Henrico County is giving away money for new businesses, and for redevelopment projects!
…and so is Richmond City, and Chesterfield County, and Hanover County.
Per Henrico County's website regarding the Enterprise Zone program in Virginia:
What is an Enterprise
Zone?
The governing body of any county, city
or town may make written application to the Virginia Department
of Housing and Community Development to have an area or areas
declared to be an Enterprise Zone. The purpose of the Virginia
Enterprise Zone Program is to stimulate business and industrial
growth in such areas, which would result in neighborhood,
commercial and economic revitalization. Upon the recommendation
of the Director of the Virginia Department of Housing and
Community Development the Governor may designate the proposed
areas as Enterprise Zones. Upon designation of an area as
an Enterprise Zone state and local incentives become available
to qualified business firms that participate in the Program.
The trick is learning the details of the different programs that are
available. Given that we are talking about free money (grants) and
cheap money (loans), and that these are government programs, there is
quite a bit of red tape and a complex set of regulations regarding how
to qualify for the programs.
I'm no expert on the intricate regulations involved, which is why I am attending the Henrico County Enterprise Zone Spring Workshop at Belmont Recreation Center on May 7th. It is FREE to attend, but you have to register beforehand (and space may be limited).
If you're interested in the program, you may have to pull some strings since the registration deadline was April 3rd (SORRY — it's been very busy here, despite all the dark clouds cast by the media). You could still call 804-501-7615 or email to arz@co.henrico.va.us and see if they have any open spots.
Otherwise, if I can find a good way to summarize what will be an enormous amount of useful information, I will post a follow up on here after the workshop!
