Title/Name/Summary
Historic District Grant Program - Discussion Only
History
In 1998, the Village Board approved the first non-residential facade improvement program, known as the Old Orland Facade Improvement Program. This program was primarily intended to address the appearance of historic non-residential buildings in Old Orland along 143rd Street. In 2009, the program was revised to include additional buildings along 143rd Street between West Avenue and LaGrange Road in order to address all of the commercial buildings (historic and non-historic alike) across from the downtown area. At that time, the program was renamed as the Commercial Facade Improvement Program. In late 2012, the Village Board renewed the facade improvement program and made the grant available to all commercial properties Village-wide. The program was then referred to as the Appearance Improvement Grant (AIG). Qualifying improvements would be eligible for 50% of the cost of work up to $50,000. As a part of fiscal constraint measures, the AIG was de-funded in 2018.
This item is now before the Village Board for discussion to determine if the grant program should be re-instated to help support business retention and attraction to the Old Orland Historic District. If the program was open to all properties in the Historic District, it could also assist property owners with maintaining the historic character of landmark buildings and other contributing structures. The costs to renovate existing commercial properties in the Historic District can be significant due to the age and unique characteristics of these structures. In addition, the codes regarding the exterior appearance of the structure are typically more stringent in the Historic District. As such, this would allow the Village to help offset some of the costs associated with bringing a new business to the district or maintaining the historic character of the community.
Previous grant programs were always 50/50 share between the Village and the property owner and the amount of funding typically has ranged from $10,000 - $50,000 per project. Grant eligible projects were limited to facade and site improvements, generally in public view.
DEVELOPMENT SERVICES PLANNING AND ENGINEERING COMMITTEE DISCUSSION
The discussion from the committee was positive. In general, the committee members were in favor of bringing the request forward to the Village Board. The committee was in favor of supporting this program to bring investment to the commercial area of Old Orland as well as providing support for the contributing structures and landmark properties in the district.
This program is currently not budgeted in the 2020 budget. If the Village Board requestd staff to move forward a formal proposal, the program would be brought forward for a specific approval that outlines the provisions of the grant program. The intent, if the program is reinstated, it would be to buget for the 2021 fiscal year.
Recommended Action/Motion
This item is for discussion only.