October 17, 2022
Message From Commissioner Alice Kennedy
It’s hard to believe, but the end of this calendar year will soon be on our doorstep. 2022 presented us with many opportunities to underscore the important work of DHCD, not the least of which was the directive Mayor Scott issued to all City agencies to conduct an internal review related to addressing vacant houses.
Since that directive, we’ve provided the Mayor with a complete list of recommendations providing both short- and long-term vacancy abatement and prevention strategies, and we’ve issued progress reports about our ongoing efforts.
One key item is the introduction of BuyIntoBmore, our new single-access-point for constituents and developers to apply to purchase City-owned property. We are confident that BuyIntoBmore will help move vacant buildings back into productive use more expediently. See more about our real estate portal below.
Also, after Mayor Scott announced his $100 Million commitment of American Rescue Plan Act funds for housing initiatives, DHCD took the opportunity to help the public understand the complexity of dealing with the vacant building inventory in the city, and to realize the progress that has been made. For the first time in decades, our vacant building inventory is less than 15,000, and this downward trend is because of the ongoing work of the agency.
Our ongoing work is also supported with several key agency appointments:
Scott Davis – Chief of Staff
Glenda Curtis – Equity Officer
Mary Correia – Deputy Commissioner, Consolidated Planning
There is more about these key appointments included below as well as information about other recent activity within various divisions of DHCD.
Once again, I take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and interest in the work of DHCD.
In Service,
Alice