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A Resolution Authorizing the Amendments to the Village of Oak Park’s Commercial Façade Improvement Grant Program Guidelines.
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Introduction
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A Resolution supporting amendments to the Village’s long-standing Commercial Façade Improvement Program (C-FIP) Guidelines in an effort to both specifically assist in supporting the Hemingway District businesses during the 2025 Renew the Avenue streetscape project and, for the greater Oak Park business community, to offer the program’s benefits to a larger number of businesses, by expanding eligibility.
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Recommended Action
Staff recommends approval of this Resolution. In addition, the Hemingway Business District Board recommends the adoption of this resolution.
Prior Board Action
• The C-FIP Program was last amended by the Village Board through Resolution 23-134 in April 2023.
• The C-FIP Program was first amended by the Village Board through Resolution 19-313, in October 2019.
• The C-FIP Program was first approved by the Village Board through Resolution 18-906 in June 2018.
Background
The purpose of the Commercial Façade Improvement Grant Program (C-FIP) is to promote reinvestment in the Village’s commercial buildings, with a focus on potentially supporting historic preservation practices. Since 2018, the Village has helped to facilitate thirty-six (36) separate improvements, providing $175,491.64 in grant funds to business and property owners to help offset the overall cost of these façade improvements which were $760,702.51.
The C-FIP, a dynamic program, has been in place since 2019 and this proposed Resolution is the third time that the program’s guidelines have been brought back to the Village Board for fine-tuning and program expansion reasons. As in the past, the proposed guideline amendments will allow the continued expansion of program eligibility.
The proposed changes to the established guidelines are attached. The new wording is bold, underlined, and shaded in yellow, and the wording to be removed is crossed through. The recommended guideline changes accomplish two main goals: 1.) It expands eligibility in “2025 only” for all first-floor businesses in the Hemingway Business District to assist with potential impacts from the Renew the Avenue project; and 2.) It lowers the project cost threshold for all C-FIP projects from $2,000.00 to $1,000.00. The purpose of the first goal is obvious. The purpose of the second goal is to ensure that smaller Oak Park businesses, without the resources to make improvements that cost significant sums, can still participate in this important program.
A presentation to the Finance Committee of the Village Board occurred on October 29, 2024, for consideration of this item in relation to the FY 25 budget. This item is related to proposed Resolution 25-124 and Ordinance 25-104 to present a comprehensive business support program during the Renew the Avenue construction in 2025.
A presentation to the Finance Committee of the Village Board occurred on October 29, 2024 for consideration of this item in relation to the FY 25 budget. The memo presented that night is included as an attachment. This item is related to proposed Resolution 25-124 and Ordinance 25-104 to present a comprehensive business support program during the Renew the Avenue construction in 2025.
Timing Considerations
If approved, the new C-FIP guidelines would take effect immediately. This is ideal because some businesses in the Hemingway Business District have expressed interest in taking advantage of the interior remodel grant opportunity during the slower month of February.
Budget Impact
The approval of these recommended C-FIP guideline amendments will be supported by already budgeted funds with the following Development Services account numbers: 1.) The regular community-wide C-FIP = -- $80,000.00 in GL account 1001.46262.101.585651 and 2.) The Hemingway District Renew the Avenue C-FIP = $100,000 in GL account 1001.46262.101.585625.
Staffing Impact
The Development Services Department staff will continue to facilitate the Commercial Façade Improvement Grant Program (C-FIP) as they have since the program began in 2018. The Department staff has helped to facilitate 36 C-FIP Projects since 2018 and has the experience to continue to administer this important business assistance program. Additionally, the Development Services staff facilitated 346 COVID-19 Business Assistance Grants, so the DS staff is well versed in this type of grant administration.
DEI Impact
Since 2018, there has been significant diversity in the utilization of the Village’s C-FIP Program. The businesses that have utilized the improvement program have been both large (Example: Carlton Hotel - one of the Village’s largest commercial buildings) and small (Example: Ciro’s - the Village’s smallest restaurant by size). The businesses that have utilized the program have been both owned and/or operated by a wide diversity of people. Additionally, as you can see by the C-FIP spreadsheet attached, the C-FIP improvements have occurred across ten (10) different business districts and areas, spread throughout the Village. The Resolution being supported for approval today will, potentially, make the program available to even more businesses by lowering the financial participation threshold.
Community Input
The Hemingway Business District Board has provided the attached letter, recommending approval of this Resolution. The Village’s Business Association Council (BAC) has also expressed support for the recommended guideline changes.
Staff Recommendation
As stated previously, the Development Services Department staff strongly recommends approval of this Resolution.
Advantages:
• Additional expansion of the C-FIP, one of the Village’s most successful business assistance grant programs, will make the program available to even more potential participants.
• Providing additional assistance to Hemingway District first-floor businesses and property owners, who may experience a negative financial impact from the planned 2025 Renew the Avenue streetscape construction project will be beneficial.
Disadvantages:
• Administration of an increased number of grant applications will have an impact on Development Services staff.
Alternatives
Alternative 1:
Do not approve the Resolution to expand the C-FIP program and allow the program to continue under the same guidelines that were in place in 2024.
Advantages:
• No additional work impact was created for the Development Services staff.
• It is currently a successful program, so keeping it going “as is” might be advantageous.
Disadvantages:
• Over the years, the C-FIP program has continued to flourish because the Village Board has been willing to regularly make adjustments that resulted in the program's ongoing expansion.
• Not approving the resolution would mean removing one of the programs designed to assist Hemingway District first-floor businesses during the potentially impactful 2025 Renew the Avenue construction project.
Alternative 2:
Approve just the portion of the recommended changes that will benefit the businesses in the Hemingway Business District and do not lower the financial participation threshold for the program to allow more participation from other smaller Oak Park businesses across the community.
Advantages:
• The current program limitation requiring project costs to equal at least $2,000 has worked well over the years it has been in place.
• A $2,000 project cost limitation does result in the Village’s support of more substantial façade improvement projects.
Disadvantages:
• When the Village requires that, to participate in the C-FIP, a business must be spending at least $2,000 on an improvement, if a new sign or improvement costs only $1,900.00 then that small business cannot participate. By lowering the project cost minimum to $1,000.00, additional, smaller Oak Park businesses will be able to benefit from the C-FIP program.
Anticipated Future Actions
If approved, the new C-FIP guidelines will be widely distributed and discussed with the members of the Oak Park business community through various Village communication avenues, through the Chamber of Commerce, and through the established Business District organizations. Additionally, a good amount of work will be done to promote the new guidelines through the professional public relations staff hired to assist with the Renew the Avenue project in the Hemingway Business District. Further, the Development Services staff will provide regular updates to the Board, as we often do with current C-FIP projects and as was done during the time that COVID-19 Business Assistance Grants were available in Oak Park.
Prepared By: Cameron Davis, Assistant Director, Development Services
Reviewed By: Emily A. Egan, Development Services Director
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Proposed C-FIP Guidelines with marked amendments (Yellow, bold, and underlined is new wording, crossed through is removed wording).
2. Spreadsheet detailing all C-FIP grants awarded since 2018.
3. Letter of Support from the Hemingway Business District Board.
4. Proposed Resolution.
5. Memo from the October 29, 2024 Finance Committee of the Village Board.