The application, which is available at downtownjc.com/downtownnow, closes on Wednesday.
The organization recently received a $50,000 Placemaking Grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development that will support business development in Johnson City.
Most of the funding will be dedicated to placing a curated shop on the first floor of one of the large, unused buildings in the downtown core, which will involve having one business owner who subleases space to several smaller vendors. Subletters could include local artists, makers or other retailers.
Dianna Cantler, Johnson City Development Authority interim executive director, said subleasing the space will take some of the burden off of the business owner, enabling them to fill a larger space.
With a firm submitting an almost $28 million proposal to build new housing for residents of the John Sevier Center, Johnson City officials are doing their due diligence before committing to the project, which would still be at least a few years down the line.
The Johnson City Development Authority on Wednesday approved a contract with the National Development Council, a New York nonprofit, to review the financial model for the development plan.
LHP Capital, a real estate development firm in Knoxville, submitted plans to construct about 145 units of housing for seniors and residents with disabilities. LHP also serves as the property management company for the John Sevier Center and took over day-to-day operations in April. The company would eventually own the new housing if itâs allowed to finance and build it.
Another 12 belong to owners who are receptive to reinvesting in their building.
Itâs those property owners who Dianna Cantler, the interim executive director of the Johnson City Development Authority, hopes will benefit from a new grant program funded in the stateâs fiscal year 2021-22 budget.
Cantler said the new pilot program sets aside $5 million for property owners across the state. If they meet certain eligibility requirements, Cantler said, property owners can receive 30% of the project value or up to $300,000.
Focusing on rural and mid-sized communities, Cantler said, the funding is only eligible in counties with 200,000 or fewer people, and the property must be in a national historic district or be considered a contributing structure to a district.
It will still be at least a few years before the Johnson City Development Authority sees its ambitions for the John Sevier Center fully realized.
But, in the year and a half since it officially purchased the building, the organizationâs leader says the JCDA is making progress bit-by-bit on its plan.
In 2019, the JCDA bought the nearly century- old apartment complex with plans to eventually sell the building to a developer, unlocking the commercial potential for a structure that has for years served as subsidized housing.
The center, located at 141 E. Market St., is one of the most visible buildings in the downtown areaâs skyline. Although nothing is certain at this stage, officials have floated the idea of the redeveloped building eventually having residential options, retail and maybe even a hotel.
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