non-profit Benton Harbor Community Development Corporation, or CDC, to take on 717 Colfax and 1135 Superior. Mayor Marcus Muhammad read from the resolution explaining the group will rehab the homes.

“The sole purpose of rehabilitating the housing units, bringing them up to code and assisting low to moderate income residents to purchase them at a price agreeable to the CDC and the city with all proceeds to be retained in a revolving fund for reinvestment and rehabilitation of other homes in Benton Harbor for the same purpose,” Muhammad read.”

Muhammad said the agreement with the city would establish the CDC’s obligations and the city’s, creating no risk to either. The Benton Harbor CDC works with low to moderate income city residents to help them qualify for financing and learn to maintain homes. Following Monday’s vote, the city manager will draft an exclusive conditional option for the CDC to buy the properties later. Commissioners said the move was about creating housing and growing the tax base.