On June 28, 2016, Cocoa City Council approved a resolution providing for program guidelines and eligibility for the Commercial Property Enhancement Program (CPEP). The CPEP is a performance-based reimbursement grant designed to encourage private investment and improvements to exterior frontage of commercial properties located along major transportation corridors in Cocoa. The CPEP is intended to enhance and improve the street view of the built environment from the public perspective, making Cocoa more competitive in attracting new business.
Similar to the Façade Grant programs already in place within the City’s Community Redevelopment Agencies, the Program is a 50/50 (public-to-private) matching grant with a maximum of $5,000 and is subject to funding availability, and awarded on a first-come, first-ready basis. Additionally, grantees with a minimum investment of $20,000 may receive building permit fee reduction up to 50 percent with City Council approval.
Eligible properties include commercial properties located within the city limits of Cocoa having frontage along the following roads: U.S. 1, State Road 520, State Road 524, Fiske Boulevard, Dixon Boulevard, and Clearlake Road. Properties located within a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) are ineligible unless there are no funds available through the CRA in which the property is located during the fiscal year the application is submitted.