3655 Schedule "A" - To Amend By-Law 3191 - Community Improvement Plan - Dereham Forge Community Improvement Plan AreaAMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
TOWN OF TILLSONBURG
DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY
IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Enacted on September 25th, 2006, by By-law# 3191
Amended on November 26th, 2012 by By-Law# 3655
Town of Tillsonburg
Corporate Offices-Town Centre Mall
200 Broadway, Second Floor
Tillsonburg ON N4G 5A7
Telephone: (519) 688-3009
Fax: (519) 842-9431
Email: dsamis@tillsonburg.ca or
gvanhaelewyn@tillsonburg.ca
Website: www.tillsonburg.ca
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
7.2.1 Financial Incentive Programs:
This section outlines the financial incentive programs that may be implemented
by the Town through the Community Improvement plan. These incentive
programs are designed to stimulate and assist new development, redevelopment
and rehabilitation of vacant, underutilized or deteriorated properties in the
downtown and will be funded by way of both grants and loans.
The following general implementation and eligibility criteria shall apply to all
financial incentive programs offered through this plan:
• Grants will only be paid out after the applicable improvements have been
completed and inspected by the Town and all outstanding work orders
have been satisfied;
• The taxes for a property must be paid up in full before any grant or loan is
paid to an eligible property owner and shall be kept up to date during the
period of time participation in the program occurs, otherwise such grant or
loan shall be forfeited any grant or loan shall be repaid to the Town;
• If a property is under an assessment appeal, the grant or loan application
will be held in abeyance until the appeal is resolved;
• Any program applicant may be required to provide a business plan for the
proposed works as part of the application;
• Participating property owners will be required to enter into an agreement
with the Town specifying such items as the level of loan or grant available
and the terms and conditions associated with the loan or grant, including
the circumstances whereby an owner would be obligated to repay the
Town for any loans or grants received;
• If a building, erected or improved with a program grant or loan, is
demolished prior to the expiry of the grant or loan period, or the property in
not maintained in a satisfactory state of repair consistent with Town By-
laws, the grant or loan is forfeited and will be recovered by the Town;
• To be eligible for any of the funding programs, the proposed work shall
conform with all Town policies, standards and procedures including
zoning, site plan guidelines, fac;:ade and design guidelines, and heritage
matters and will be subject to review and the issuance of all required
planning and development approvals and building permits;
• In no case shall the total level of grant or loan provided to an applicant
under the Community Improvement Plan exceed the cost of rehabilitation;
• All applications for loan assistance under this community improvement
plan will be considered on a 'first come, first served' basis and will be
restricted to the limit of budgeted funding. Should the number of eligible
projects exceed the annual funding available, those eligible projects will be
held in queue until funding becomes available the following year;
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
• The Town will make available a maximum annual amount of $200,000 for
all grant and loan programs available through this community
improvement plan;
• Prior to approving an application under this community improvement plan,
the Town reserves the right to request an independent audit of the
applicants accounts, at the expense of the applicant, and to ensure that all
other work orders or requests to comply from all other departments and
agencies have been satisfactorily addressed;
• The Town may, at any time, discontinue a program, however, any
participants in the program prior to its closing will continue to receive loans
or grants as approved for their property until the conclusion of their
project.
The following is a description of each of the financial incentive programmes being
offered, together with associated implementation details.
A. Fa~ade Improvement Loan Program
This program is intended to encourage exterior renovations which are in keeping
with the historical/heritage characteristics of buildings within the downtown area.
This program allows Town Council to approve individual loans for the cost of
fa<;ade improvement, on 50/50 matching contribution basis, to a maximum of
$40,000 per building. The Town requires that the improvements be maintained
as approved for the 10-year loan period. The repayment schedule is set up so
that the greater of $1,000 or 10% of the loan amount is payable annually on tax
due dates.
Eligible improvements consist of external repairs to facades and rear entrances,
including signage, entrances and display windows. Interior and roof work will
not be covered.
