Euclid planning staff on Thursday outlined a proposed Euclid Storefront Spark pilot that would use $300,000 previously allocated from American Rescue Plan Act funds to help bring small businesses, artists and nonprofits into long‑term vacant street‑level storefronts.

Director Patrick Groganmeyer, director of the Planning and Development Department, presented the program to the Business Development and City Planning and Housing Committee during its June 5 meeting and said the pilot will aim to “provide catalytic support to filling some of our commercial vacant storefronts around the city.”

The proposal targets ground‑floor spaces with public street access on primary commercial corridors (including Euclid Avenue, Lakeshore, Shore, Babbitt, and portions of the 185th, 200th and 220th corridors), and would prioritize properties that have been vacant for at least one year and businesses in qualified census tracts or those that can demonstrate a COVID‑19 pandemic impact, Groganmeyer said. “We’re providing that spark to kick something off and get it going,” he told the committee.

Why it matters: city staff said a 2023 windshield survey of street‑visible commercial spaces found 467 total storefronts, with 105 believed vacant — about 22 percent — and that long‑term vacancy reduces surrounding property values and can increase maintenance and public‑safety calls. The program is intended both to stimulate street‑level activity and to help owners bring spaces up to code so they are rentable.

Eligibility and uses: staff described likely applicants as very small businesses (typically one to five employees), startups finishing training at the city’s Cottage Industry Academy, local artists and collectives, market organizers and social‑enterprise nonprofits. National chains and franchises would be ineligible. Eligible uses of grant funds would include interior “white‑boxing” (basic lighting, plumbing, code compliance), limited exterior improvements (signage, painting, window activation), expenses for pop‑up events or markets, rent subsidies of up to six months paired with business assistance, and modest professional services (architect/engineer plans), with a draft cap staff suggested around $25,000 per award.

Staff emphasized ongoing support paired with grants: rent subsidies would be tied to training and technical assistance (for example, Cottage Industry Academy classes) so businesses do not receive a short-term subsidy without support to become sustainable. Staff also proposed requiring marketing steps such as window decals and online mapping of renovated spaces so prospective tenants and the public can find available storefronts.

Administration and timeline: Groganmeyer said the department will pilot administration internally rather than immediately turning operations over to EDCO/EDCOR, with the goal of launching outreach the week of June 15 and opening the first application round online with a July 25 deadline. Staff expected awards to be announced in August and activations or construction to run from September through December. Final award authority would be through the city’s board of control rather than new council legislation; staff will circulate the application materials and take council feedback before launch.

Council questions and concerns: committee members pressed staff on several points the proposal must clarify or refine, including whether applicants should provide matching funds or “skin in the game,” how staff will verify pandemic impacts for businesses or property owners outside qualified census tracts, whether education participation should be mandatory for subsidy recipients, and how the city will avoid subsidizing landlords who refuse to maintain properties.

On matching, Groganmeyer said staff initially recommended no match requirement for round one to avoid excluding very small businesses but said the idea remains open for council feedback. On eligibility documentation, he said applicants not in a qualified census tract could demonstrate pandemic impact via loss of revenue, business closures or reduced foot traffic. On enforcement, staff cited the city’s vacant property registration and recent code updates as the “stick” paired with the program’s “carrot,” and proposed monitoring funded storefront renovations for maintenance after completion (the city’s existing storefront renovation program requires post‑project monitoring).

Other operational details discussed: staff estimated typical small storefronts range from roughly 1,000 to 1,500 square feet (with some larger spaces subdivided) and said starting rents vary but can begin around $1 per square foot depending on utilities and condition. Staff noted parking‑lot condition appears less often as the primary barrier to occupancy than the cost to bring a space up to current building‑code standards.

Next steps: staff will circulate an updated program packet to the full council, collect feedback by the end of next week and finalize the fillable application. Groganmeyer said Round 1 is intended as a learning opportunity to refine future rounds and potentially transition long‑term administration to EDCO/EDCOR. He reminded the committee the ARPA funds must be committed by the end of next year and urged a prompt launch.

Direct quotes in this story are from participants at the City of Euclid committee meeting on June 5, 2025. Attribution follows the meeting transcript.