ENHANCE DOWNTOWN VICTORIA
Murals and public art installations beautify downtown Victoria. The Enhance Downtown Victoria grant is worth 20% of the cost (to a maximum of $2,500) for property owners. Grants must be approved by a committee made up of DVBA and the City representatives. Application must be completed before any work is done.
Murals sponsored by the DVBA include Lady Justice, Queen Victoria, Janion, Hanging Dragons, Atomique building, Chinatown, and Library Lane.
Enhance Downtown Victoria Grants are available for:
- Retaining professional services of artists
- Purchasing raw materials
- Installing mural or public art
Grants will be paid upon satisfactory completion of work and receipt presentation. To be eligible for a grant, a property must be located within the downtown Victoria boundaries. The application must fully outline and illustrate the scope of work (materials, lighting, professional services, etc.) Unless circumstances warrant otherwise, more than one quote is required for proposed services or product. All work must receive the necessary heritage and design approvals, as well as building permits from the City of Victoria.
Please contact us for more information.
ILLUMINATE DOWNTOWN VICTORIA
The right lighting increases a sense of welcoming and security. We can help you light the way with our Illuminate Downtown Victoria grant worth 25% (to a maximum of $5000) is available for downtown properties and businesses.
31 downtown properties have been lit through our Illuminate Downtown program since 2005, including Trounce, Waddington, and Dragon Alleys.
Financial assistance is available to help with the costs of:
- Retaining professional services of lighting designers
- Purchasing lighting products
- Installing lighting
Grants will be paid upon satisfactory completion of work and receipt presentation. All work must be completed within six months of approval. To be eligible for a grant, a property must be located within the downtown Victoria boundaries. The application must fully outline and illustrate the scope of work and the proposed lighting products. Unless circumstances warrant otherwise, more than one quote is required for proposed services or product. All work must receive the necessary heritage and design approvals, as well as building permits from the City of Victoria.
Please contact us for more information.
GULL DETERRENT GRANT
GULL DETERRENT GRANT
Seagulls? We can help. This grant, worth 50% (to a maximum of $350) of the cost of materials and hired labour, is available to property owners who want to install permanent rooftop and roofline devices, designed to prevent seagulls from roosting or perching.
71 properties have been bird-proofed since this grant program was introduced in 2011.
To be eligible for a Gull Deterrent Grant, the property must be located within the downtown Victoria boundaries. The application must be approved by the DVBA before work is carried out. Please contact us for more information.
This partnership between the City and the DVBA will provide financial support for blocks looking to improve the overall look and feel of business properties. To participate, a block must submit a Block Improvement Plan, with at least 50% of businesses (or property owners on behalf of their tenants) in support. Each block is eligible for a total reimbursement of up to $10,000 (representing 50% of the costs of approved work).
Participating blocks must be within the area designated by the City for the program. This area is bounded by Discovery Street to the north, Blanshard Street to the east, Belleville Street to the south, and the harbour to the west. A block is defined as one side of a city street, between two intersections.
Up to 50% of a participating business’ eligible expenses (up to $10,000 total per block) will be reimbursed by funds provided jointly by the DVBA and the City of Victoria. (If a business has been or will be receiving payment from insurance coverage, overlap will be managed so that funds for the same expenses will not be reimbursed by both insurance and this program).
Eligible expenses that can be included in a Block Improvement Plan are:
- Exterior building surface treatments to include siding, moulding, trim, paint
- Upgraded exterior lighting features
- Exterior awnings – cleaning or replacement
- Permanent landscaping
- Bird deterrent features
- Exterior cleaning (e.g., hiring a professional company to power wash or scrub walls, windows, doors, awnings, etc.)
Each business and/or property owner is responsible for acquiring all necessary building permits and approvals before executing the Block Improvement Plan on their building. If the building is a designated Heritage Building, City design approval is needed for proposed work.
If you are interested in proceeding with façade beautification for your block, please contact Madison Sutcliffe, DVBA Member Engagement Coordinator, at madison@downtownvictoria.ca to build a Block Improvement Plan.
Security and/or Vandalism Grants
Funding is available for businesses and property owners who wish to set up security cameras, upgrade lock quality, install anti-shatter window films, or otherwise upgrade security and/or expedite repairs to businesses’ windows, doors, locks, and physical properties due to vandalism or break-in damage.
The DVBA will provide these funds on a first-come, first-served basis from until our allocated budget is exhausted. We will provide 50% of the cost of security upgrades to a maximum of $1000 per business. In cases of vandalism, we will provide 100% of the cost of repairs to a maximum of $1000 per business between January 1 and December 31, 2023.
