Downtown Grande Prairie (photo by Shaun Penner)

By Liam Verster

Develop the Downtown Core

City offers $500,000 in grants to support development and growth of downtown core

Jul 17, 2020 | 6:00 AM

The City is supporting the development of Grande Prairie’s downtown core through a series of grants.

Under the Downtown Incentive Program, three grants, the Urban Residential Grant, the Patio Grant, and the Demolition Grant, will provide a grand total of $500,000 in funding to support the creation and growth of a vibrant downtown city centre.

Rebecca Leigh, the Economic Development Manager for the City of Grande Prairie, says the Urban Residential Grant is designed to incentivize developers to build more residential spaces and increase density within the downtown boundary.

“The Urban Residential Grant is a per-unit grant. So, new residential development is eligible for either $10,000 per dwelling unit in apartment buildings, or $15,000 per dwelling unit in mixed-use apartment buildings.”

Mixed-use buildings consist of commercial spaces, as well as residential spaces.

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Along with funding on a per-unit model, residential projects under the Urban Residential Development Grant may qualify for a three-year tax deferral on an incremental assessed value, and a matching grant to a maximum of $50,000 for upsizing water and wastewater connections.

The Patio Grant, designed to encourage businesses to invest in outside seating, will provide 50 per cent of the cost to build a patio, up to $5,000. Leigh says while Grande Prairie is a winter city, she is hopeful that downtown businesses take advantage of this grant.

“Recognizing we do have a fairly short patio season, but we’re hoping that businesses will use this grant to invest in patio amenities and spaces that will be able to be re-used again for multiple years. [The grant] also encourages businesses to look at opportunities to turn their patio spaces into year-round outdoor living opportunities. I think there are some great examples, both in our community and other winter cities, where businesses and restaurants have created year-round, winter-appropriate type outdoor spaces. So, we’re encouraging businesses to get creative.”

She adds that the City is very excited about this grant, especially this year, as extra outdoor seating could help businesses, especially restaurants, maintain social distancing under the COVID-19 guidelines.

The final grant, the Demolition Grant, will help cover 50 per cent of the cost of removing a building, up to $50,000.

The grants are being awarded on a first-come-first-serve basis, and applications will be reviewed before being approved. There are no caps on any of the three grants, but the City will only be giving out a total of $500,000 in funding through the program.