Rosenwald School gets $1 million state grant

The Cape Charles Elementary School Rehabilitation has been awarded $1,000,000 courtesy of Governor Glenn Youngkin. The school was one of four projects selected by the Governor to recieve funding through the Industrial Revitalization Fund.

The town of Cape Charles, in partnership with Cape Charles Rosenwald School Restoration Initiative LLC (CCRSRI), will rehabilitate the historic Cape Charles Rosenwald School in a multi-phase project. Funding will support phase 2, which includes mechanical, electrical and plumbing upgrades, along with other construction costs. This project leverages over $2 million in public and private funds and will create one full-time job and three part-time jobs, with the projected number growing to four full-time jobs within five years.

“These remarkable projects are breathing new life into dilapidated structures that have hindered our economic progress, transforming them into vibrant small businesses and symbols of community pride,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “By harnessing the power of IRF grants, we are making strategic investments in the infrastructure, economy and vibrancy of Virginia and showcasing why Virginia is the best place to live, work and do business.”

IRF leverages local and private resources to achieve market-driven redevelopment of vacant and deteriorated industrial and commercial properties. The program is targeted toward vacant non-residential structures whose poor condition creates physical and economic blight to the surrounding area in which the structure is located. Projects were reviewed and evaluated competitively, with an emphasis on those with a high level of blight, identification of impediments to economic development efforts, alignment with regional or local strategies, availability of matching resources, the level of community distress where the property is located and an identified and feasible end use.

Since 2012, the IRF program has funded 67 projects that have revitalized vacant, blighted buildings. These projects have generated more than $208 million in other public and private investment and resulted in the creation of more than 1,100 jobs across the Commonwealth. For more information on IRF, visit dhcd.virginia.gov/irf.