Contact: LaShaun Middlebrooks Collier, Deputy Director of Communications,
Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency: (239) 321-7100
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CRA approves commercial property improvement grants for downtown
FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 22, 2024) – The Fort Myers Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) recently approved two Commercial Property Improvement Matching Grants for the Downtown Redevelopment Area.
In December, the CRA had announced that due to a high volume of applications, the 2023/24 funding cycle for the Downtown Redevelopment Area was closed. However, the Board of Commissioners approved another $500,000 to add to the Downtown CPI Matching Grant budget. With these two grants, $323,799.80 remains available for funding.
The first grant was approved for Valoro Arms Owner LLC., located at 2310 First St. in the not-to- exceed amount of $50,000.00. The funds will be used to patch exterior damage from Hurricane Ian and repaint the façade.
The second was approved for the not-to- exceed amount of $29,085.00 for Shockey & Grunberg Trust, a.k.a. Oasis Restaurant, located at 2260 Dr. MLK Blvd. Oasis will use this grant to install new fencing, parking lot improvements, new signage and replacement of damaged awnings.
The CRA Commercial Property Improvement Grant Program is a matching grant for commercial property owners and businesses within Fort Myers redevelopment areas. The maximum potential grant available for a project in Tier I is 75 percent of the total eligible expenditure, with a maximum award of $50,000. The Fort Myers CRA has offered commercial preservation incentives/ grant programs since 2010 and grant awards are based on the availability of funds.
More information on the CRA’s Commercial Property Improvement Grant Program can be found at https://www.fortmyerscra.com/incentives/commercial-property-improvement-matching-grant.
