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Batavia's Committee of the Whole recommended a new grant program on July 14 that would help commercial and light industrial property owners outside downtown's TIF districts pay for exterior upgrades.
The Downtown Enhancement Grant (DEG) Program would replace the long-running Gateway Improvement Grant Program and fund building facades, landscaping, and hardscape work through matching grants. The full City Council still needs to take a final vote before it's official.
Here's what to know:
Allocating the funds: Exterior building work qualifies for up to $25,000 or 50% of project cost, whichever is less. Owners have to cover at least 50% of the project themselves, and the city only reimburses costs after the work is done and inspected.
Who qualifies: The grant covers commercial and light industrial properties within a designated boundary near downtown, but only outside Batavia’s TIF districts. Tax-exempt properties, residential, and interior work don’t qualify. Improvements would have to be street facing or visible from the public right-of-way.
Why the program exists: Properties just outside the TIF boundaries haven't had access to the same city-funded improvement help that TIF-district properties have received, and staff says that's led to years of deferred maintenance on some of those buildings. The new program is meant to close that gap.
Rules and requirements: Owners who get a DEG grant have to maintain the improvements for at least three years without unapproved changes, and a single property can only benefit from the program once every 15 years.
City documents say that the aim of the program is to “improve the appearance of commercial corridors, encourage property reinvestment, and strengthen the economic vitality of the downtown area.”
Read more about the program on page 50 of this agenda document.
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