Downtown Grande Prairie business owners can now apply for several grants to help increase the vibrancy of the downtown core. The Downtown Incentives Program consists of three programs: Urban Residental Development, Patio, and Demolitonal grants.
The Urban Residential Development Grant looks for developers looking to add residential and mixed-use development in the downtown area, with a maximum of $10,000 per unit for an apartment building, or $15,000 per for mixed-use building which can be used for infill development and redevelopment.
The Patio Grant allows downtown businesses to develop outdoor patio space, with as much as $5,000 up for grabs per business. The Demolition Grant offers a 50 per cent matching grant up to a maximum of $50,000 to help remove a structure within the downtown core boundaries.
In total, the city is offering up $500,000 in grant money and applications will be accepted for the remainder of the year or until funding runs out. Applications are reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis.