The Village of Westmont Board of Trustees on Jan. 23 adopted an ordinance establishing a $250,000 downtown incentive program budget for fiscal year 25B and approved two grant awards for building upgrades on North Cass Avenue.

The program — which funds tier 1, 2 and 3 façade and life-safety projects — will prioritize fire-life-safety work, village Director Hennerfein told the board. “We are looking at $250,000 of available funds for tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3 grants,” Hennerfein said during the meeting.

Why it matters: The grants aim to encourage private investment in downtown storefronts and to improve building safety for businesses and residents. Trustees said the program has helped attract improvements and occupancy in downtown properties.

Most significant actions taken:
- The board approved an ordinance adopting the fiscal year 25B downtown incentive program annual budget and activity targets, with the fire-life-safety exhibit forwarded by the Community Development Committee.
- The board approved a tier 1 downtown incentive grant to Cass Avenue Properties LLC to fund replacement of single-pane storefront windows at 216 North Cass Avenue. The total project cost was described as about $13,000; the program funds 20 percent of eligible costs, a grant of $2,455.
- The board approved a tier 2 downtown incentive grant to Cass Avenue Management Group LLC for installation of a water line and sprinkler system at 17 North Cass Avenue (the West Suburban Insurance building). The project cost was presented as just under $75,000; the calculated grant award is $50,258 (about 68 percent of the project cost), part of the village’s fire-life-safety emphasis.

The meeting also approved a special-use permit and a B-1 development permit to allow Dolce Vita Day Spa and Salon 4 to occupy 216 North Cass Avenue. Salon owner Jesse Smith told the board her business and three stylists will continue serving downtown residents in the new, smaller storefront. Property owner Bridal Martin (identified in the meeting as one of the building owners) said the owners purchased the building to expand the spa and create a small hair salon in the front space.

Trustees described the grants as a strong incentive for privately funded safety upgrades. “We accomplished what we were trying to do when we did this,” Hennerfein said after the larger sprinkler grant was explained.

The downtown incentive program is intended to be used across tiers for façade, life-safety and other improvements. The board encouraged downtown business owners to apply for available funding and said the program has supported recent occupancy and investment on Cass Avenue.

Minor details: The window replacement grant for 216 North Cass was categorized as a tier 1 grant; the sprinkler installation at 17 North Cass was categorized as a tier 2 grant and was noted to be the second of two grants on the evening’s agenda. The board’s vote for each ordinance and grant was unanimous among trustees present; Trustee Scales was absent.

The village plans additional downtown meetings and outreach as it refines the zoning and incentive programs, and trustees encouraged public attendance at upcoming planning sessions.