URA approves $1,000 façade grant for Fireflies at 116 North Main

The Livingston Urban Renewal Agency approved a façade repair and renovation grant not to exceed $1,000 for the building at 116 North Main Street, home to Fireflies Pottery and Coffee, during its April 28, 2026 meeting.

A city staff member told the board the property lies within the downtown commercial historic district and that the proposed work has been reviewed and previously approved by the city’s planning office and the historic preservation officer, making it eligible for funding under the façade grant program. “There are two ways that this can operate. One is a reimbursement after the fact for 50% of costs, and the other is the upfront grant for up to $1,000,” the staff member said, adding that the upfront payout made sense given the project scale.

A board member asked whether decorative elements described as “coffee and pottery” constituted signage disallowed under program rules; the staff member replied that because the depiction did not reference a business name it could be acceptable but cautioned that printing for lettering might be a disallowable cost and that the board could restrict that item if it wished.

After brief discussion, an unnamed board member moved to approve the grant, and the motion was seconded by Matt Whitman, the county appointee. The board held a roll-call vote with four recorded affirmative responses; one member did not register a vote on the record and the motion carried.

The approval uses the façade grant program’s upfront option and is limited to $1,000 for this project. Staff noted program guidelines allow either a 50% reimbursement after completion or an upfront grant and that specific eligible line items (for example, paint versus letter printing) can be clarified by the board when awarding funds.

The board took no other formal actions on related items at the meeting.