Press Release

November 1st is the deadline for submitting applications for funding under the City's four competitive grant programs designed to encourage building improvements within designated business districts. Grant application packages are available from the DeLand City Hall on Florida Avenue or from MainStreet DeLand Association located on the first floor of the Fish Building at 101 N. Woodland Boulevard. Work on grant projects may not commence before the grant application is approved by either the Community Redevelopment Agency or City Commission. A summary of each grant program is provided below. For further information please contact either Dale Arrington, DeLand Community Development Director, at 386.740.5751 or MainStreet DeLand Executive Director at 386.738.0649.

Gateway Corridor Business Improvement Grants

Total City Grant funds available: $20,000

Program Summary: Commercial properties located within the City's gateway corridors (for example: East and West New York Avenue or International Speedway Blvd. are eligible to apply for funding to improve their exterior appearance. Projects must be located with the City limits. Eligible projects may receive grant awards of up to 50% of the projected cost as a reimbursement for expenditures, with no single grants exceeding $5,000 unless determined to be an exceptional project by the Economic Development Committee. Although routine maintenance is not an eligible expense, a wide variety of projects are eligible to receive matching grant funds.

Example of eligible projects include.

• Exterior building renovation which improves the appearance of the facility.
• Installation of landscape butters where non exist.
• Repainting building exterior from load garish colors to earth tones or pastels, and
• Replace of older no-conforming signs with monument sign and foundation landscaping.

 Downtown Facade Grants

Total City Grant funds available: $10,000

Program Summary: Matching Grants are available to downtown property owners and merchants within the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) for rehabilitation of building facades. Eligible projects may receive Grant Awards of up to 50% of total project cost as a reimbursement for expenditures with no single grant exceeding $2,500. Unusual projects requiring additional funds may be referred to the CRA by the MainStreet Grant Committee for further consideration.

Example of eligible projects include:

• Repairing exterior building to approved historic colors
• Replacing dilapidated awning structure
• Restoring brickwork on exterior facades.

 Downtown Underutilized Building Grants

Total City Grant funds available: $20,000

Program Summary: The Underutilized Building Fund provides grants of up to $20,000 to retrofit existing vacant buildings or underutilized building within the downtown CRA. In order to qualify the building or portion of the building to benefit from the project must be vacant for a minimum of two years. Businesses that will provide retail, commercial, service industry, warehouse or any other business service to the community are eligible to apply for assistance.

Examples of eligible projects include:

• Restoring empty store fronts for retail use
• Installation of fire escapes or elevators to establish office uses on an unused second floor.
• Replacing electrical wiring in an entire building to establish second story retail and office uses in unused building areas.

 Downtown Residential Grants

Total City Grant funds available: $10,000

Program Summary: The downtown Residential Development Grant program provides matching grants to property owners for projects in the following priority areas: construction of new dwelling within the CRA; renovation of existing buildings in the CRA for residential usage, preparation of building construction documents for new or existing building conversions for residential usage; or for site design and engineering for new residential structures on vacant land. Eligible projects can receive matching funds of up to 50 percent of the total project costs as a reimbursement with no single grant exceeding $7,500.00.

Gateway Business Improvement Program

Matching Grants are available to property owners for improving the appearance of business located within DeLand's gateways. Eligible projects may receive Grant Awards of up to 50% of total project cost as a reimbursement for expenditures with no single grant exceeding $5,000. Only one project per premise (defined as a single parcel of property on the Volusia County Property Appraiser's Records) may be submitted. Upon recommendation of the Economic Development Committee, the city commission may award larger grants for exceptional projects.

Gateway Areas

Section 33-36.03 of the City's Land Development code describes three gateway areas. Grants may be awarded to business (commercial, retail and service, industrial, warehouse, wholesale or office use) in the City limits within any of these three areas.

1. Core Gateway District. All areas encompassed by or located within the following described area except those within the Downtown DeLand Tax Increment District:

• Plymouth Avenue on the north between Plymouth and Beresford Avenue
• Hill Avenue on the east between Plymouth and Beresford Avenues.
• Beresford Avenue on the south, between Hill and Boundary Avenues.
• Boundary Avenue on the west, between Beresford and Plymouth Avenues.

