Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) Grant Program

Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) Grant Program is sponsored by City of Orillia. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 1 of 7 The provision of financial incentive programs funded through the Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan (DTCIP) demonstrates Council’s commitment to stimulating economic revitalization within the downtown and furthering the objectives of the Downtown Tomorrow Plan.

The purpose of the Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel (hereafter referred to as the Review Panel) is to establish parameters for reviewing applications for financial incentive program grants offered through the DTCIP. The objective of this policy is to ensure all applications are reviewed and assessed equitably and consistently.

DTCIP financial incentive program grants are intended to stimulate economic activity by providing financial support to owners and tenants of property within the Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Project Area. The Review Panel will review and assess applications for DTCIP programs based on the associated program evaluation matrix.

a) Feasibility / Design Study Grant Program: provides support for an urban design study, professional architectural or design drawing(s), and eligible feasibility study.

b) Fees Grant Program: provides funding for fees paid on planning and development applications, demolition/building permits, and sign permits for façade and building improvements and construction projects approved and completed under any of the other incentive programs, excluding the Feasibility / Design Study Grant Program.

c) Façade Improvement Grant Program: promotes the rehabilitation, restoration and improvement of the front, side and rear facades of commercial, institutional, residential and mixed-use buildings, including retail storefront display areas and signage.

d) Building Improvement Grant Program: promotes the maintenance and physical improvement of existing commercial, institutional and mixed-use buildings and properties, in order to improve the attractiveness of the Project Area and provide safe and usable commercial, residential and mixed-use space.

CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 2 of 7 e) Residential Grant Program: promotes the renovation of existing residential units and the construction of new residential units through; i) Renovations to existing residential units in mixed use buildings to bring these units into compliance with the Building Code, Property Standards By-law and the Fire Code; or, ii) Conversion of excess commercial and vacant space on upper stories of commercial and mixed-use buildings to one or more net residential units; or, iii) The infilling of vacant lots with two or more net residential units.

f) Brownfields Tax Assistance Grant Program: encourages the remediation and rehabilitation of brownfield sites by providing a cancellation of property taxes on a property to assist with payment of the cost of environmental remediation, risk assessment or management.

g) Tax Assistance Grant Program: encourages and supports rehabilitation, redevelopment, infill and intensification projects by providing a financial incentive that reduces the property tax increase that can result from these various types of development. This incentive is also designed to assist in securing project financing.

h) Development Charge Grant Program: encourages and supports major “catalytic” projects by providing a financial incentive that reduces or completely removes the City’s development charge payable on such development projects. This incentive is also designed to assist in securing project financing.

Administration of the DTCIP shall operate under the following policies: a) Application for any of the incentive programs contained in this Plan can be made only for properties within the Community Improvement Project Area.

b) Existing and proposed land uses must be in conformity with applicable Official Plan, Zoning By-law and other planning requirements and approvals and / or the applicant will need to acknowledge that further land use approvals are required in order to remain eligible for the program. c) The applicant must be the owner of the property for the Residential Grant Program or the Brownfields Tax Assistance Grant Program.

d) If the applicant is not the owner of the property, the applicant must provide written consent from the owner of the property to make an application for the Feasibility / Design Study Grant Program, Fees Grant Program, Façade Improvement Grant Program Building Improvement Grant Program, Tax Increment Grant Program, or the Development Charge Grant Program.

CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 3 of 7 e) Applicants are eligible to receive a grant once per property per year (from the date of grant approval) to a maximum of two grants for any five-year period for Tier 1 and Tier 2 financial incentive programs.

f) Applicants are eligible to receive one Tier 3 grant per eligible property in a five-year period. g) Eligible properties that receive two Tier 1 or Tier 2 grants within a five-year period are not eligible for a Tier 3 grant. h) Grant programs are stackable as follows: • The Fees Grant Program is only applicable if the recipient has been approved for a Tax Increment Grant or Brownfields Tax Assistance Grant.

