Downtown businesses and property owners in Orillia are invited to learn about the 2020 Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) Grant Program and available grants at a community workshop today.
They are designed to stimulate development to offset costs related to façade improvements, signage, feasibility studies, building improvements and the creation of residential units.
“The Downtown Tomorrow Grant program provides an opportunity for businesses in the core of our city who continue to be in a position to grow or expand, to do so with the assistance of a municipal grant,” said Mayor Steve Clarke. “Investments in new or growing businesses are needed now more than ever and the City is eager to assist with these efforts”.
Each year the City accepts applications through three intake periods. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, Council amended the deadline for the second intake from April 31 to June 30, to allow businesses more time to prepare applications.
Applicants must take part in a mandatory pre-consultation in order to be eligible to apply. This can be achieved by attending the Community Workshop, which will be delivered through the online platform GoToMeeting. Those without access to a computer/internet may also join by phone.
The workshop runs from 4 to 5 p.m. and for more details, please click here.
To date, 32 applicants have been approved to receive grants and 16 jobs have been created, with an additional 25 jobs coming on stream once projects are completed. For every $1 the City has invested in this grant program, approximately $16 has been invested by the recipients.
For more details on the program, please click here.
LAST DAY TO REGISTER! If you have a business or property in the downtown Orillia area and planning improvements to the building or property, you may be eligible for grants. Attendance at the workshop below is mandatory, for details and/or to RSVP, visit https://t.co/5C1ePHqDD3. pic.twitter.com/jkRNdNwzbK
— Orillia EDO (@OrilliaEDO) May 12, 2020