Submitted By: Roberto Ellis
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Presentation By: Roberto Ellis
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Department: Growth Management
STAFF RECOMMENDATION (Motion Ready):
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Approve revisions to the residential grant programs available in the East Ocala Community Redevelopment Agency subarea and West Ocala Community Redevelopment Agency subarea
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OCALA'S RELEVANT STRATEGIC GOALS:
Quality of Place, Economic Hub
PROOF OF PUBLICATION:
N/A
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BACKGROUND: One of the statutory functions of a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is to undertake activities that facilitate the redevelopment and improvement of properties. Incentive programs encouraging private investment in properties have proven successful in carrying out this redevelopment function. The CRA residential grant programs encourage homeowners to make improvements that enhance the CRA, increase safety, and reverse deteriorating trends in specific neighborhoods. Preserving and expanding the supply of appropriately maintained housing is crucial in improving affordability while reducing blight.
Staff proposes the following changes to the respective residential grant programs:
East Ocala CRA subarea:
1. Add termite tenting to the list of eligible work.
2. Reduce the City's match for roof improvements from 75 percent to 50 percent. All other work items will remain funded at 75 percent.
West Ocala CRA subarea:
1. Add termite tenting to the list of eligible work.
The East Ocala CRA Advisory Committee recommended reducing the City's match for roof improvements to encourage applicants to pursue more comprehensive property enhancements. Since the scope of the grant was expanded, there has been an influx of applications specifically targeting roof improvements.
The presence of termites can accelerate the deterioration of structures, creating potential code violations and unsafe living conditions for occupants. Termite tenting effectively removes existing pest infestations and is a preventative measure against future infes...
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