Business & Community Facility Renovation Grant

The Business & Community Facility Renovation Grant is part of the City of Gainesville's Economic Development Eighth & Waldo program, which provides financial incentives intended to activate the economic potential of properties along the Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road corridor. The broader program seeks to reoccupy vacant buildings, enhance existing buildings, bring new jobs, services and amenities to the corridors, and improve their aesthetics. It emphasizes outcomes including job creation, business relocation or expansion, adaptive reuse, high-impact renovations, sustainability, and neighborhood compatibility. Eligible parcels must be located within the identified Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road program boundary. The Business & Community Facility Renovation Grant is specifically designed to help business and property owners modernize and improve existing commercial and institutional buildings along the Eighth Avenue and Waldo Road corridors. The program recognizes that buildings in the area may face outdated systems, poor accessibility, or visible deterioration that limits their functionality and appeal. It therefore targets underutilized or deteriorating properties where improvements can contribute to economic revitalization, support job creation, and retain or attract business activity. Grant amounts are based on the square footage of the structure. Buildings of 5,000 square feet or less may receive up to $50,000, while buildings greater than 5,000 square feet may receive up to $100,000. Applicants are required to provide a 1:1 private match. For example, an applicant receiving a $50,000 grant must provide a matching contribution of $50,000. Eligible expenditures include major interior renovation and buildout for business-ready space; electrical, HVAC, plumbing, and fire suppression upgrades; structural stabilization, roof replacement, and foundation repair; ADA improvements such as bathrooms, ramps, and elevators; fire suppression or other code compliance upgrades; facade improvements when integrated with the interior scope; and demising walls or partitions for tenant-ready space. Projects must be associated with the identified eligible parcels. Ineligible expenditures and projects include maintenance or cosmetic-only projects, projects without a clear commercial use or public access, work performed before grant approval, equipment, furniture, or inventory purchases, and work performed by unlicensed contractors. Residential-only properties, defined by the source as properties that are more than 50 percent residential by square footage, are ineligible. Government-owned properties and political institutions are also excluded. Exterior work is generally excluded from this grant because such improvements are addressed through the separate Site Improvement Grant. Applications for this grant could be submitted in person, by mail, or online. The source does not provide a separate pre-application requirement, letter of intent, concept paper, or pre-proposal deadline. It also does not provide an application opening date or identify specific required application attachments for this grant in the supplied material. The final application deadline was Friday, June 12, 2026 at 5 p.m. EDT. The source currently states that applications are closed. No recurring schedule, next application cycle, award notification date, performance period, or previous recipients are identified in the supplied source. The program contact telephone number is 352-393-8200 and the program email is GCRAprograms@gainesvillefl.gov. The listed program office is located at 2153 SE Hawthorne Rd., Ste. 223, Gainesville, Florida 32641, with office hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Verify that the parcel is within the identified program boundary; propose substantive improvements rather than maintenance or cosmetic-only work; demonstrate clear commercial use or public access; do not perform work before grant approval; use licensed contractors; align the project with economic revitalization, job creation, and retention or attraction of business activity