Community Development Block Grant

A Federal Grant Program

The Administration, Planning, and Finance Departments manage the Town of Normal’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. This federal grant program is made available for select cities, referred to by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as "Entitlement Communities," to benefit low- and moderate-income individuals and families and neighborhoods.  

For a variety of general and Normal-specific information about the CDBG Program, please visit the McLean County Regional Planning Commission's website.

​Proposed Amendment to the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan & 2020-2021 Action Plan

As part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Town of Normal received two special allocations of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Program Year 2020-2021 (April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021). These funds, referred to as CDBG-CV (Coronavirus), are granted through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are to be solely used to prevent, prepare for and respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Town’s first CDBG-CV allocation was $246,067 and was allocated toward the Town’s COVID-19-Related Housing Assistance Program.

The Town’s second allocation, announced in September, is in the amount of $335,359. As the pandemic has continued to impact housing security in Normal, the Town proposes to also assign this second allocation toward housing assistance. To do so, an amendment must be made to the CDBG Program’s 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan (and incorporated 2020-2021 Action Plan, i.e. budget for this current fiscal year) to reflect the budgeting and programming of these funds toward housing assistance.

The proposed additional allocation of CDBG-CV funding to the COVID-19-Related Housing Assistance Program would bring the program's total funding level to $581,426. No other changes to the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan or 2020-2021 Action Plan are proposed at this time. 

The 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan and 2020-2021 Action Plan is available for review here and by clicking  on the image/text to the right. The only sections of this document that would be substantively changed by the proposed amendment are:

  • 2020-2024 Strategic Plan (beginning on PDF page 127)
    • SP-25 Priority Needs - PDF page 136
    • SP-35 Anticipated Resources - PDF pages 139-140
    • SP-45 Goals Summary - PDF pages 148-150
  • 2020-2021 Action Plan (beginning on PDF page 160)
    • AP-15 Expected Resources - PDF pages 161-162
    • AP-20 Annual Goals and Objectives - PDF pages 166 & 169
    • AP-38 Project Summary - PDF pages 182-183
Note: Minor, textual changes will be made to other sections of the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan and 2020-2021 Action Plan but only to reflect the public participation process described below. 


Public Participation


The proposed amendment to the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan and 2020-2021 Action Plan will be available for public review and comment for a period of 18 days beginning Thursday, February 4, 2021. Public comments will be accepted in writing via mail or email from Thursday, February 4, through Sunday, February 21, 2021.

Written comments should be submitted to: Town of Normal, Attn: Taylor Long, Associate Planner, 11 Uptown Circle, Normal, IL 61761 or tlong@normal.org.

A public hearing was held to solicit comments on the amendment on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Due to the pandemic, the hearing took place virtually over Zoom and no in-person public comments were allowed. A recording of the public hearing is available here. No members of the public provided comment at the hearing.

Those wishing to provide comment at the public hearing will need to register by contacting the Associate Planner at tlong@normal.org or (309) 454-9642 any time prior to the end of the hearing at 7 p.m. on February 10, 2021. Once registered with the Associate Planner, commenters will receive the meeting call-in number and meeting ID, along with instruction on how to join the virtual meeting.

Individuals with disabilities who plan to attend the hearing and require certain accommodations to observe and participate, or any individuals with limited English proficiency who need assistance communicating, are requested to contact the Associate Planner at (309) 454-9642 or tlong@normal.org prior to the start time of the hearing.

Following the close of the public comment period, all input will be collected and submitted to the Normal Town Council for review, along with the proposed amendment. The Town Council will be asked to take action on this amendment at its Monday, March 1, 2021 meeting at 7 p.m.