Sarnia's community improvement plan has drawn a considerable amount of interest from businesses in the city's downtown core and Mitton Village area.
Businesses were invited to submit grant proposals for projects like renovations, façade improvements, building additional units and landscaping needs.
Manager of Planning Eric Hyatt said they've had 35 to 40 express interest, and about 20 have submitted formal applications.
"Some of the projects have actually entered into agreements at this point, so they do kind of have an allocation of funds to support their projects," said Hyatt. "Really at this point it's up to them to kind of go through the process, complete the work, and obtain any permits that are required to support the work. Then, at the end of the day when the work is completed, circle back with the city just to confirm that everything was done in accordance. That's when we would certainly finalize any sort of grant associated with those."
The city is covering up to 50 per cent of project costs for successful applicants under the $100,000 plan, and each stream has a different amount of maximum funding available.
More information is expected to be released at Sarnia council's November meeting.
