Funding has been approved to help provide improvements in downtown Amherstburg.
Town council has voted in favour of making $100,000 available through a new Community Improvement Plan.
Councillor Michael Prue says the goal is to provide grants to homeowners and business owners, who are looking to make upgrades to their properties.
He says council wants to further improve on the downtown area.
"How we can improve the downtown core, how we can improve the industrial areas. I think it will revolutionize the downtown of Amherstburg and make it a much more hospitable place to do business, and for people to come and see the magnificence of our little town," he says.
Amherstburg councillor Michael Prue after a council meeting on February 11, 2019 (Photo by AM800's Zander Broeckel)
Prue says Community Improvement Plans are working in other municipalities.
"In my own experience, we did this in the Toronto area where I was the mayor before, and it worked very well and it will work very well here," he says. "It will give an opportunity for people who own historical houses to take advantage of some funding, potentially, from the municipality. It may cost the taxpayers some money, but I think it will be well worth it."
Prue says he was surprised to learn there wasn't a CIP in place already.
"I'm a recent transplant. I came here and this town has so much potential. So that makes a huge difference with what we can do, if we do it right," he says. "I'm looking forward to developments like hotels and Duffy's, and all the things to show off what this town has."
Details surrounding the plan are still being finalized.
The program is expected to be made available to eligible property owners in the spring or summer.