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Sherwin-Williams

Façade grants available in Zephyrhills

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Some commercial buildings in Zephyrhills are about to become more attractive.

The Zephyrhills City Council, on March 28, approved the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency’s Matching Façade Rehabilitation Grant Program.

The $10,000 grant aims to encourage the restoration and preservation of commercial buildings within the CRA district — a 520-acre defined district that essentially encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street.

Commercial businesses located within the CRA district are eligible for the Matching Façade Grant Program. The CRA district is a 520-acre defined district that essentially encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street. (Courtesy of Gail Hamilton)
Commercial businesses located within the CRA district are eligible for the Matching Façade Grant Program. The CRA district is a 520-acre defined district that essentially encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street.
(Courtesy of Gail Hamilton)

The program offers up to a maximum of $2,500 in grant money, but the applicant must spend at least twice the amount of the grant.

The program’s goal is to encourage complete rehabilitation of the structures.

The funds can be used for specific improvements, including a new coat of paint, awnings, doors, windows, exterior lighting and approved siding.

The one-time grant is “first come, first served.”

The grant is part of an effort to eliminate “blighting influences and further deterioration of commercial properties within the CRA district,” according to program documents.

“The CRA’s job is to increase the value of the properties, and therefore, the taxable value,” said Gail Hamilton, CRA director for the city of Zephyrhills.

“In looking at the buildings…it’s going to be city staff that’s going to be doing this, not just CRA staff, but also the building department, as well as the planning department,” she added.

To be eligible for the grant, all property taxes have to be current. Funds will not be provided to a property that has outstanding tax liens, Hamilton said. The CRA director also noted that nonprofits are not eligible to receive funding.

“This is tax dollars, so the CRA has to know you’ve done the work, and once the work has been done, and you prove to the city that you’ve paid the bill in full, then we will reimburse you,” she said.

Hamilton said the grant is not to be used for building maintenance, such as interior improvements, electrical work (unless related to signage or exterior lighting), roof and chimney repairs, or the installation of aluminum or vinyl siding.

“The building must be structurally sound,” Hamilton said, adding the properties must meet the minimum building and life safety codes. “We’re looking at the façade of the building — not if its roof is good. If your roof isn’t structurally sound, then you have a whole lot more problems than just the façade.

“If next year, you decide you don’t like the awning that you put up this year, you can’t come back to the CRA and ask for another grant,” she added.

The façade rehabilitation grant is a follow-up of the CRA’s $10,000 Residential Paint Grant Program, which was approved at last month’s council meeting.

To create an incentive for residents and businesses to participate in both programs, the CRA recently partnered with the Sherwin-Williams paint store in Zephyrhills to provide a 50 percent discount in paint purchases for grant qualifiers.

City Council president Ken Burgess pointed out the program is beneficial for aiding commercial businesses in keeping up with stronger code enforcements within the CRA district.

“I think this (will) be a good (way) to show that we’re not just trying to make things tougher; we’re also willing to help along the way, too,” he said.

Hamilton said she’s focused on “selling” the program to the community, and making sure people in the district understand the overall purpose of the CRA.

“I want to try to use as many carrots as I possibly can to get people to understand the vision of what the city and the CRA is trying to do, and that we’re not just saying, ‘You have to do this,’ but we’re also giving you a hand up in getting it done,” Hamilton said.

“We’re all in this together. Code enforcement and the city and the CRA are all working together, and this grant is there to help them.”

Other initiatives the CRA has focused on include a neighborhood cleanup program, restoration of the historic Jeffries Home and a master plan for the development of Zephyr Park.

Matching Façade Rehabilitation Grant Program
What: A grant program earmarking $10,000 to be used to stimulate façade rehabilitation and preservation of commercial buildings. Grants of up to $2,500 are permitted, but applicants must spend at least twice the amount of the grant they receive. For instance, someone spending $1,000 could receive a grant of $500.

Eligible improvements: New paint job, addition or replacement of awnings, traditional windows, door replacements and exterior lighting.

Ineligible improvements: Interior improvements, electrical work (except as related to signage or exterior lighting), roof and chimney repairs, and installation of aluminum or vinyl siding.

Published April 6, 2016 

Businesses create new beginnings at Zephyrhills chamber

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As she read the long list of businesses and community leaders listed on a plaque in the main lobby of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Vonnie Mikkelsen had to smile.

“Many of these people are still around, and they’re still thriving in the community,” said Mikkelsen, the chamber’s executive director.

