GAINESVILLE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY EASTSIDE COMMUNITY REDEVELOPMENT AREA FACADE IMPROVEMENTS INCENTIVE PROGRAM for EXISTING COMMERICAL BUILDINGS 802 NW 5h Avenue Suie 200 Gainesville, FL 32601 352-393-8200 (phone) 352-334-2132 (fax)
FACADE IMPROVEMENTS INCENTIVE PROGRAM I. Purpose The Gainesville Communiy Redevelopmen Agency (CRA) is offering a compeiive, 50% maching gran program as an incenive o owners of buildings and businesses o improve building façades locaed on specifically argeed corridors wihin he Easside Redevelopmen Disric (Easside). The purpose of he gran program is o use Tax Incremen Financing o leverage privae invesmen in making significan improvemens o building facades ha reurn public benefis such as enhanced corridor aesheics, pedesrian comfor, public safey and resource conservaion. Since 2003 when he program was implemened CRA-wide, each façade gran dollar awarded yielded approximaely hree imes his amoun in privae funding invesed in façade improvemens. This documen describes eligibiliy for funding, he applicaion process, and oher deails relaed o applying for a gran. II. Eligibiliy Who is Eligible: Building owners or business owners occupying sorefrons in an eligible building who have obained wrien approval from building owners are invied o paricipae in he program. Buildings can be anywhere in he disric; however, buildings locaed on one of he arge corridors wihin he Easside Disric will receive addiional poins during he applicaion review process. Targe Corridors: Buildings physically locaed on he following corridors wihin he redevelopmen disric will receive addiional poins: Waldo Road SE Hawhorne Road Eas Universiy Avenue Maching Funds: Applican mus commi o expending a cash mach equal o he gran funds sough in he applicaion o be eligible for he gran. The only form of mach ha will be acceped is he cash value of goods and services used o improve he façade visible from he arge corridor. Eligible Improvemens: Eligible improvemens are hose locaed on pars of he building façade ha are visible from he arge corridor. The primary public enrance and one addiional elevaion are eligible. No inerior improvemens or mainenance aciviies will be funded. Examples of eligible improvemens are lised below (his lis is no exhausive). Signs - including removing old signs and he design, producion and insallaion of new signs or renovaion of exising signs if complian wih curren codes. Awnings/Canopies - including he removal of he old and he design, producion, and insallaion of new awnings and canopies. Facades - includes work performed on he exerior sorefron of a building such as cleaning masonry (high pressure waer or seam - sandblasing is prohibied on masonry srucures), paining, re-poining or morar joins, woodwork, window and/or door replacemen, oher repairs or rebuilding hisoric sorefrons. The work in his caegory is eligible only if hey are par of significan exerior srucural enhancemens. Walls, Fencing and Landscaping includes work ha removes and replaces or adds appropriae fencing and landscaping o hide incompaible uses or negaive sie elemens such as sorage yards, oudoor fabricaion, work area, or dumpsers. Removing and disposing of old façade coverings (i.e. vinyl and aluminum cladding, window boards) Reconsrucing sorefrons: raising parape walls, insalling new doors and windows, reconfiguring enryways Removing old wood, aluminum, or succo cladding - includes maerials and services o remove he cladding. Exposing boarded windows. Lighing: - insalling new sorefron lighing and sign lighing. Archiecural fees (no o exceed $500 of gran amoun).
Mainenance aciviies are no eligible for funding. Aciviies ha will be deemed mainenance iems are paining, powerwashing, asphal sealing, landscape mainenance and oher mainenance-ype aciviy. This lis is no exhausive. In he even ha paining, powerwashing, brick repair or similar cosmeic work is proposed inegral o significan srucural enhancemens, hen hose aciviies will be eligible for he incenive. Schedule: Applican mus commi o finishing he projec wihin a reasonable imeframe appropriae o he work proposed. An appropriae ime shall be 12 monhs for projecs involving design, permiing, and consrucion. The CRA and gran recipien will negoiae and agree o a work schedule o ensure progress on he projec. The 12 monh period begins he day afer he gran applicaion is approved by he Easside Redevelopmen Advisory Board. Once he gran is approved, significan, ongoing progress mus be demonsraed in order o mainain eligibiliy for reimbursemen. Gran funds allocaed o he projec will rever o back o he Redevelopmen Disric s façade gran fund and he façade redevelopmen agreemen will erminae if he gran recipien fails o make progress according o he agreed upon work schedule. III. Requess for Funding Applicaions for funding mus adhere o he following guidelines oulined below: Each sorefron will be eligible for a maximum gran of up o $5,000. If he building, regardless of he number of sorefrons, has a second elevaion ha can be seen from he argeed corridor he building would be eligible for anoher $5,000. Applicans mus mach gran funds dollar-for-dollar. A sorefron is defined as having a sree address and public access o he business. The maximum gran award is $10,000.00. No gran award shall exceed 50% of he projec cos. The dollar-for-dollar mach provided by he Gran Recipien shall be cash value for goods and/or services. Work done by business or building owner will no be funded for labor. Applicaions will be evaluaed by CRA saff according o a poin sysem.
