Archives West Finding Aid

The Department of Community Development administered the City's comprehensive plan and provided direction and support for the City's physical and economic development through community planning. DCD was established in 1969 and assumed the responsibilities of the City Planning Commission and the Urban Renewal Program. In 1972, the Office of Economic Development was created in the Department to provide information to businesses that were expanding or relocating in Seattle. DCD was the lead agency for implementing various types of grant funded projects, such as Neighborhood Improvement Program, Targeted Neighborhood Assistance Program, and Neighborhood Development Program. DCD was abolished in 1992 and its programs were relocated in the Department of Neighborhoods, Department of Housing and Human Services, Planning Department, and other agencies.

Community Development Block Grants, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, were first issued to Seattle in 1975. The Department of Community Development, and later the Human Services Department, administer the program and distribute Seattle's grant funds to the city agencies and community-based social service organizations that carry out the projects. Block grant programs in the city are concentrated in low income neighborhoods and focus on housing rehabilitation; extension of human services such as child care, nutrition, victim advocacy, medical services, and employment and training; and neighborhood improvement through economic development.