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Seasonal Beautification Program
The Downtown Truro Streetscape Beautification Program provides a financial incentive and aid to commercial property owners and business tenants to improve the storefront appearance of their properties through beautification efforts like additional greenery, flower boxes, seasonal signage, and seasonal exterior decor items. This program is offered in partnership with the Town of Truro.
Applications for Summer 2024 are now Open!
The Downtown Truro Partnership and the Town of Truro recognize that the image of Downtown Truro is an important economic development tool. The historic quality of the buildings, the available amenity space, green spaces, and social interaction spaces in the downtown area are important assets to the image, and the atmosphere for those who live, work, and shop in the downtown core.
Program Highlights
- The program will issue grants for 50% of the costs for seasonal, exterior beautification items up to a maximum of $500 per business.
- Receipts for the purchase of these items must be dated from April 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024.
- Reimbursement is not guaranteed; please contact us prior to making a purchase if you have questions about whether or not the items you intend to purchase will qualify.
- Grants will be issued on a first-come, first-serve basis until the fund is depleted.
This program is intended to:
- Attract residents and visitors to the downtown core, and encourage them to explore and stroll through our welcoming, bright, clean, safe and inviting streets;
- Provide an incentive for commercial property owners and tenants to undertake high-quality storefront and streetscape projects that will make positive, high-impact visual enhancement to the entire downtown;
- Attract additional businesses to our downtown core.
Clean and appealing streets affect both aesthetic impression of place and perceived safety. By making beautification enhancements to the streetscapes of downtown properties, it will make the downtown feel more safe, clean and inviting!
Types of beautification efforts that will be considered for this program:
- Additional greenery
- Flower boxes / planters / and flowers
- Seasonal signage including welcome signs and sandwich boards
- Window decals
- Seasonal exterior decor items
Seasonal beautification items must be approved by the Town of Truro’s Public Works Department and must be removed from Town property, including sidewalks, by October 31 each year.
Successful projects will strive to improve the exterior appearance, design and function of a building by:
- Exposing and restoring unique architectural details that have been hidden by previous construction.
- Coordinating improvements with neighbouring buildings and the unique character of the neighbourhood business area.
- Adding visual interest and variety at the sidewalk level, emphasizing active storefronts, orienting windows and doorways to the street.
- Undertaking the cleaning of the building exterior, repainting faded/peeling paint, repairing damaged areas of the façade.
- Improve lighting, signage and accessibility.
- Providing commitment of ongoing maintenance and upkeep of completed projects.
The program is open to all non-residential buildings within the Urban Regional Core of Downtown Truro with storefronts that face a public street. Mixed-use properties with ground floor, street-facing commercial space do qualify, assuming a portion of the property is assessed commercially.
Design must meet high-quality standards and must reflect the spirit and intent of the Downtown Truro brand. Applicants may apply for funding for items such as seasonal welcome signage, window decals, planters and flowers, sidewalk signage (such as sandwich boards), and similar items which would be appealing and an enhancement to the storefront and streetscape.
To determine if your property and decor items qualify, please contact Saribel Deslauries: saribel@downtowntruro.ca or (902) 895-9258.
Application Process
Confirm Eligibility
If you have questions about whether or not your exterior decor items will qualify for the program, please contact saribel@downtowntruro.ca. If you have already purchased street-facing seasonal beautification items for your business’s exterior, please proceed to the next step.
Upload Your Receipts
Use the form at the bottom of this page to upload your seasonal beautification receipts. Receipts must be dated from April 1, 2024 to August 31, 2024.
Committee Review
Our Seasonal Beautification Committee will review your submitted receipts. If they fit within the eligibility criteria of the program, we will issue a grant for 50% of the total amount, to a maximum of $500 per business. Grants will be issued as eligible submissions are received, on a first-come, first-serve basis until the entire fund is used.