IV. Evaluaion of Gran Applicaions Saff will evaluae applicaions agains he crieria lised below. No parial poins will be awarded. Saff will make funding recommendaions o he Easside Redevelopmen Advisory Board, which shall approve, disapprove, or modify he recommendaions. The Board reserves he righ o rejec gran applicaions ha in is view, propose inappropriae colors or designs. The Advisory Board s recommendaions shall be forwarded o he Execuive Direcor for final acion. Projec is locaed along arge corridors: Eas Universiy Avenue, Waldo Road or SE Hawhorne Road (3 poins) The projec mus be physically locaed on he arge corridors Projec removes opaque window coverings or signage (3 poins) If he applican removes opaque window signage eiher from exising windows or in conjuncion wih insallaion of new windows so ha up o 95% of he window is mainained as ransparen, 3 poins will be awarded. Projec ransforms he building from he wors o he bes case (5 poins) This is a major ransformaion ha improves he façade condiion so ha no furher improvemen would be possible. The projec is he highes and bes oucome for he building. Projec advances an appropriae syle for his building ( 3 poins) The improvemens are compaible wih he building s syle and complemen original feaures. Projec includes improvemens ha suppor resource conservaion (energy, waer, reduce wase) (3 poins). Suggesed improvemens are compac fluorescen lighing, insulaed glass, low VOC pain, xeriscaping Projec preserves or resores original decoraive building elemens (3 poins) Original decoraive elemens include permanen deailing as par of he original consrucion such as cornices, decoraive masonry, and hisoric deails. Projec is needed o arac or reain one of he following occupans: resauran/café, reail, or office (5 poins) Projecs necessary o reain an exising occupan engaged in one of he arge businesses will receive 5 poins. If he sorefron is vacan, or abou o be vacaed, and he projec is needed o renovae he sorefron for a new occupan engaged in one of he arge businesses, he projec will receive 5 poins. To claim hese poins, a leer of ineres from he occupan mus be received by he CRA wih he gran applicaion. The projec is par of a complee resoraion ha reurns a vacan or underuilized upper sory space o producive use (3 poins) The upper sory mus be vacan or underuilized a he ime of he gran applicaion submial. Producive use is acive, full-ime use or occupancy, for example as aris sudios, office, or residence. To claim hese poins, a leer of ineres from he occupan mus be received by he CRA wih he gran applicaion. Projec correcs commercial building code deficiencies relaed o he façade (3 poins) The applicable porion of he commercial building code is Secion 13-205, Exerior Srucures. Projecs correcing condiions ha would normally consiue a violaion of his code will be awarded 3 poins. A complain does no have o be filed agains he building. Roof work is no an eligible gran expense unless i is inegral o he overall façade improvemen. In his case, he porion of he roof cos ha is eligible for gran funding will be a he discreion of he CRA. Projec includes removing non-original cladding maerials ha cover an original sorefron (3 poins ) Projecs removing non-original wall cladding made of aluminum, wood, succo, or oher opaque maerials ha reveal original walls and enhance he sorefron will receive 3 poins. Addiional poins are given for individual improvemens i.e. 1 poin each for paining, awning, windows, doors, landscaping, signage, and oher caegories.
