About Community & Economic Development

Community and Economic Development handles a wide variety of services under various divisions.

Construction and Development Services provides building, mechanical, and electrical inspections for all existing and new construction.

Neighborhood Standards, also known as Code Enforcement, offers citizens a single point of contact for all neighborhood environmental issues and complaints.

Neighborhood Development administers housing rehabilitation and home ownership programs as well as provides assistance to neighborhood and community service organizations.

Economic Development is responsible for administering a variety of economic development programs such as the City's state-certified Enterprise and River Edge Redevelopment Zones, Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and CDBG Rehabilitation and Development and Facade programs.

Planning and Zoning administers land use planning, zoning policies, and historic preservation. Planning guides and encourages growth and development within the City, while preserving neighborhood character and preventing undesired or incompatible uses of land. Planning accomplishes these tasks with the assistance of the Public Works Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and Regional 1 Planning Council (R1PC).

Technical Assistance Scholarship

The City of Rockford has released a report on its blight reduction efforts from the Center for Community Progress (Community Progress), a national nonprofit. Community Progress helped Rockford review its efforts to address property vacancy, abandonment and tax delinquency through a Technical Assistance Scholarship (TASP) awarded to Rockford in March 2016.

View the Rockford Final TASP Report (PDF).

Business First

Rockford Community Partners is proud to announce "BUSINESSFirst", a joint venture with the City of Rockford, Winnebago County, Winnebago County Health Department, Small Business Development Center and Rock River Water Reclamation District to assist individuals in redeveloping an existing property or open a new business in an existing property.

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