Waynesboro has won approval for a $116,000 Business District Resurgence Grant for a downtown recovery project.
Waynesboro Renaissance is an effort to support small business recovery downtown and create a path to a Waynesboro renaissance, with funding to be used for façade improvement grants, business training and technical assistance, marketing/promotions, and a downtown housing study.
The Waynesboro Renaissance project will assist businesses in historically economically disadvantaged communities, drive traffic to existing businesses in their historic main street, and prepare the area for new investment.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced the grant award today, among more than $4.4 million in grants for 33 investment projects across the Commonwealth.
“This is about renovating old buildings, investing in neighborhoods, and launching new businesses,” Northam said. “These projects will greatly benefit Virginia’s local economies and business owners.”
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development administers these programs, as well as some American Rescue Plan funds.
The Industrial Revitalization Fund leverages local and private resources to redevelop deteriorated structures. This creates more long-term employment opportunities and supports infrastructure and economic revitalization.
Community Business Launch grants help prepare businesses for success. Entrepreneurs can receive training and help with developing business plans.
The Virginia Statewide Business District Resurgence Grant supports historically economically disadvantaged communities and business districts that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
“This funding will expand job growth, nurture entrepreneurial ecosystems, and provide support to communities most affected by the pandemic,” said Secretary of Commerce and Trade Brian Ball. “Supporting this funding means supporting the Commonwealth’s small businesses and an economic future that works for all Virginians.”
Local projects
Black Entrepreneurial Advancement and Community Opportunity Network Incubator Project: $150,000
New Hill Development Corporation, City of Charlottesville
New Hill Development Corporation, in partnerships with the city of Charlottesville, Community Investment Collaborative, Operation Hope, and the Virginia Department of Health, will develop a business accelerator, commercial kitchen, and co-working space for Black food and beverage entrepreneurs in and around the Starr Hill community of Charlottesville. New Hill CDC plans to conduct entrepreneur identification and outreach, rent a commercial kitchen, provide culinary business training, conduct a pop-up restaurant event and organize a competitive startup grant program. Upon completion, New Hill CDC will assist at least 24 businesses, create 10 new businesses, create at least 12 jobs, and build organizational capacity for growing the project even further.
B-Cubed Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Expansion: $100,000
City of Harrisonburg and County of Rockingham
The City of Harrisonburg, as part of a multi-partner effort called B-Cubed (Black- and Brown-owned Business) Growth Program, will support next stage growth and adaptation of its Bricks and Clicks business retention program to focus on the needs of underserved entrepreneurs who will benefit from more coaching, larger grants to overcome undercapitalization, and less instruction in institutional settings. The B-Cubed Growth Program will assist 30 businesses and provide 30 grants.
Scottsville Community Business Launch: $40,000
Town of Scottsville
The Town of Scottsville, in partnership with the Community Investment Collaborative, will host an eight-week business workshop series followed by a business plan pitch competition, focused on downtown Scottsville. The Town of Scottsville recently completed an assessment of its retail and housing market, identifying several retail business categories with opportunity for growth, such as restaurants, general merchandise, grocery, and specialty retail. At completion, the project will create or expand three businesses and create at least five jobs.
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