Habitat for Humanity partnership benefits homeowners
Four Mary Avenue homes will be the first to take advantage of a partnership formed between the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and Southeast Volusia Habitat for Humanity. The agencies have teamed their programs to benefit homeowners who want to improve their property. Habitat's Brush with Kindness program is combined with two CRA programs - the Small-Scale Improvement Grant program and the Residential Improvement Grant program. As a result, homeowners will not be required to provide matching funds for eligible program expenditures. Up to $5,000 in grant funds are available. Specific eligibility requirements apply. Work may begin on the homes in October.

Improvements to historic Chamber of Commerce Building complete
The Southeast Volusia Chamber of Commerce is prepping for a return to its historic home at 115 Canal Street. The circa 1933 structure originally was built using federal funds. Both phases of the two-year renovation project were designed to reflect the building's original the construction.

LOOP to host redevelopment tour October 24
When the Florida Redevelopment Association hosts is annual conference in Daytona Beach this fall, New Smyrna Beach will use the opportunity to highlight several CRA projects by inviting conference attendees to tour the NSB Waterfront LOOP.  In keeping with the conference's theme -- Small Towns/Big Towns-Redevelopment Strategies at Work, the October 24 LOOP tour will begin with a visit to

the Flagler Avenue Boardwalk and an overview of the soon-to-open Hampton Inn on Flagler Avenue. The tour will continue down the Historic Westside Community's Mary Avenue to review the completed streetscape project. The tour will wrap up in the Canal Street Historic District where business and property owners will share how CRA incentives have spurred the district's revitalization.  Throughout their three hours in the LOOP, participants also will see how the LOOP's marketing initiative ties together the CRA's character districts.