B. Building Code Upgrade Loan Program
Where a project is proposed to renovate and/or redevelop residential or
commercial space in existing buildings, Town Council can approve a loan to
cover the capital cost of health and safety related improvements, on a 50/50
matching contribution basis, up to a maximum of $40,000 per building.
The required agreement would specify the eligible works and a 1 0-year loan
period. The repayment schedule is set up so that the greater of $1,000 or 10%
of the loan amount is payable annually on tax due dates.
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
C. Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation and Redevelopment and New
Residential Unit Grant Programs:
Development, redevelopment and rehabilitation in the downtown area is
generally more difficult to achieve due to higher land costs, demolition costs and
the costs of retrofitting older buildings to meet current Building Code and Fire
Code requirements.
To counteract this disincentive, the proposed grant programs will provide for
annual grants back to the land owner to offset the increase in taxes resulting
from reassessment due to physical improvement works occurring during the
specific time period the program is in effect. If there is a general increase in the
tax rate, or if the County of Oxford adjusts the tax ratios, or if the improvement
works result in a change in tax classification, the property would not be exempt
from such increases. The grant is only intended to grant back the local municipal
tax increase and Business Improvement Area (BIA) levy which would occur as a
result of building improvements resulting in increased assessment.
The percentage of the grant which would be available will be based on the type
of project being proposed. For example a higher percentage tax increment-
based grant would be applied to renovation projects, as opposed to demolition
and new development, to encourage the retention and reuse of historical
buildings or exterior renovations which are in keeping with the downtown
fac;ade/streetscape. The addition of new residential units within existing buildings
in the downtown area would also receive a higher grant than new development.
The program will be established for a specific period of time (ie. from 2006 to
2011) and be reviewed with respect to its success upon completion.
The details of these proposed grant programs are provided below:
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Under the program, properties that are re-assessed as a result of
renovation, rehabilitation, or redevelopment would be eligible to apply for a
grant during a set period of time following approved work that would trigger
a reassessment
It is intended that the grant would be available on a once per property
basis and that it would be transferable to a subsequent owner of the same
property once approved.
At the time of building permit application the owner would provide the
value of the rehabilitation/redevelopment work to be undertaken and the
pre-construction taxes on the building or land shall be noted and used as a
benchmark or 'base year' tax amount.
After completion of the project the property will be reassessed and taxes
will be paid by the property owner in the normal fashion.
The difference between the 'pre-construction' taxes and the 'post-
construction' taxes (associated with the improvement as opposed to any
class change) will be calculated and this difference would be the portion
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
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eligible for a full or partial tax increment-based grant to the owner for the
specific period of time the program is in effect. Grant applications
approved near the end of the program will be permitted to be finalized
according to the terms of the program.
The portion to be granted back only includes the increase in municipal
taxes and BIA levy associated with the improvement. The portion of
municipal taxation levied for Education and Upper Tier purposes will not
be granted back.
A grant schedule will be incorporated within the required agreement
setting out the annual grant to be received in each subsequent year.
Payment of the grant will be made once per year by the Town.
The grant will be payable on a 'declining basis' over the time period the
grant program is in effect as set out in the details relating to each type of
grant program as set out below.
The time period for which a grant would be available would be a maximum
of 5 years following construction.
The objectives and proposed grant rates relating to each of these categories of
potential grant programs are outlined in more detail below.
Rehabilitation, Renovation or Redevelopment Grants:
This category of grant program would apply to existing buildings or property that
are rehabilitated, renovated or redeveloped resulting in an increase in
assessment. The purpose of the grant is to encourage and stimulate
revitalization and re-use of existing buildings and property.
The grant schedule for this program will be 80% of the increase in the municipal
portion of the taxes and BIA levy in year one, decreasing to 60% in year two,
50% in year three, 40% in year four and 30% in year five following reassessment.
The portion of municipal taxation levied for Education and Upper Tier purposes
will not be granted back.
New Residential Dwelling Unit(s) Grant:
This category of grant program would apply to proposals to create one or more
new residential dwelling units through the rehabilitation, renovation or addition to
existing buildings. The purpose of the grant is to encourage an increase in the
residential population living near the core.
