Stephen Vance, Staff
The Municipality of Meaford is continuing to build on the success of the Façade Improvement Grant Program which has been made available since 2013.
The initiative returns this year for those looking to improve their downtown storefronts, and they have expanded the program to include, among other things, interest-free loans for some façade and accessibility improvements.
“In addition to the Façade Grant Program which has been available since 2013, in 2016 the incentives available under the CIP have been expanded to include interest-free loans for certain Façade & Accessibility improvements; Planning & Building Fee and Commercial Development Charge fee-equivalent grants; and, a range of grant and tax-related incentives for remediation of Brownfield properties,” said the municipality in their announcement of the 2016 program.
The municipality will begin accepting applications for the 2016 program on April 1, and applications will be accepted until May 31, with deliberation and grant awards occurring shortly thereafter. $50,000 has been made available for the initiative in 2016.
The program has resulted in several improvements to the exteriors of downtown buildings in recent years, perhaps most notably the refurbishing of the Bluewater building on Sykes Street, which houses a fish and chip restaurant as well as some residential condominiums.
At their March 21 meeting, Meaford councillors expressed a desire to see the program expanded even further in the coming years.
“The CIP includes a very large portion of residential area, why don’t we include them in the program?” asked Councillor Mike Poetker.
Meaford’s Director of Development Rob Armstrong told council that while the first few years of the program have targeted commercial properties, there are plans to expand the program to include residential properties in the future.
“As we expand out, such as with additional programs, it will apply to all buildings in the CIP,” Armstrong told council, though no time-frame was offered for the expansion to residential buildings.
Potential applicants for the 2016 prgram within the Downtown Community Improvement Area are encouraged to visit the municipal website www.meaford.ca/CIP to review the details, and terms and conditions for each program. Application forms are available on-line or at the Municipal Administration Office during regular business hours. Pre-submission consultation with staff is suggested.
