Alexandrians who have been trying to flood-proof their homes should find it a little easier to get city funding.
Alexandria’s Flood Mitigation Grant Program received an update in October that makes it easier for property owners to access and boosts the amount of funding homeowners can receive. One of the big changes is that residents no longer have to show past flooding, meaning they can make precautionary improvements to homes that haven’t been hit with flooding before.
According to a release:
Effective October 24, 2023, the City of Alexandria updated the Flood Mitigation Grant Program to open eligibility to all property owners by removing the requirement to show past flooding. The Grant program was also updated to increase the maximum amount of the 50/50 matching funding for eligible flood mitigation measures on association common areas up to $25,000.
This is a BIG DEAL. These changes now allow this program to be available to all residents, not just those with previous flooding. Thank you, Council and @AlexandriaVAGov! #DrainALX https://t.co/HYEgRqUAff
— DrainALX (@DrainALX) November 27, 2023
That $25,000 is a dramatic increase compared to the previous $5,000 matching grant for improvements to common areas.
According to the release:
The Virginia General Assembly modified Virginia Code to explicitly state that grant funding can be used by associations for flood mitigation projects, effective July 1, 2023. This increase in matching grant funding for association common areas is reasonable given that the cost of flood mitigation measures is typically much higher for common areas. Individual condominium owners may still apply for up to $5,000 of matching grant funding for their units.