• The Feasibility / Design Study Grant Program is stackable with any Tier 2 program. • Tier 2 grant programs are stackable with any other Tier 2 grant program and / or the Feasibility / Design Study Grant. • The Development Charge Grant Program is not stackable.

• The Tax Increment Grant Program is stackable with the Brownfields Tax Assistance Grant Program. i) An application for any Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 CIP financial incentive program must be submitted to the City prior to the commencement of any works to which the financial incentive program will apply and prior to application for building permit.

j) An individual, corporation or other party who has litigation pending against the City is not eligible to apply for any of the incentive programs contained in this CIP. k) Municipal-owned properties are not eligible for the DTCIP programs. a) All applications for the DTCIP financial incentive program shall use a City of Orillia grant application form.

b) An application for any DTCIP financial incentive program must include plans, estimates, contracts, reports, rental rates, sale prices, and other details as required by the City to satisfy the City with respect to costs of the project and conformity of the project with the CIP.

c) The City may require that an applicant submit professional urban design studies and / or professional architectural / design drawings that are in conformity with the Design Principles and Guidelines put in place by the City. d) For Tier 3 grant programs, the City may require that the applicant submit a Business Plan or impact studies, such as traffic studies and studies of microclimatic conditions (sun, shadow, wind).

e) For Tier 3 projects on brownfield sites, the City may require that the applicant submit a professional Phase II ESA, Remedial Work Plan, or Risk Assessment Plan prepared by a qualified person that contains: CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 4 of 7 • An estimate of the cost of actions that will be required to reduce the concentration of contaminants on, in, or under the property to permit a record of site condition (RSC) to be filed in the Environmental Site Registry under Section 168.

4 of the Environmental Protection Act; and, • A work plan and budget for said environmental remediation and / or risk management actions. f) As a condition of application approval, the applicant will be required to enter into a grant agreement with the City. This Agreement will specify the terms, duration and default provisions of the incentive to be provided.

g) Where other sources of government and / or non-profit organization funding (Federal, Provincial, Municipal, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), Federation of Canadian Municipalities, etc.) that can be applied against the eligible costs are anticipated or have been secured, these must be declared as part of the application, and accordingly, the grant from the City may be reduced on a pro-rated basis.

h) All proposed works approved under the financial incentive programs and associated improvements to buildings and / or land must conform to the Design Principles and Guidelines, the Heritage Conservation District Guidelines (if required and as approved), and all other City guidelines, by-laws, policies, procedures, and standards.

i) When required by the City, outstanding work orders, orders or requests to comply, or other charges from the City must be satisfactorily addressed prior to grant approval and payment. j) Property taxes must be in good standing at the time of program application and throughout the entire length of the grant commitment. a) The Review Panel shall consist of the following members: i.

Director of Business Development (or designate) ii. General Manager of Development Services and Engineering (or designate) iii. Director of Financial Services / City Treasurer (or designate) iv.

Chief Building Official (or designate) v. A member of the Downtown Orillia BIA Board of Management (DOBIA) a) Application intake deadlines shall be imposed upon launch of the annual program. City staff have the discretion to amend deadlines as deemed necessary.

b) Applications and supporting materials for Tier 2 programs that are received before the deadline(s) that meet the criteria above will be reviewed by City staff against program eligibility requirements.

CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 5 of 7 c) City staff will review each application for completeness and may request further information from the applicant prior to deeming the application complete.

d) If the application is deemed complete, staff will determine eligible works and costs and forward to the Review Panel for consideration. If the Review Panel does not consider the application complete, they may request further plans and studies to deem the application complete.

e) If the application is not within the Community Improvement Area, or it is clear that the application does not meet the program eligibility criteria, the application will not be accepted. f) If staff determines that the application is not acceptable, the application will be returned to the applicant with a letter explaining the reason for not accepting the application.

g) Applications will be evaluated based on their ability to meet the evaluation criteria. Meeting the eligibility requirements and providing all of the pertinent information does not guarantee that an applicant will receive funding. h) Grants shall be used only for the community improvement purposes approved by Council.

i) Grant applications determined to be ineligible for funding shall be notified, in writing, of such determination. j) Staff will endeavour to present grant announcements through the Mayor’s Office where possible with a member of the Review Panel present, and all members of Council shall be advised of the presentation details in advance.

k) The DTCIP Review Panel will participate in the review process as follows: • Tier 1 Applications – The Review Panel will provide a recommendation to the Director of Business Development or designate, as outlined within the Delegated Authority By-law.

