The newly seated Community Redevelopment Agency commissioners approved the Community Reinvestment Area Demolition Assistance Grant Program Wednesday morning in an effort to eliminate slum and blight in the South Cape district.

The grant program provides grants covering 100% of demolition costs up to $50,000 and costs exceeding $50,000 will receive a pro-rated grant for an amount not to exceed $75,000.

The eligible projects include the demolition of principal existing structures and the demolition of secondary and/or accessory structures.

Applicants “shall” meet certain criteria, such as the applicant shall be the owner of the property and structures and the buildings shall be located in the Cape Coral South Cape CRA.

Interior demolition expenses are not covered in this grant. Non-residential, residential, for-profit and non-profit entities can apply.

The applicant would provide all legal documents allowing CRA to demolish their structure. The CRA project manager would secure and manage the demolition work, which includes pulling permits, overseeing demolition, disposal of debris and site restoration, coordinating permit inspection, as well as process payment requisitions and pay applications.

CRA members asked the question of whether a grant can be awarded to multiple structures if the property is adjacent.

City Economic and Business Development Officer Sharon Woodberry said some of the buildings are adjacent to each other but owned separately.

“We want to be able to offer assistance to both projects,” she said.

Woodberry said if there are two businesses that could stand alone, they would provide grants to each business.

“The intent is to provide enough funding to address the cost of demolition” she said.

The meeting was the first with the Cape City Council sitting as the CRA board. Council recently voted to dissolve the previous CRA board, making the council the new CRA board members.