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Tiffin City Council passes into law the new Facade Enhancement Program[/caption]
Last Monday, on August 18, Tiffin City Council approved $50,000 in funding and signed into law for the new Facade Enhancement Program for downtown Tiffin. The application and program details are being made public today, and we will start accepting applications on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 (changed to Tuesday due to Labor Day.) The program is another one of the action tasks of the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan (see p. 48,) which we continue to implement as we continue to adopt a Main Street Four Point Approach.
The program is a first-come, first-serve reimbursement grant program for exterior improvements to buildings in the downtown historic district. It will provide a 50% match up to $10,000 per project for eligible exterior improvements. In order to qualify, a property goes through the standard Architectural Board of Review (ABR) Process. During the initial Discussion phase, Downtown Development Coordinator Amy Reinhart will determine if Facade Enhancement funding is still available and if the project qualifies. She will then guide the business through the process.
Process
Tiffin City Council passes into law the new Facade Enhancement Program[/caption]
Last Monday, on August 18, Tiffin City Council approved $50,000 in funding and signed into law for the new Facade Enhancement Program for downtown Tiffin. The application and program details are being made public today, and we will start accepting applications on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 (changed to Tuesday due to Labor Day.) The program is another one of the action tasks of the 2010 Downtown Strategic Plan (see p. 48,) which we continue to implement as we continue to adopt a Main Street Four Point Approach.
The program is a first-come, first-serve reimbursement grant program for exterior improvements to buildings in the downtown historic district. It will provide a 50% match up to $10,000 per project for eligible exterior improvements. In order to qualify, a property goes through the standard Architectural Board of Review (ABR) Process. During the initial Discussion phase, Downtown Development Coordinator Amy Reinhart will determine if Facade Enhancement funding is still available and if the project qualifies. She will then guide the business through the process.
Process
- ABR Process - Follow the Architectural Board of Review (ABR) Process
- Eligibility - During initial discussion, Amy Reinhart will determine availability and eligibility of Facade Enhancement funding
- Application - Property/Business owner will fill out the Facade Enhancement Program Application (.pdf version, .docx version) at the same time as the Certificate of Appropriateness application
- Site Visit - the City Engineer's Department staff and the Downtown Development Coordinator will conduct a site visit prior to submission and approval
- Submission - if the application and site visit pass review, the Downtown Development Coordinator will submit the Architectural Board of Review and determine the date it is to be presented. It is desirable to have both the Certificate of Appropriateness and Facade Enhancement Applications reviewed at the same time.
- Approval - the ABR will make a decision
- Expenditures - the Property/Business owner makes the improvements described in the application and submits the receipts
- Site Visit 2 - the City Engineer's Department staff and Downtown Development Coordinator will visit the site again to inspect the improvements
- Reimbursement - the reimbursement check (50% of receipts submitted) will be cut and distributed to the applicant
- Maintenance - the Property/Business owner commits to maintain the improvement for five years after the award.
