Harrisburg council approves HUD funding allocations, Allison Hill apartment project and park reallocation
Harrisburg City Council approved allocations from three years of federal housing and community-development funding, authorized an apartment project in Allison Hill and reallocated $1.9 million for city park projects at its July 14 meeting before the body’s summer recess.
The actions combine a housing-development approval with funding decisions affecting parks that were subject to a $13 million state grant. The meeting did not mark the start of construction on the Allison Hill apartment project; council approved the project, while the available report did not provide a construction schedule, unit count or developer.
Federal housing funds approved
Council approved allocations from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funding streams for 2023, 2024 and 2025. The programs include Emergency Solutions Grant, Community Development Block Grant and HOME funds.
The City of Harrisburg Department of Housing and Building Development was associated with the HUD allocations, which council had been considering after delays. The approved-source reporting does not specify the final amount assigned to each HUD program or funding year.
In a separate housing action, council approved the Allison Hill apartment project. That is an approval-stage decision, not a completed or operating housing development. Details on the project’s size and timetable were not included in the report.
Park funding gap follows grant deadlines
Council also approved a $1.9 million reallocation intended to address a funding gap in park work at 7th & Radnor, Gorgas, Wilson and Reservoir parks.
The gap is tied to missed deadlines under a $13 million state grant, despite repeated extensions. Three of the four park projects were complete, but Reservoir Park remained incomplete, according to the reported account of the grant issues.
About $2.8 million in grant money was reportedly lost because work was not completed by the deadline. That figure should not be treated as a final repayment total; it reflects the reported loss of grant funding rather than an official final grant accounting.
State officials also said the city must return $2.3 million spent on Reservoir Park because the grant required the park to be usable. The reallocation approved by council is intended to help close the resulting park-project funding gap.
What comes next
The council votes establish funding and project approvals, but the available reporting does not provide future construction dates, closures or service disruptions for the parks or the Allison Hill apartment project. The immediate next step identified by the actions is the city’s use of the approved HUD allocations and park reallocation, alongside resolution of the Reservoir Park grant obligation.