• Tier 2 Applications – The Review Panel will review and score the application in accordance with the applicable evaluation criteria and develop recommendations for grant approvals, grant values, grant agreement term dates, etc. • Tier 3 Applications – The Review Panel will review and score the application in accordance with the applicable evaluation criteria and develop recommendations for grant approvals, grant values, grant agreement term dates, etc. Recommendations will be outlined within a report for Council’s consideration.

Appointed Review Panel members or their family are not eligible to submit an application to the Community Improvement Program.

In the event that a Review Panel member wishes to submit an application, the member shall abstain from participating in the evaluation of all applications within that intake period and any subsequent intake periods for the remainder of the year and an alternate member shall be appointed from CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 6 of 7 the respective City Department or DOBIA to serve on the Review Panel for the remainder of the calendar year.

Any member of the Review Panel shall disclose any direct or indirect pecuniary interest for themselves or a family member and shall state the general nature of such interest.

Where a conflict of interest has been declared, the appointed Review Panel member must abstain from participating in the evaluation of all applications within that intake period and any subsequent intake periods for the remainder of the year and an alternate member shall be appointed from the respective City Department or DOBIA to serve on the Review Panel for the remainder of the calendar year.

a) All funding is subject to the availability of funds and the approval of the annual budget by Orillia City Council. b) Funding for each Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Financial Incentive Program will be determined on an annual basis. a) Applicants awarded funding will receive confirmation from the Business Development, Tourism and Modernization Division.

b) Funds will not be released until the project has been verified by City staff as complete as outlined in the original application. c) Cheques will be addressed as it appears on the application. d) Cheques shall be presented by the Business Development, Tourism and Modernization Division upon project completion.

a) Funds shall be used only for the purposes outlined in the original application. b) Changes that alter the intent of the original application may jeopardize future funding and require repayment of the grant as determined by the Review Panel . Acknowledgement of Support a) Staff will work with grant recipients to determine suitable recognition for the City’s level of investment.

At minimum, acknowledgement should appear with other funding partners in or on: ii. Verbal announcements – By mentioning support verbally in public announcements, presentations, press conferences and speeches. iii.

On signage in a prominent, visible location on the subject property for the duration of the project, as provided by the City of Orillia. b) An electronic version of the City logo can be obtained from the City’s Business Development, Tourism and Modernization Division.

CITY OF ORILLIA POLICY MANUAL Section 2 Grants Sub-Section 1 Community Grants Policy 3 Guidelines – Downtown Tomorrow Community Improvement Plan Review Panel Page 7 of 7 a) The recipient shall repay the whole or any part of the grant, as determined by the City, if the recipient: i. Is found to be in default of any of the general or program specific requirements, or any other requirement of the City; iii.

Sells the property for which the grant has been approved; iv. Has knowingly provided false information in its application; or v. Has failed to comply with the description of the works as provided in the application form and contained in the program agreement, with any amendments as approved by the City; vi.

Has not completed the eligible works within specified timeframes. b) Any unused portion of a grant remains the property of the City of Orillia. If any unused portion has already been paid to the recipient, it shall be repaid by the recipient upon request from the City.

Detailed reporting to Council will take place within the first quarter of each calendar year by staff of the Business Development, Tourism and Modernization Division and will include: a) Funds dispersed through the CIP incentive programs so as to determine which programs are being most utilized, and to adjust the programs as required; b) Feedback from applicants with regard to the incentive programs so that adjustments can be made to the incentive program, as required; and, c) Data provided by applicants and collected by staff pertaining to the economic impact associated with projects taking advantage of the CIP incentive programs.