Strathroy-Caradoc Community Improvement Plan

• Completed application form.
• Detailed business plan outlining the project.
• Written consent from the property owner, where the applicant is not the owner.

Who is eligible?

• Property owners in Strathroy-Caradoc.
• Applicants submitting on behalf of a property owner with written consent from the owner.

Who is not eligible

• Applicants outside the eligible area identified in Schedule A.

Eligible expenses

• Building permit and planning fees.
• Construction costs.
• Professional fee costs for designs or services reasonably associated with eligible works.
• Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) costs or other environmental study costs.
• Development charges owed for an eligible project.

Ineligible Costs and Activities

• Work commenced and/or completed before the submission and approval of an application, unless otherwise determined eligible by the Municipality in its sole discretion.
• Conversion of ground-level non-residential floor space to residential, unless explicitly permitted by the Municipality in its sole discretion.
• Improvements to dwellings or parts of dwellings used as part of a home-based business or commercial operation, unless otherwise approved by the Municipality.
• Uses involving the housing or keeping of livestock, uses that may negatively impact surrounding lands or area, and proposed interim uses on contaminated properties.
• Projects approved for a Development Charge deferral under By-law 47-19, for the Development Charge Reduction.

Eligible geographic areas

• Downtown Strathroy; Caradoc Street South Commercial Corridor; High Street Industrial Park; Mount Brydges Commercial Core; Melbourne Commercial Core.
• Molnar Industrial Park; Mount Brydges Economic Area.
• Strathroy Settlement Area; Mount Brydges Settlement Area.
• Rural Area.

• Preference will be given to projects and works associated with a Targeted Sector.
• Preference will be given to projects that most closely align with the economic development goals of the municipality.
• Development Charge Grant projects are reviewed against the scoring criteria in Schedule D of the CIP, which determine the percentage amount of the grant.
• For public art and interim use proposals, preference will be given to projects that celebrate or represent local history, culture, identity, or heritage, are situated in a high visibility or prominent location, and are open and accessible for public enjoyment or directly involve public art.
• Funding preference will be given to projects involving the permanent physical improvement of eligible properties and buildings in the rural area.

• Review the CIP Grants and Incentives webpage and the Application Process section.
• Pre-consult with the CIP Coordinator by email before any work has begun to discuss application requirements and eligibility criteria.
• Access and complete the CIP Application form.
• Submit the completed application forms and all required supporting materials by the relevant 2026 intake deadline.

• The CIP Coordinator reviews the application against the general and stream-specific eligibility requirements of the Plan.
• Once the application is deemed complete, the CIP Coordinator forwards it and the associated materials to the CIP Implementation Committee for review.
• The committee schedules a meeting date and makes a recommendation to Council on the application.
• The decision of Municipal Council to accept or refuse the application is communicated to the applicant.
• Successful applications are made public at scheduled Council meetings, and refusal does not disqualify an applicant from submitting future applications.

• The program runs on an ongoing basis.
• Applications are reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis until the annual budget allocation is depleted.