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Chisago County HRAEDA outlines small-business grants, retail analysis; workforce housing applications remain unresolved
Summary
Nancy Hoffman of the Chisago County HRAEDA briefed the Lindstrom EDA on BYOB workshops, small-business grants (up to $10,000 with matching rules and forgiveness terms), a February retail-trade analysis and recent workforce housing application outcomes; one local housing applicant did not receive funding this round.
Nancy Hoffman, representing the Chisago County Housing & Redevelopment Authority/Economic Development Authority (HRAEDA), gave the board an update on county-run small-business supports and pending development activity.
Hoffman described BYOB (Be Your Own Boss) workshops and regular SBDC-led quick trainings; she said the HRAEDA is launching two grant programs that can provide up to $10,000 for entrepreneurs and for building improvements, with match requirements that scale with award size and a forgiveness schedule for building improvements that forgives a portion of the grant over five years if the recipient remains in the building.
On retail trade analysis, Hoffman said the University of Minnesota will present a regional retail-trade study on Feb. 19 that uses anonymized cell-phone data to show where shoppers come from and which retail categories are under- or over-indexed, and invited EDA members to attend.
Hoffman and staff also updated the board on workforce housing and redevelopment: one local applicant (Voda Cooper) did not receive award points in the latest round and may terminate a purchase agreement; a developer (Phil Domar) is conducting neighborhood outreach for the Dinner Bell property and hopes to hold a joint EDA/council work session in early March to gather nonbinding feedback on conceptual redevelopment ideas.
The HRAEDA encouraged the EDA to help market the county programs and agreed to circulate applications and guidelines. Staff said they will pass along any resources or funding information that emerges from the county's strategic discussions.
