A city board approved purchasing two homes in a flood zone along Main Street in Greenwood as part of a larger effort to buy downtown properties in flood-prone areas.
Last week, the Greenwood Redevelopment Commission approved spending about $167,000 to purchase homes at 279 and 380 E. Main St. as part of a continuing plan to buy homes in a flood zone around Pleasant Creek.
The stormwater board has approved giving the redevelopment commission about $17,000 to assist in covering the cost of buying the homes, and will cover the cost of demolition, which is estimated at $24,000.
Greenwood purchased and demolished eight home in flood zones around Pleasant Creek and Pleasant Run Creek with a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In addition, the city has also spent $400,000 to buy and demolish another six homes in the floodway that weren’t included in the purchases covered with the grant.
The goal for the area around Pleasant Creek is to create a greenspace that could potentially have a trail or park and provide homeowners an opportunity to move out of an area that is vulnerable to flooding, city officials said.
