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Staff outlines tiered tenant-improvement and facade grant program to spur downtown reinvestment
Summary
City staff previewed tiered tenant-improvement and facade/site revitalization grant programs with base maxima, center-of-core bonuses, stackable incentives for food/beverage and sustainability measures, and proposed recoupment/recording safeguards; board discussed eligibility, penalties and administrative criteria.
City staff presented draft grant programs on July 16 designed to accelerate storefront and site reinvestment across the core and other urban renewal districts. The programs include a three-tier tenant-improvement grant (base maxima: $75,000 for new occupancy; $45,000 expansion; $25,000 retention) with a 25% bonus for projects located in the center-of-core priority area, and a site and facade revitalization grant program with scaled maxima (up to $400,000 for large sites) and stackable bonus pools for active frontage, sustainability, EV charging, solar canopies and other elements.
Jonathan Taylor, who led the presentation, said the tenant-improvement program is intended to complement existing facade grants and that tenant allowances from landlords could count as eligible private match. "This is to support interior build out and reinvestment in commercial spaces," Taylor said. He described special bonuses (for example, an $8,000 long-term vacancy bonus and a $10,000 food-and-beverage activation bonus) and noted that combined subsidies would be capped so they do not exceed 65% of total project cost.
Board members raised questions about eligibility, accountability and enforceability. Elizabeth from the city attorney's office said grant agreements will include performance milestones and that awards can be recorded against property to secure public investment and recoup funds when necessary. "If you don't do that then, you know, we build in check-ins and things, but we recoup the money at a minimum," she said.
Members debated focus sectors (restaurants and hospitality to drive evening activity versus long-term commercial/industrial retention) and whether to limit exposure to high-risk industries like restaurants. Staff described outreach to lenders and local stakeholders, and suggested that administrative guidelines and objective scoring criteria will be developed with BURA and finance to ensure clear application expectations and to manage risk.
Staff asked for board direction on key policy questions: whether the center-of-core boundary remains appropriate; whether bonus pools or reserved funding should be used; and what types of businesses or project goals the board wants the programs to prioritize.
Staff will refine the policy language, craft administrative guidelines and return with a final recommendation to BURA for adoption.