The grant schedule for this program will be 90% of the increase in the municipal
portion of the taxes, decreasing to 70% in year two, 70% in year three, 60% in
year four and 50% in year five, 40% in year six, 30% in year seven, 20% in year
eight, 1 0% in year nine and 0% in year 10 following reassessment. The portion
of municipal taxation levied for Education and Upper Tier purposes will not be
granted back.
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
D. Application and Permit Fees Grant:
This category of grant program applies to grants to reduce or eliminate
development application and permit fees to encourage new development,
redevelopment and rehabilitation in the Downtown Area. Currently, the Town
charges $45 for the first $1,000 of construction value and $10 for each additional
$1,000 of construction value for new construction and interior/exterior
renovations for all building permits, $350 for application for minor variance and
site plan approval and $650 for a zone change. These fees are intended to
offset the administrative costs associated with processing the application. Since
many of these application and permits are required for internal and external
alterations, renovations, new construction and demolition, these fees can be
significant. Therefore, the removal or reduction of such fees through a grant from
the Town serves as an incentive to encourage downtown investment.
In this regard, the Town may offer rebate grants to applicants undertaking
development, redevelopment or rehabilitation of properties in the Downtown
Area, consistent with the goals of this Plan. The fees that may be offset through
this grant program include those for building permits, change of use permits,
planning applications, zoning certificates etc.
E. Reducing or Waiving Development Charges
In keeping with the Town's objectives of encouraging development in the
downtown area, a further economic incentive would be the reduction or waiving
of Development Charges for downtown projects. In particular this incentive
would be a catalyst to encourage additional downtown residential unit creation.
Increasing the number of downtown residents it is anticipated that their daily
activities will be more likely to be supportive of downtown services and facilities,
thus enhancing the health and vibrancy of the core.
Currently, the existing Town Development Charge for each new apartment unit
created in the Town is $1,306.11 for bachelor and 1 bedroom units and
$1,741.48 for 2+ bedroom units. Development Charges are intended to fund new
growth related infrastructure costs. Within the Downtown Area, municipal
infrastructure has recently been upgraded and the level of new residential growth
which is likely to occur would not place further demands on current infrastructure
that would result in a requirement for oversizing. In order to exempt a particular
area or category of use from Development Charges the current Development
Charges By-law would need to be amended in accordance with Section 2(7) of
the Development Charges Act, to exempt a specific area, such as that of the
Downtown Area Community Improvement Plan. This initiative would require
more detailed analysis and consideration by Town Council during the next review
of the Development Charges By-law, to determine the potential financial impacts
to the Town.
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AMENDMENT -TOWN OF TILLSONBURG DOWNTOWN AREA COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN
F. Historical/Heritage Characteristics Building Renovation Grant
This grant is intended to encourage exterior renovations which are in keeping
with the historical/heritage characteristics of buildings within the CIP area. The
guidelines intended to apply to all buildings and properties that are identified by
the Town as being of 'heritage character' value and contributing to the overall
heritage character is set out in the Town of Tillsonburg Central Area Design
Study, Section 3.1.
In this regard, the Town may offer rebate grants to applicants undertaking
redevelopment or rehabilitation of properties in the CIP area consistent with the
Tillsonburg Central Area Design Study. The costs that may be offset through this
grant program include signage, windows, doors and exterior updates. This grant
program allows Town Council to approve individual rebate grants to a maximum
of $5,000.00 per building
G. Concept Design Assistance Grant
This grant program is designed to help offset costs of consultants and or
Architects to provide the conceptual design of a project which is proposed to
renovate and/or redevelop residential or commercial buildings. The design must
be consistent with the Tillsonburg Central Area Design Study in keeping with the
historical/heritage characteristics of buildings within the CIP area.
Eligible concept designs will be in keeping or restoring the historical/heritage
characteristics of buildings. These designs shall consist of external repairs,
including facades and entrances, and signage but shall not include internal
design concepts.
This grant program allows Town Council to approve individual rebate grants to a
maximum of $5,000.00 per building for concept design costs.
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