2. Redevelopment Gateway District: Properties on any of the following roadway segments:

• North Woodland Boulevard - from Plymouth Avenue to U.S. 92
• East New York Avenue - from Hill Avenue to Kepler Road
• South Woodland Avenue - from Beresford Avenue to SR 472
• West New York Avenue - from Boundary Avenue to the west corporate limit line
• SR 15A - from Beresford Avenue to Plymouth Avenue

3. Emerging Gateway District: Properties located on any of the following roadway segments:

• Kepler Road and Martin Luther King Blvd. - from US 92 to SR 472
• East New York Avenue (SR 44) - from Hill Avenue to I-4
• West New York Avenue (SR 44) - from SR 15A to the CSX Railroad
• SR 15A - from Plymouth Avenue to US 17
• SR 15A - from Beresford Avenue to US 17/92
• International Speedway Blvd. (US 92) - from US 17 to Old Daytona Road
• CR 92 - from US 17 - to SR 15A
• Woodland Blvd. (US 17) - from International Speedway Blvd. to SR 15A
• Orange Camp Rd. - from US 17/92 to I-4
• County Rd 4139 - from SR 44 to I-4
• Taylor Rd. - from US 17/92 to Martin Luther King Blvd.
• Stone St. - from Plymouth Ave. north to CR 92.
• Interstate 4 - from 600' N of SR 44 to 600' S of Orange Camp Rd.

Types of Eligible Projects

This program is designed to offer a one time award to improve the appearance of gateway properties. A wide variety of projects are eligible to receive matching grant funds.

Examples of eligible projects include:

• Exterior building renovation which improves the appearance of the facility
• Pressure washing or repainting the exterior of discolored buildings
• Repainting exterior buildings form loud or garish colors to earth tones or pastels
• Installation of landscape buffers where non exist
• Installation of tree islands or landscape islands in older non-conforming parking lots.
• Replacement of older non-conforming signs with monument signs and foundation landscaping.

General building or facility maintenance is not eligible for funding under this program. Examples of activities ineligible for funding under most circumstances include:

• Building reroofs
• Parking lot re-striping
• Replacement of dead or diseased landscape materials or re-sodding lawn areas
• Installation of irrigation systems
• Properties that are in violation of city codes are usually not eligible for funding

The MainStreet DeLand Association shall manage the program in collaboration with the City Community Development Department. The program is subject to overall policy direction, general oversight and final approval of all grant awards by the DeLand City Commission based upon recommendations from the City Economic Development Committee. MainStreet DeLand Association shall receive all applications. The MainStreet Executive Director will work the City Community Development Director to ensure all applications are complete and comply with the codes and ordinances of the City. All complete applications will be forward to the City's Economic Development Committee for review and recommendations. The Committee's recommendations will be forwarded to the DeLand City Commission for final approval.

Awards of Funds

Once an award is made, MainStreet DeLand shall be responsible for preparing documentation for payment of eligible expenses. The grant program works on a reimbursement basis and eligible expenses must be documented by a detailed receipt and cancelled check. Upon validation of the request for reimbursement, MainStreet DeLand will submit a request for payment to the City Community Development Department. Approximately four weeks are needed to process the request for reimbursement.

Business Improvement Grant Application Scoring Criteria

Each application will be reviewed by the Executive Director of MainStreet DeLand Association, Inc., the City's Community Development Director, and the members of the City's Economic Development Committee. In addition to using their judgment about the impact on the community each application will be evaluated using technical criteria. The Executive Director and Community Development Director provide advice to the Economic Development Committee. This Committee makes a recommendation to the City Commission and the City Commission approves the grant award.

The application criteria provide the major till in which the Economic Development Committee determines it's grant awards recommendations.

The following criteria are used in scoring each application. Points are awarded in each area upon review of the applications. Brief descriptions and values of each criterion are as follows:

1) APPLICATION CONTENT AND THOROUGHNESS
Completeness of the application document, including the required submittal documents and the extent to which the submitted application explains the improvements proposed to be made and how the improvements will improve the appearance of the premises.

A maximum of thirty (30) points will be awarded.

2) DIRECT BENEFITS TO APPEARANCE OF PREMISE
A maximum of thirty (30) points will be awarded for the anticipated improvement to the overall appearance of the Premises. A project that encompasses facade improvements, landscaping improvements and replacement of a non-conforming sign would receive a higher point award than a project only included installation of a new sign.

3) LEVERAGING
A maximum of twenty (20) points will be awarded based on the amount of other funds committed to the proposed improvement. The grant requires a minimum cash match of 50%. Previously expended funds do not qualify for consideration. This measures the extent to which other funds are committed to the proposed activity.

Bonus points will be awarded for additional match as follows:

4) LOCATION
An additional five point (5) point will be awarded to projects located on arterial roads.

5)FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY
A maximum of five (5) points will be awarded based on the financial feasibility of the project. This feasibility will be based on the projects' detail an cost reasonableness.

6) IMPACT ON COMMUNITY
An maximum of ten (10) points will be awarded on the project's potential impact to the community by improving the city's gateways, improving overall visual appearance and setting and example for further improvements in the area.

APPLICATION SCORING