What is a CIP program?

A Community Improvement Plan (CIP) is a tool under the Planning Act that enables municipalities to encourage community revitalization through financial incentives such as grants, loans, rebates. A CIP can cover a variety of community improvement themes within a certain area, to enhance and revitalize properties.

It can be used to:

• Increase attainable housing stock, including secondary suites, multi-unit housing, purpose-built rental housing, rooming house developments, and apartment dormitory-style developments.
• Increase value-added agricultural uses, agri-tourism, and facility improvement projects.
• Promote the redevelopment and/or conversion of brownfield, vacant, and greyfield properties.
• Support downtown revitalization of storefronts, publicly-used frontages, and streetscapes.
• Support the adaptive re-use of commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings.

Through funding available from Grey County, the Township of Georgian Bluffs is looking to start a CIP program to promote economic development and support the businesses and farms that are vital to our community. We’d like to hear from you! What kind of CIP program and incentives would be most useful for Georgian Bluffs?