Home Exterior and Landscaping Program (HELP) Grant

The Home Exterior and Landscaping Program is a reimbursement program that offers financial support to homeowners in Palmyra, New Jersey (Burlington County) for capital projects that will improve or restore his/her home’s exterior. The program’s goal is to help homeowners maintain or improve their home exterior and ultimately, furthering Palmyra’s character and community pride. Funding for this program is made possible by generous donations from Palmyra residents & businesses to the Palmyra Improvement Association (PIA) and via the PIA’s various fundraising events.

Program Purposes:

1. Enhance the property and neighborhood’s image and character
2. Inspire neighboring owners to consider exterior improvements
3. Encourage thoughtful restoration of home exteriors and outbuildings
4. Provide direct assistance to homeowners in the stewardship and preservation of their properties to help defray the cost of certain exterior façade improvements
5. Further community pride
6. Create a visible, positive community impact
7. Support the local economy

Application Deadline EXTENDED: September 30, 2022

2023 Awards:

• $1,000 to one homeowner
• $500 each to two homeowners

Who is Eligible?

This program is open to all homeowners in Palmyra, NJ (Burlington County), current on property tax payments and not have any existing or potential borough liens or fines against the property. No income requirement. Landlords, tenants, and business owners are not eligible applicants.

What is Eligible?

In general, homeowners are encouraged, wherever possible, to make improvements that restore the structure’s original character or transform the exterior like new. All work, whether Do-It-Yourself (DIY) or via a contractor, must comply with all applicable borough codes, ordinances, and policies. Examples include but not limited to the following listed:

• masonry repair
• repair to the building’s facade (front, rear, sides)
• repairing/replacing/adding architecturally appropriate cornices, entrances, doors, windows, decorative detail, porches, etc.
• adding or replacing architecturally appropriate design elements or lighting especially where period-appropriate materials are used; and
• paving of driveways and/or walkways.
• repairing or adding new sidewalks to enhance walkability and pedestrian safety
• painting
• landscaping, such as repairing old cracked concrete walkways, renovation of landscaping for increased curb appeal (except maintenance activities)
• exterior maintenance measures that will improve the overall look of the façade and ensure the sustainability of exterior surfaces, such as cleaning, painting, tuck pointing, repairing, power washing, sand blasting, acid washing, window glazing, and caulking

Permitting costs are not eligible for reimbursement in this program.

If in doubt, please email PIAgrants@gmail.com.

Timeline

1. Get cost estimates for your project. If not DIY, select your contractor by or before September 30, 2022.

2. Submit your application online by September 30, 2022.

2. PIA Selection Committee reviews and rates all applications in October 2022. Total average score will be used to rank applications.

3. PIA Meeting: award announcement and notification in November.

4. Project must be completed within 6 months of award notification.

• The homeowners or the chosen contractors will obtain all required permits, if necessary. Permitting costs are not eligible for reimbursement in this program.
• If more time is necessary to complete the work, the owners must email PIAgrants@gmail.com to request and justify a time extension.
• When work is completed, the owners must email PIAgrants@gmail.com to arrange an inspection of the property and email PIAgrants@gmail.com all original invoices and receipts of payment and “after” photos upon completion of the project. Upon satisfactory inspection and receipt of invoices and payment receipts, the PIA will issue the homeowner a check. Any PIA unapproved changes will void the reimbursement. If a homeowner decides to change the project after receiving the award letter, he/she must email PIAgrants@gmail.com for approval.
• If a homeowner decides to change the scope of work that differs from the submitted application, the PIA reserves the right to revoke the award (no reimbursement). The homeowner must email PIAgrants@gmail.com to notify them of this change.

Review Criteria

Applicants should make sure to fully demonstrate each criterion below in their application form. The more the points (weight) for a criterion, the more important a criterion is for this program’s consideration. Each HELP Selection Committee member will score each application by the criteria listed below. The application with the highest total average score is the winner, based on Committee consensus.

