Business Retention and Expansion Final Report - City of Brantford

6274% of businesses said that the downtown should build on the current mix and develop a cluster of stores/servicesoffering related products to a similar market segment.Parking:Fifty-six percent (56%) of respondents say their customers typically park on the street, 27% park in a customer parkinglot they own or rent, and 18% park in a municipal/public parking lot.Forty-eight percent (48%) of respondents say they and their employees park in a customer parking lot they own or rent,32% park in a municipal/public parking lot and 12% park on the street right in the closest available spot.Financial Assistance:When asked if the business owners knew if the community offers any financial assistance programs to its businesses,49% said they didn’t know, 41% said yes, and 9% said their community did not.Incentives included and percentages of businesses that were aware ofthe incentives are:IncentivePercentDevelopment charges exception 15%Development application fee exemption 9%Sign permit exemption 8%Building permit fee exemption 8%Grants and loans - design assitance 14%Grants and loans - building façade program 17%Residential conversion 14%Building rehabilitation 17%Brownfield redevelopment assistance 15%Brownfield tax increment financing program 13%Of the types of incentives listed, most have not used them or felt they would not apply for the incentive. One businessused the Sign Permit Exemption, two used Design Assistance and one (1) used a Building Façade Program.