Sarnia has plans to hire an economic development co-ordinator to help improve the city’s downtown and Mitton Village.
The two-year Sarnia Neighborhood Revitalization project would begin in June, with the co-ordinator setting up an advisory committee and working with businesses and others in both areas to figure out what’s needed in terms of physical improvement to public spaces, area marketing and promotion , and business development, said the city’s Steve Henschel.
“Really what we want to hire this person to do is engage with local businesses and stakeholders to develop a plan that reflects their needs,” he said.
But the program’s launch is contingent on grant money coming through, Henschel said.
Council recently endorsed an application to the Ontario Agriculture Ministry’s Rural Economic Development (RED) program to cover half the project’s $247,500 costs. The rest would come from the city, officials said in a report.
Details of the grant application are expected by May, city officials said.
The revitalization project plan follows a one-year ambassador program that wrapped up in early March, Henschel said.
The ambassador program, partly funded by the My Main Street Local Business Accelerator programhelped businesses in the two zones with custom market research, identifying market gaps and obtaining Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario grants, Henschel said.
Ten $10,000 grants were available for such things as technology upgrades and facade improvements, he said. All the available money was used and details about who benefited and how are expected in coming months.
While the ambassador program looked at specific businesses, the neighborhood revitalization project would focus on neighbourhoods, Henschel said. How it will unfold will depend on who’s hired as co-ordinator and their engagement with the communities.
Sarnia has a community improvement program for the two areas offering grants for landscaping, facade upgrades, building renovations and creation of extra residential units.
A Mitton Village community development advisory committee formed in 2018 to help drive area improvements.