Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Small Business Support topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Partnership rolls out storefront-improvement grant; considers tenant-improvement fund
Summary
Mount Lebanon Partnership announced an initial storefront-improvement grant award and plans to pilot a tenant-improvement fund to help small businesses with build-outs, aiming for 4–5 grants this fiscal year and partnership with the municipality on funding and technical assistance.
The Mount Lebanon Partnership said it has approved its first storefront-improvement (facade) grant, with two additional applications in the pipeline and three others under discussion. "We have approved our 1st storefront facade grant," Kate Irvin said, and the Partnership said it hopes to have a minimum of four to five grants approved before the end of the fiscal year.
Partnership leaders described the storefront grant as a proof of concept that could be leveraged to attract philanthropic, corporate and municipal support. They proposed a complementary tenant-improvement fund to offset build-out costs that commonly block small-operator openings, and suggested grants could be structured to help both new and legacy businesses with design assistance, window upgrades and modest build-out subsidies.
Commissioners supported the pilot but asked for clearer metrics and participant lists so the commission can evaluate outcomes when considering municipal budget support. The Partnership said program guidelines and applications are posted on its website and that staff will provide more detailed reporting as awards are finalized.
