The city of Gainesville will soon start accepting applicants for $2 million in improvement grants to revitalize homes, businesses and vacant lots along NE Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road.
The funds come through the Gainesville Community Reinvestment Area (GCRA) and fit as part of the city’s efforts to renovate its nearby municipal complex that houses Citizens Field, Fire Station 3, Dwight H. Hunter Pool and the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center.
The Gainesville City Commission approved the grant program in October. The city is also in talks to sell Citizens Field to the School Board of Alachua County for a new stadium.
“We’ve talked extensively about our community’s vision for modernizing Citizens Field and the Martin Luther King Jr. Multipurpose Center,” Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward said in a city press release. “Using a portion of that funding to bring fresh renovation into the neighborhoods is exciting.”
The GCRA started in 2019 as a 10-year partnership between Alachua County and the city of Gainesville. The county is the biggest contributor to the GCRA but leaves planning and coordinating programs and projects to the city.
Gainesville said the grant area includes around 91 homes and businesses. The owners can apply for grants to increase curb appeal, upgrade lighting and accessibility, remodel existing buildings or develop vacant parcels. The grant awards will range from $7,500 for small homes to $100,000 for commercial or institutional properties.
“As the majority funding entity of the GCRA, the County is very supportive of programs that provide direct benefit to our residents and businesses in need in east Gainesville,” Alachua County Chair Ken Cornell said in a county press release.
Before funding starts, the city plans to launch an educational campaign and workshops to let owners learn more and assist with applications.
Gainesville said the grants will have a rolling application deadline, with funding available through future phases.
“The program provides financial incentives to help home and property owners make important upgrades,” GCRA Director Rick Smith said in the press release. “We hope the additional public investment will spark a wave of redevelopment that leads to commercial expansion, job creation and private sector partnerships.”
Information about property criteria, a map of both corridors, and an explanation of grant categories is posted on the Economic Development Eighth & Waldo section of the city’s website.