The new storefront for the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce on Fifth Avenue, has a mixture of stucco and brick, as well as new front doors and windows provided by K&K Glass. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
The new storefront for the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce on Fifth Avenue, has a mixture of stucco and brick, as well as new front doors and windows provided by K&K Glass. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

The plaque was erected nearly 15 years ago honoring those who helped move the chamber office from its small location on the railroad tracks on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Seventh Street, to its new home at 38550 Fifth Ave., which the chamber bought for $75,000.

“Cliff McDuffie was the director back then, and this was his idea to make it happen,” she said. “He did a capital campaign that involved so many people. And the first individuals who wrote a check were this year’s community service award winners, John and Diana MacDiarmid.”

Mikkelsen wasn’t here for that dedication back in 2000, but she will be on hand Oct. 1 when more than a month of renovation work is unveiled in the chamber’s grand reopening and ribbon cutting. Just like they did in McDuffie’s time, businesses and community leaders came together to make these much-needed changes happen.

Kevin and Kyle Ryman at Ryman Construction oversaw the $50,000 worth of work, with Jodi Wilkeson’s WDA Designs Inc., consulting on how the overall changes would look.

K&K Glass stepped in and replaced the dated front door and window, while Pasco Stucco worked with a jackhammer for days to remove the old stone façade, and replace it with stucco.

“Many of these guys came in and did it at no personal gain,” Mikkelsen said. “That saved us a lot of money, and allowed us to get a lot of this done that we might not have been able to otherwise.”

Instead of a capital campaign, Mikkelsen and the chamber board was able to work out a loan with CenterState Bank, structured in a way that the organization can easily pay it back over time.

“Maybe if we do a second phase, or a building expansion in the future, we might consider doing a campaign,” she said. “Our chamber members already contribute a lot throughout the years, especially through sponsorship. We wanted to find a way to do this without having to pass around the hat.”

When people visit the newly designed office, it might be hard to tell the building is 60 years old. Originally a Bell Telephone building, the chamber office is in the heart of Zephyrhills’ main street — and its history.

The Woman’s Club building is just across the street, its stone façade gracing Fifth Avenue for decades, while the Jeffries House — home of the founder of Zephyrhills — sits next door to it.

The entire stretch of Fifth Avenue, including the businesses along it, are part of a Community Redevelopment Agency district, where future tax revenues collected there will be returned to that district through various economic development improvements.

“For us, the scope is not just membership-based, but this is a community-centric chamber of commerce,” Mikkelsen said. “Not only are we servicing our members and the public at large, but we are working very closely with other groups on formulas that will support our existing businesses, and the kind of businesses we can attract here.”

Making it Happen
Businesses providing help — both paid and in-kind — to the building renovation project at the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce included:

• CenterState Bank, construction loan
• Divine Concrete Coatings, entryway and emblem
• Imperial Painting & Wallpapering Contractors, display cabinet refinishing
• K&K Glass, front glass and doors
• Master Painting and Home Repairs, exterior paint
• Northstar Survey & Mapping, surveys
• Pasco Stucco, stucco siding and brick
• Ryman Construction, project management
• Sherwin-Williams, paint
• Skywatch Signs, sign design and build
• WDA Designs, renderings and design consultation

Published October 1, 2014

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Chili’s coming to former Johnny Carino’s site

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More chain restaurant options are coming to Wesley Chapel, not far from a new Walmart, where Chili’s Grill & Bar is expected to build a 6,090-square-foot location.

Brinker Florida Inc. is looking to build the new Chili’s at 28444 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, where the Johnny Carino’s restaurant was once located. Brinker is set to have its small commercial development plan approved by the Pasco County Development Review Committee on Sept. 11.

The 1.7 acres of land has been owned by CRC 204 LLC since 2007, a company connected to local Applebee’s franchise owner Franklin Carson of Tampa.

Once completed, this would become the fourth Chili’s location in the area. It would join restaurants at 22629 State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, 16420 State Road 54 in Odessa, and 17643 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in New Tampa.

Brinker International has been the owner of the Chili’s chain since 1983, and has more than 1,500 locations worldwide.

Also up for review by the Development Review Committee is a proposed Sherwin-Williams building materials store on the corner of Wesley Chapel Boulevard and Old Pasco Road. Plans there are for a 4,550-square-foot paint store on 5.6 acres of land.

That land is currently owned by OP 54 LLC of Tampa, a company connected with Mitchell Rice, the chief executive of RMC Real Estate Services in Tampa.

This would be the third Sherwin-Williams location in the area, joining the store at 17331 Dona Michelle Drive in New Tampa, and 37136 Eiland Blvd., in Zephyrhills. The chain, known for its paint, has more than 4,300 locations worldwide.

The county’s Development Review Committee is set to meet at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse on Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m. The committee is led by Pasco County administrator Michele Baker.