GREENFIELD — The city is seeking applications from downtown businesses that are in need of funding to repair or improve their storefronts through a program supported by Community Development Block Grants.
The state’s CDBG program, backed by federal Housing and Urban Development funds, provides additional money to communities with a “Slum and Blight” designation — an area in need of significant repairs or hazardous waste cleanup. While a portion of Greenfield’s CDBG funds this year were used to renew the Slum and Blight designation, leftover funding has been allocated toward the Storefront Improvement Program.
“We wound up having excess funds from that [designation renewal] process, and these are funds that need to be used on a pretty tight timeline, just because of where they’re falling in the CDBG grant calendar and we didn’t want to lose them,” Community and Economic Development Director Amy Cahillane said. “It’s just extra CDBG funds that we would have lost otherwise if we didn’t put them into something else, and it’s not a big enough chunk of money, nor was there enough time, to do an entire new infrastructure project or something like that.”
Greenfield was awarded approximately $72,000 in CDBG funds for the Storefront Improvement Program this year, according to Cahillane, which it hopes to use to help qualifying businesses in the city’s Central Commercial District improve signs, awnings and other visual elements. She said applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, and projects must be completed by June 1.
While local businesses can apply for up to $10,000 each, Cahillane said she anticipates that the city will end up funding seven to 10 different storefront projects.
“We would like to spread the wealth a bit and not just have one massive project,” Cahillane said. “It wouldn’t be worth it if a project was just $500 or something, so we’re trying to balance the distribution, making it enough of a dollar amount to make a meaningful difference to the business and worth their while, but also letting the funding impact more than just one storefront.”
Community and Economic Development Department staff will review the applications for “completeness and eligibility,” as they are received, according to a statement from the Mayor’s Office. Grantees will be selected based on the proposed improvements’ likelihood of completion and potential visible impact on the downtown area.
“We are putting federal funds to work in our effort to improve downtown vitality and support small, local businesses,” Mayor Ginny Desorgher said in a statement “The Storefront Improvement Program is a great opportunity for local businesses and organizations to improve their curb appeal while contributing to the overall health of our downtown.”
Greenfield Business Association Director Hannah Rechtschaffen explained that she often walks through possible storefront improvement plans with local business owners, and she has already been contacted by three businesses that are interested in applying for funding.
Rechtschaffen also emphasized the level of impact that sign improvements can have on downtown vitality, noting that Rise Above’s storefront is one that brings customers in.
“In the past, we’ve seen a lot of benefit downtown from those grants, and so our role with that is to amplify the availability of the grant and make sure it gets in front of business owners, especially those that we know have been waiting to do an improvement because of cash flow,” she said. “We will even go so far as to sit down with a business owner and help them walk through the application and understand what’s being asked of them. … I always point to Rise Above, which might not be everybody’s favorite color, but I think it’s undeniable that that storefront is beautiful, and people drive by and they see it and are drawn to it.”
A Frequently Asked Questions page, along with a copy of the application, can be viewed at tinyurl.com/StorefrontImprovementProgram.