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On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Alabama, visited Montgomery to announce $4 million in federal funding to address blighted property in the city.
Sewell said Tuesday that the improvements will impact more than 20,000 residents and would revitalize neighborhoods that have historically seen a lack of investment opportunities.
“These grants are direct funding for the most pressing needs in our community,” Sewell said.
The funding is part of $42.8 million Sewell secured in the 2023 omnibus bill.
“It’s no secret that Montgomery, like a lot of our cities, have a lot of blight in older parts of the community,” Mayor Steven Reed said. “You don’t have to drive very far from here to be overwhelmed by some of the neighborhoods that have not seen the level of investment and the level of upkeep that we’d like to see.
“When you see these abandoned houses, when you see these abandoned lots we often think about what has been. We prefer now to think about what can be.”
Rees said more than 1,000 properties in the city need to be demolished, and he has made that a priority in his administration.
“These dollars, along with funds Rep. Sewell helped us secure in the American Rescue Plan will help us focus on identifying and addressing larger commercial structures along main thoroughfares that would provide a greater impact for the citizens of Montgomery,” Reed said.
