City official outlines small-business programs and seeks county coordination on housing, retail pilot

Frank Robinson, a City of Montgomery official, briefed the Montgomery County Commission on several small-business initiatives and asked the county to partner on programs ranging from storefront grants to a proposed housing trust.

"It's a 50% match of up to $15,000 for first-floor retail," Frank Robinson said of the city's new Open on Main Street storefront grant, which the city launched as a pilot focused on first-floor retail improvements including exterior work, interior renovation, signage and technology upgrades.

Robinson described the storefront pilot as city-funded for the initial phase and said the city hopes to expand the program. He also said the city is accepting nominations for small-business awards with a June 7 deadline and highlighted downtown ambassador work that has removed about 200 pounds of trash and power-washed roughly 20 blocks during the first two weeks of the program.

Commissioners asked whether American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money was being used for these initiatives; Robinson said some programs use ARPA or joint city-county funding but clarified the Open on Main Street pilot was financed with city funds only. He also told commissioners the city has established a new housing department and expected to hire its first director by the end of the month; Robinson said the city welcomes county participation on housing solutions, including discussions about a housing trust and gap funding.

Robinson said some city programs are structured as joint efforts — for example, small-business outreach efforts labeled SBOS have involved both city and county participation — and he invited more formal coordination. Commissioners expressed interest in meeting to discuss how the county might partner on housing and small-business initiatives.

Robinson's presentation noted several discrete actions citizens and businesses can take now: apply for storefront grant assistance, nominate businesses for awards before June 7 and engage with downtown ambassadors and wayfinding projects. He specifically described the Open on Main Street pilot as intended to cover signage, branding and basic technology upgrades to support small retail fronting the downtown corridor.

County staff and commissioners said they would follow up to set meetings and discuss possible joint funding or program expansion in June.