Alisha Meador

Economic Development Manager

City of Lynchburg Office of Economic Development & Tourism

(434) 455-4494

alisha.meador@lynchburgva.gov

All applications must be filed with the Office of Economic Development & Tourism by May 1^st. Eligible projects must have been completed between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and funds will be dispersed by June 30^th.

Minimum investment on building permit is $25,000.

The purpose of the Local Redevelopment Program is to encourage investment in and improvement of real property located within the City of Lynchburg.  The Program is designed to assist property owners and/or business owners with real property and capital investment projects, and to decrease vacancy rates, increase and retain jobs, revitalize designated areas and/or increase the City’s tax base.

The property or business must be located in the City of Lynchburg, and meet the following criteria:

• To qualify, mixed use properties must have at least 30% square footage devoted to commercial use and/or be mixed-use with a minimum of one floor of commercial space.
• A property must have a completed Certificate of Occupancy and a finalized building permit totaling $25,000 or more.
• For each commercial or industrial real estate property, the existing structure must be twenty-five (25) years of age or older.
• The Local Redevelopment Program cannot be used to improve city-owned property or tax-exempt property.
• Applications must be received by May 1st, for work done in the previous calendar year. This is defined as March 1, 2023 to February 29, 2024.  
• Any exceptions to the above will be determined on case by case basis, pursuant to City requirements surrounding permitting and renovation work.

• Redevelopment Program funds are available for qualifying commercial, industrial and mixed-use commercial projects.
• The program will support up to one third of qualified renovation, rehabilitation or capital improvement costs, with a maximum award of $15,000.
• A parcel is only eligible for award once every three years.
• Each application will be scored according to the included matrix. Priority will be given to projects that have created and/or retained the most number of jobs in the previous calendar year.
• If number of applications submitted and scored exceeds the annual allocation of grant dollars, awards will be prorated with all funds awarded being dispersed by June 30^th.

Funds are awarded by the Economic Development Authority of the City of Lynchburg, Virginia. Program funding is contingent upon available appropriation each fiscal year and may be prorated.

• Complete and sign the application form (must be signed by the owner of record if applicant is not owner) and return to the Office of Economic Development by May 1, for work completed between March 1, 2023 and February 29, 2024. Potential applicants will be contacted and given an application directly from the Office of Economic Development and Tourism.
• Be current on all local taxes for properties and/or businesses.
• Grant is awarded for projects already completed in the time period prior to the submission date (March 1, 2023-February 29, 2024), unless both the Economic Development Authority and Office of Economic Development & Tourism grant an extension.
• Attach “Before” and “After” photographs of space or building improved
• Include a written testimonial of the program as part of the final report

The Economic Development Authority (EDA) will review and approve or disapprove the application, based on recommendation made by the Office of Economic Development & Tourism. 

Please download a W9 form HERE.

Please return this application to the Office of Economic Development, 900 Church Street, Lynchburg, VA, 24504.  Call (434) 455-4494 for more information.

I, the undersigned, am an authorized representative of the business firm for which this form is intended. I declare this form has been examined by me and is, to the best of my knowledge, an accurate statement. I further affirm my business is physically located at the address indicated in Part I and my business meets the qualification criteria as indicated in Part II and defined in Section 36 – 126.19 of the Code of the City of Lynchburg, Virginia.  I further attest that all required documentation is true and correct, and is included with this application.  Providing false, inaccurate or misleading information will result in disqualification for consideration of the Local Redevelopment Project Program.