Title
Façade Improvement Grant at 2122 Freedom Drive
Action
Action:
Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute a Business Matching Grant contract, not to exceed $133,000, with Summit Avenue Freeberry, LLC for façade improvements at the former Goodwill Building.
Body
Staff Resource(s):
Patrick Mumford, Economic Development
Todd DeLong, Economic Development
Lori Lencheski, Economic Development
Explanation
§ In 2012, City Council approved the Business Corridor Plan Update (the Plan) as a framework for improving priority business corridors in the city, including Freedom Drive.
§ The Plan calls for establishing partnerships between public and private sectors to leverage City dollars to meet the City’s revitalization goals.
§ The Plan includes Façade Improvement and Security Programs that provide matching grants to remove blight and reduce the opportunity for crime.
§ In November 2017, the City received an application from Summit Avenue Freeberry, LLC (Owner) for a façade improvement matching grant.
§ Staff representing Economic Development, Engineering, Planning, Urban Forestry, Code Enforcement, Land Development, and CDOT, reviewed the application and agreed the project scope meets the agreed upon goals for blight removal.
§ The application includes façade improvements that increase the usage from a single tenant to multi-tenant, with new exterior painting, windows/doors and exterior paving and roof repair. It also includes removing and installing new landscaping.
§ The estimated project cost exceeds $1 million and the Owner is eligible for a maximum matching grant of $133,000.
§ The Owner has received a Security Grant, which provides a 50% match of applicable expenditures up to $5,000. Working with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and the Economic Development Department, the Owner anticipates installing an alarm system with cameras, exterior perimeter lighting, and upgrading other security features such as door locks.
§ In making this recommendation, staff considered the following factors:
- The property is located along one of the City’s priority corridors within the Business Corridor Revitalization Geography.
- The property consists of a large warehouse building being renovated for multiple tenants located at a key intersection that serves as a gateway into a commercial area and Uptown.
- The developer has worked with the City on past projects that leveraged our funds to ensure continued corridor success through additional private investment.
- While not part of this application, the owner is working with the City and CMPD to increase security and safety for the project through Security Improvement Grant funds.
Fiscal Note
Funding: General Community Investment Fund (Business Corridor Revitalization Program)
Attachments
Attachment(s)
Map
Rendering of proposed improvements