Dated properties get a kick-start in Norfolk
City awards grants to revitalize business facades; 2nd round open
Norfolk residents Paul Amodio and Tyler Sherwin had watched businesses close and storefronts wither for about two decades in an industrial part of the Park Place neighborhood before they decided to buy property there.
But noticing the recent momentum for economic growth in the surrounding area, the military veterans bought two properties in the 2400 block of Granby Street. For two years they have been trying to redevelop it as their first foray into commercial development.
“We thought it was a great opportunity to bring that part of Granby, which has been underutilized, to life,” Amodio said.
A corridor improvement grant from the city will now serve as the “firecracker” to kick-start the expansion plans Amodio and Sherwin have for a potential cafe and storefront at 2412 and 2410 Granby Street.
The business Norfolk Candle is temporarily operating out of 2410 Granby, while an ailing antique store at 2412 Granby was condemned and is slated for demolition. The plan is for the current candle storefront to be converted back into a diner with a potential speakeasy planned for the back of the building and the candle store to move into the new space.
The grant will help with the improvements, according to Amodio.
Earlier this year the city opened the facade improvement grant program to business and property owners seeking to bring new life to storefronts outside downtown.
The Economic Development Authority board approved distributing almost $474,000 to the winners of this first grant cycle, which ended Sept. 8.
Six of the 11 winning applications were in Riverview, with three other winners on 35th Street and two in Park Place, according to EDA documents. Almost half the winners were restaurants or retail.
The city received 70 applications for the grants, with 30 making it to committee review, EDA staff member Nihal Vasty said at the board’s October meeting.
In total, the city is seeking to give out $1.2 million of these grants, sourced from American Rescue Plan Act dollars, across the three periods. The second round opened Oct. 16 and closes Nov. 17.
“We’re going to have two more rounds of this before it closes out with the goal of deploying all the capital over the three sets, but this one was heavily focused on target corridors, so the scoring favored applicants in those target corridors,” said Carter Smith, an EDA board member who was part of the grant selection committee.
That scoring, which was targeted to the Riverview and 35th Street corridors for the first round of grants, won’t extend to the next grant cycles. Those who applied but weren’t awarded the grants are eligible to reapply.
“We saw some very credible assets that just were technically lacking something that they can shore up” before applying again, Smith said.
To apply for the façade grants, applicants must be for-profit and based in Norfolk. The building must be code-conforming and the applicant must be in good financial standing with the government and current on all city taxes, permits and fees, according to city documents.
Tenants must also have at least 18 months left on their lease. Applicants must also attend a mandatory grant session to be considered.
More information about dates and times for the sessions is available online at Norfolkdevelopment. com.
Property owners and tenants are eligible for $50,000 and $25,000 grants, respectively, with a 10% match, to go toward improvements such as awnings, murals, HVAC, wall installation and fire suppression as well as architectural/design services.
Vasty, who will also monitor grant compliance, said the funding will come through reimbursement requests and a verified a paper trail.
Amodio said the staff working with him and Sherwin have been helpful.
“We’re wanting to … revitalize that corner, and this grant has gotten us started,” Amodio said.