Columbia officials are proposing to redirect federal dollars originally set aside for improvements at Lorick Park and E.B. Sessions Park toward new affordable housing programs, including down-payment assistance and a property-purchase initiative for low- and moderate-income residents. The city proposed the shift from park improvements to housing programs. A public hearing on the proposed amendments was held Nov. 11 at the Busby Street Community Center, after a public comment window that opened Oct. 9 and closed Nov. 9.
According to wistv.com, the draft amendments call for redirecting the park money into CDBG Housing Programs for housing rehabilitation administration, launching a direct down-payment assistance program for low- and moderate-income homebuyers, and creating a new CDBG-funded program to purchase properties so affordable housing can be built or preserved. The same proposal would reduce HOME-ARP funding currently supporting rental housing assistance. The proposed amendments would change how the city allocates federal CDBG and HOME-ARP funds.
The proposal focuses on expanding affordable housing programs in Columbia.
A Stalled Shelter and a Funding Pivot
The proposed changes also include pulling funding from a homeless shelter project the city had planned. Officials said they were unable to find an organization willing to operate the shelter, and Kilgore said operational expenses made it difficult to secure an operating partner. Rather than let that money go unused, the city decided to redirect the funds to avoid risking the loss of federal dollars, with plans to instead use the money to continue supporting housing for people experiencing homelessness.
Columbia resident J. Kevin Speaks said at the hearing that HUD funds could help families either build homes or arrange housing while renting, framing the shift as a practical response to the city's housing pressures. But not every resident welcomed the trade-off. Some raised concerns about redirecting money away from the two parks, arguing that neighborhood green space still needs attention even as housing costs climb.
Residents Push Back on Park Cuts
The amendments would redirect funds earmarked for improvements at Lorick and E.B. Sessions parks to housing programs.
The debate over where to send federal dollars comes against a backdrop of rising housing costs across the city. HUD data cited by the Post and Courier put Columbia's median rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,406 in 2025, more than double the $676 average reported in 2009. MIT researchers found a single adult with no children in Columbia needs to earn at least $21.75 an hour just to meet basic needs, while a single parent with one child needs about $36 an hour, the paper reported.
Columbia City Councilmember Tyler Bailey has said the city is looking at using Community Development Block Grant funds, handed down by the federal government, to increase housing access broadly — a goal that lines up with the amendments now before HUD. In a related example cited by the same outlet, the Columbia Housing Authority and Richland County Council have moved closer to a deal in which the county would invest $2 million to repair 109 vacant, single-family homes owned by the housing authority, potentially allowing those units to be sold as affordable housing to households earning between 80% and 150% of the area median income.
The proposed amendments would change the city's funding plan.