1. How critical is the property’s level of need for the proposed physical improvements? (30 points max)
   • Critical
   • Somewhat critical
   • Not critical

2. Will the project aesthetically enhance or restore character to the immediate street? (25 points max)
   • Very likely
   • Somewhat likely
   • Not likely or questionable

3. Will the proposed improvement significantly add value to the home and/or immediate street? (25 points max)
   • Yes
   • No
4. What level is the homeowner’s contribution to the total project cost? (15 points max)
   • High (Over 30%)
   • Medium-High (Between 20.1% and 30%)
   • Medium-Low (Between 10.1% and 20%)
   • Low (10% or less)
   • None (zero contribution)
5. What is the property’s level of proximity to commercial establishments, public park or other open recreational space, school, heavily traveled main corridor (i.e., Broad, Cinnaminson, Temple, and Highland), or an area or property designated for redevelopment/revitalization? (5 points max)
   • Adjacent (less than one-eighth of a mile) gets the full 5 points.

Maximum total average points for an application: 100.

Program Requirements

1. Limit of one (1) application per property.
2. Applicants must reside in Palmyra, NJ as a homeowner and use the building stated on the application as a primary residence.
3. Minimum total project cost (excluding costs for permits and clearances, as required by the borough or state to perform the work) must be $500 for the $500 award or $1,000 for the $1,000 award. While a homeowner does not need to contribute to the project cost (e.g. it is ok to apply for $500 for a $500 project and not financially contribute to the project), a contribution can help the application score better (see review criteria in the guidelines). Therefore, homeowners are welcome to use the award to fully or partially fund their projects but must only select one award category ($1,000 or $500). In other words,
   • The total project cost must be between $500 and $999 for the $500 award category. The PIA will reimburse the homeowner $500.
   • If the total project cost is over $999, select the $1,000 category. The PIA will reimburse the homeowner $1,000.
4. The project must not have already started or be completed by the application deadline.
5. If not DIY, the homeowner must have already selected a contractor/company to perform the proposed work at the time the application is submitted.
6. The project must be completed by PIA’s established deadline. For 2022 awards, the projects must be completed within 6 months from the time of award notification, or the award will be withdrawn. Upon the PIA’s satisfactory inspection and owner’s submission of all third-party receipts for reimbursement to the PIA, the owner will be reimbursed. Note that the amount reimbursed to the homeowner applies only to work that begins after the homeowner receives an award letter (or email) from the PIA. This means that work incurred prior to the date of the PIA award letter will not be reimbursed.
7. All application materials must be submitted by application deadline. There is no exception. See below for the checklist.

Application Packet Checklist

The following materials must be submitted in order to be considered for this program:

1. Completed application form (online from this webpage or send it by email). You can view, download/print, or complete the online form from this webpage.
2. Cost Estimate on company letterhead. If DIY, estimate must show a list of items and quantities to be purchased, including where the items will be purchased from.
3. Support letters/emails from neighbors who are directly adjacent to the property.
4. Renderings of proposed improvement, if available.
5. Color pictures of the property and its existing conditions (please label them):
   • Complete view of home’s front exterior;
   • Complete view of side of home where restoration work will occur, if not front exterior;
   • Close-up images of area where work will be performed, including one photograph showing the proposed work area and 3 feet of space on all sides of the area to be restored;
   • Close-up images of any detail work; and lastly,
   • Photos of immediate neighborhood where property is located

Application Form

Review the questions first before answering. There are certain questions that require a text answer in 300 words or less. After you have submitted the online form, you might not be able to edit it. If you need to edit it, you can submit a new form.

For cost estimate, support letters, pictures, or if available, renderings, you can upload them in as part of the online form or email them to PIAgrants@gmail.com.

Join the HELP Selection Committee (if Not Applying)

Anyone wishing to serve on the Selection Committee to review and select applications from this program should apply on this webpage and send an email to PIAgrants@gmail.com. Your information will remain private throughout the process.

Four rules:

1. You must not apply to be considered for this program’s awards in order to serve.
2. You must not be related by family to any applicants in order to serve.
3. Submitting an interest form does not guarantee your position on the committee. We will first verify that rule #2 is not violated.
4. You must be available to meet and take the time to review all applications and visit the properties in September of 2022.