Submitted By: Charlita Whitehead
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Presentation By: Aubrey Hale
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Department: Growth Management
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
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Approve a Downtown Commercial Building Improvement Grant not to exceed $50,000 for property located at 14 South Magnolia Avenue
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OCALA’S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Economic Hub, Quality of Place
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND: The intent of the Downtown Commercial Building Improvement Grant program is to encourage private investment into commercial properties in the Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) area. The program addresses key statutorily defined blight conditions that currently exist in the CRA including vacant or underutilized commercial space, obsolete or substandard interior spaces, inadequate life safety and/or accessibility provisions, and deteriorating or inappropriate facades.
Priority work elements are: (1) Improvements to meet Building Codes for Accessibility; Fire Protection; and Life Safety; (2) Conversion of upper floor space to residential; (3) Removal and replacement of inappropriate or incomplete exterior restoration of original façades, including installation of appropriate storefront windows; (4) Other fixed improvements related to build-out or additions. Fixed build-out improvements include walls & structural elements, electric, plumbing, HVAC, lighting - interior & storefront, flooring & ceiling, and kitchen equipment for restaurants. The maximum annual grant is $50,000 and the required match is 50 percent of the project cost. Following is a summary of the application.
|
Grant# |
Address |
Applicant |
Project Description |
|
CRA24-45569 |
14 S. Magnolia Avenue |
Marley Mae Designs, LLC |
Construct a new stairway to access 2nd floor, storefront doors, and ADA improvements |
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS: The Downtown Grant Review Committee conducted a site visit to meet with the applicant on January 12, 2024, and recommended the application request be approved. The Downtown CRA Advisory Committee approved the application request on February 27, 2024.
The recommendation on the application grant amount is as follows:
|
Grant# |
Project Cost |
Eligible Cost |
Grant Amount Recommendation |
|
CRA24-45569 |
$109,600 |
$102,350 |
$50,000 (Max) |
FISCAL IMPACT: The unencumbered balance of the Downtown CRA Grant Account 621-016-012-559-55-82010 is $1,051,514. If the grant is approved, the remaining balance will be $1,001,514. The account balance includes a carryforward of $558,901 from Fiscal Year 2023.
PROCUREMENT REVIEW: N/A
LEGAL REVIEW: N/A
ALTERNATIVE:
• Approve with changes
• Table
• Deny