Lavonia Receives Rural Zone Designation for 2022

The Georgia Department of Community Affairs has awarded the City of Lavonia a Rural Zone designation for 2022.

Communities in rural zone areas are encouraged to develop strategies and share information about the benefits to businesses and investors, including the program’s three tax incentives:

• Job Tax Credit, which offers $2,000 per new full-time equivalent job created
• Investment Credit, which is equivalent to 25% of the purchase price of the building
• Rehabilitation Credit, which is equivalent to 30% of qualified rehabilitation costs.

Lavonia Mayor Courtney Umbehant noted the Rural Zone designation and tax credits will help downtown businesses with goals or plans they might not otherwise be able to carry out.

Each of the three tax credits is dependent upon the creation of at least two new full-time equivalent jobs.

Umbehant credits the hard work of DDA Executive Director Vivian Young and Welcome Center Director Barbara Busby for helping to get the designation for Lavonia.

In order to be eligible for the Rural Zone tax credits a municipality must have a population of less than 15,000; have a core downtown area with structures older than 50 years; produce evidence of blight or disinvestment in the downtown area; have an implementation of a strategic plan in the downtown area; and submit a completed market analysis, which indicates gaps within the local business makeup.

Lavonia’s Rural Zone designation from the Department of Community Affairs will run for five years.