The Farmville Downtown Partnership has received a new grant that will help businesses get proper guidelines and enhance their charm.

At the beginning of September, Governor Youngkin announced over $2.9 million dollars in Small Business Development and Community Revitalization Grants. This included the Farmville Downtown Partnership (FDP) receiving a $50,000 grant award for establishing a Facade Improvement Grant (FIG) Program.

According to Nancy Alexander, the executive director of FDP, the grant will be used in two parts. The first part is an architectural design booklet that will establish design standards and best practices for making improvements to historic buildings in Farmville’s historic business district. This doesn’t mean that there will be a strict list of rules and regulations that businesses will be forced to follow. Since there are no official ordinances on what can and can’t be done, these guidelines are to make sure that downtown keeps a cohesive look and make changes that will benefit the building too. 

“The charm of Downtown Farmville is how compatible the different buildings are,” said Alexander. “The goal is to enhance that along with the character and quality of the building.”

Farmville Downtown Partnership gets help 

The rest of the grant will fund renovations and cosmetic improvements to the downtown district. Currently, the maximum for each grant available per project is $10,000 with a 2 to 1 ratio. This means that to get the $10,000 a match of $5,000 is required. These grants are expected to open in November and more specific details will be available then. 

“We are anticipating to have $50,000 for renovations,” said Alexander. “We anticipate small projects too so we are looking at five to eight projects.” 

Alexander hopes to have the booklet finished by then so businesses can make a plan on what they want to do. In the meantime, businesses can work with Frazier Associates Architects, who has a contract with the state to work on downtown projects. 

Property owners can apply for funding through FDP and applications will be reviewed and awarded by the FDP Design Committee. 

To learn more, call FDP at 434-392-3060 or manager@farmvilledowntown.com.