Chunky s Grill and Fry Co. a 1445 SE Hawhorne Road was a recipien of he GCRA s facade gran program in 2014. V. Applicaion Deadline Applicans mus submi heir applicaions o he CRA no laer han 5:00 PM on he day ha falls four weeks before he issuance of he agenda of he advisory board meeing. Submi compleed applicaions o: Gainesville Communiy Redevelopmen Agency Aenion: Facade Improvemen Incenive Program 802 NW 5h Ave. Suie 200 Gainesville, FL 32601
VI. Gran Guidelines 1. The building façades eligible for he program may be any wo elevaions visible from a commercial corridor; however, only projecs locaed on arge commercial corridors will receive poins in he ranking process. 2. No grans may be awarded for projecs sared before he gran award. 3. The gran funds may no exceed 50% of he façade improvemen projec. 4. Buildings mus mee Healh and Safey Sandard of he code. 5. All improvemens conduced wih he use of maching gran funds mus be performed in a manner consisen wih he Ciy Land Developmen Code, and all applicable regulaions, codes and ordinances. 6. Gran recipiens and building owners mus agree ha improvemens made using hese funds will say in place and be mainained a minimum of five years. If he improvemens are replaced or no mainained wihin five years of façade projec compleion, he gran recipien mus repay a pro raa porion of he gran proceeds invesed in he projec for he number of monhs remaining as furher described in he resricive covenan required o be filed, a copy of which is aached hereo. By accepance of he Gran and filing of he façade redevelopmen agreemen, Gran Recipien and, if applicable, building owners, agree o resore and mainain (keep in good working condiion and appearance) he improvemens during he five year period, and upon failing o do so shall be obligaed o repay a pro raa porion of he gran as described above. The same requiremen shall be in effec if he building or business lease is ransferred wihin five years of façade projec compleion. Excepions: i. The improvemen has been damaged beyond repair (i.e. broken awning) and he gran recipien has replaced he improvemen. ii. The improvemen was replaced for he purpose of furher renovaion ha will enhance he projec, as deermined in he sole discreion of he Execuive Direcor or designee. 7. Applican is responsible for obaining or having obained all required building permis for he work underaken and mus have a curren business license hroughou he projec. 8. Applicans mus agree o a compleion schedule up o 12 monhs in duraion from he day afer he gran approval. 9. The CRA shall disburse funds o he gran recipien or conracor wih gran recipien s approval only upon demonsraion ha he work has been compleed. 10. Gran recipiens may underake projecs in a limied number of phases over a wo-year span. If he enire design is approved as par of he iniial applicaion, saff approval only will be required on addiional phases. Approval of he iniial applicaion does no insure ha funding will be available for laer phases. 11. Gran exensions shall be graned by he CRA on a very limied, case-by-case basis where he conracor is having difficuly meeing he deadline due o weaher delay, scheduling conflics or supply issues. 12. The CRA shall have no liabiliy for workmanship, design, or consrucion relaed o he projec receiving gran funds under his program. 13. Once a maximum gran for any sorefron has been awarded, he business occupying he sorefron or building owner canno reapply for anoher gran for he same locaion for a 5-year period. 13. New gran applicans will have prioriy over projecs applying for funding for phased work. 14. Applicans mus commi o providing noice of proposed and/or ongoing façade work o neighboring building occupans immediaely adjacen o and across from he projec sie. 15. Gran Recipien agrees o allow he CRA o phoograph he projec for use in fuure publicaions.
VII. Digial Design Assisance In an effor o encourage paricipaion in he Facade Improvemen Incenive Program, he CRA will offer a echnical assisance/digial design consulaion o poenial gran applicans. This one-on-one assisance will be provided o help he building/business owner deermine he mos effecive changes for heir building and complee heir gran applicaion. Gran applicans will discuss proposed changes wih CRA saff and hen receive a digially enhanced image of he changes for inclusion in he gran applicaion. VIII. Gran Applicaion Process The Gran applicaion process is as follows: 1. Applican and CRA saff hold echnical assisance/digial design consulaion. Conac Jessica Leonard, CRA Projec Manager, a 352-393-8206 o arrange an appoinmen. 2. Saff reviews he applicaion, complees applicaion ranking, and makes a funding recommendaion o Easside Redevelopmen Advisory Board. 3. Easside Redevelopmen Advisory Board reviews applicaions and eiher approves, disapproves or approves wih condiions. 4. Applicaions will be presened o he Execuive Direcor or his designee for final acion. 5. The CRA will noify applican of approval or denial in wriing. 6. Gran recipien requess funds afer compleing he proposed façade improvemens. 7. CRA saff inspecs he projec o verify compleion of work as proposed in he applicaion. 8. CRA disburses funds o gran recipien wihin 30 days of approval of he compleed projec. Applicaions conaining he following iems shall be deemed complee: 1. Compleed applicaion form 2. Phoograph of he exising building condiions. 3. Skeches and/or digial illusraions of elevaions of proposed improvemens. 4. Descripion of maerials o be used, he consrucion procedure and proposed colors. 5. Two cos esimaes from differen sources. 6. Evidence of agreemen wih program requiremens by building owner, for business owner applicans. 7. Seleced conracor s general liabiliy insurance cerificae and conracor s license. Only compleed applicaions will be acceped. Saff will evaluae applicaions agains he crieria lised in secion IV. IX. Funding Maching grans of up o $5,000 (per building face which frons a sree, up o wo building faces) are offered subjec o an annual allocaion of ax incremen funds for he Easside Redevelopmen Disric. X. Nondiscriminaion The Ciy of Gainesville does no discriminae on he basis of race, color, gender, age, religion, naional origin, marial saus, sexual orienaion, or disabiliy (proeced characerisics) and will no olerae any such discriminaion by or agains is employees or ciizens uilizing Ciy services, programs, and aciviies.