Trenton has begun drawing money from a $7.59 million state grant to demolish and stabilise vacant, abandoned, city-owned properties that pose safety and health risks.
The grant, from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, is administered through the city’s Department of Housing and Economic Development. It was authorised by City Council Resolution 26-157 in April and formally accepted on July 6.
How the money actually moves
The grant is structured as a reimbursement rather than a lump sum: the city completes a demolition, then submits for repayment, on a rolling basis as projects finish.
That structure explains why a grant announced in the spring produces visible results slowly. The city has to fund each teardown first and claim it back afterwards, so the pace is set by the city’s own cash flow and procurement rather than by the size of the award…