On January 13, 2014, Town Council approved a pilot Community Improvement Plan to support the revitalization of Kerr Village. The plan includes a Building Façade Improvement Grant to provide property owners and tenants within the Kerr Village area with financial assistance to improve the exterior appearance of buildings and storefronts.
“This is a very exciting time for Kerr Village and for Oakville,” Mayor Rob Burton said. “Community improvement plans allow the town to work with business and property owners to find ways of enhancing their surroundings, and creating greater opportunities for economic growth. This grant is one incentive to make improvements possible in a way that reinforces the town’s commitment to creating a more livable Oakville.”
The Building Façade Improvement Grant provides funding for half the cost of eligible improvements to a maximum of $10,000, or $12,500 for corner properties. The grant will help support projects such as cleaning or painting of building façades; modifications to entrances including the installation of accessibility ramps; installation or repair of exterior lighting, awnings or canopies; and the repair or replacement of windows, doors, cornices and other architectural features.
The program is available for existing commercial, office and mixed-use buildings located south of Speers Road that have a building façade directly facing Kerr Street or Lakeshore Road. Façades on corner buildings which face side streets may also be considered.
A community improvement plan is a tool in the Planning Act that allows municipalities to look at areas throughout the community, such as emerging growth areas or downtown main street districts, which could be improved by maintenance, rehabilitation, development or redevelopment.
More information about the pilot project can be found on the Kerr Village Community Improvement Plan page.