February 1, 2019 - The City of Frankfort has issued a Request for Proposals for its third round of the Downtown Revitalization Grant Program. The program is now accepting proposals for grants funds of up to $100,000.00 for projects in Frankfort’s Renaissance District which is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. (See attached map.)
The Downtown Revitalization Program was created in 2016 by a steering committee which researched and created a grant program to make developing in Frankfort’s historic downtown more appealing.
In its first year ultimately the winning proposal was 109 West Main Street, formerly known as the T-Boat Marina. Goodwood Brewery of Louisville is currently preparing the space for a brew pub. The 2018 recipient of funds was 245 West Main Street.
The current grant program will provide up to $100,000.00 in grant funds for a downtown revitalization project. The Request for Proposals is available on Frankfort’s official website at www.frankfort.ky.gov. Projects will be graded and ranked based on the criteria set forth in the RFP.
Frankfort would like to promote and accelerate the improvement of our remaining empty and underutilized buildings and vacant storefronts downtown to keep pace with the other investment in the area. The City of Frankfort is seeking proposals from eligible applicants for the purpose of assisting with downtown revitalization efforts. The goal is to encourage a renovation of Downtown Frankfort to create an attractive environment for businesses, citizens and visitors.
The grant will provide opportunities to stimulate reinvestment in mixed-use “downtown" buildings, vacant lots or neighborhoods in order to:
Stimulate the economic revitalization of mixed-use business centers in downtown Frankfort by providing financial incentives for the rehabilitation of traditional commercial building stock;
Foster development, thereby providing economic opportunities and promoting economic activity in traditional downtown or business locations;
Expand housing opportunities in mixed-use districts, including accessible upper floor units and new homeownership opportunities;
Facilitate an effective planning process that ensures that capital investments of public funds will enhance the aesthetics and economics of the commercial district through appropriate design that respects the historic architecture of the target area;
Preserve significant or historic buildings and provide an environment that attracts new investment to enable the adaptive reuse of these buildings for new downtown enterprises;
Address issues of code enforcement and energy efficiency, to bring vacant commercial space into code compliance, so that it can be utilized.
Proposals are due March 1, 2019 by 4 p.m. at City Hall, 315 West Second Street, Frankfort, Kentucky, 40601. Electronic submissions will not be accepted. For more information contact Eric Cockley or Rebecca Hall at 502-875-8500.