Excitingly, the City of Buena Vista was awarded a $1,000,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to help bolster downtown revitalization efforts and build upon recent work to formulate a comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Strategy, which was aided by a DHCD planning grant! The grant will provide funding for:

• streetscape and related improvements in the downtown area,
• façade grants for privately owned buildings in the project area,
• a wayfinding signage program throughout the City to install directional signage to downtown and significant attractions, and
• administrative costs

“We are thrilled about this major step forward in revitalizing downtown! This is another demonstration of how people in Virginia and beyond are recognizing what a fantastic place Buena Vista is! Rebuilding an economy and a lifestyle takes years and many projects and players, but this funding will move the needle on the appearance of our city.” – Tom Roberts, Director of Community and Economic Development, City of Buena Vista

CDBG Community Improvement Grants are competitive grants, which aid eligible localities in implementing projects that will directly impact the community’s greatest needs. There are five primary project types under this funding source: 

• Comprehensive Community Development
• Business District Revitalization
• Housing
• Community Facility (Infrastructure)
• Community Service Facility

For communities exploring the Main Street Approach for commercial revitalization, CDBG funding can prove useful to jumpstart such efforts, and localities with potential projects that have activities applicable to more than one of these project types should contact DHCD for technical assistance. Click here to learn more about eligibility and more!

Image Credit: Buena Vista