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A Resolution Amending the Village of Oak Park’s Commercial Façade Improvement Program (C-FIP) 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 response to the Renew the Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project being moved from a 2025 to a 2026 Construction Schedule.
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Recommended Action
Staff recommends approval of this Resolution.
Prior Board Action
• The C-FIP Program was amended by the Village Board through Resolution 25-122 on February 4, 2025, before the decision to move the Renew the Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project to the 2026 construction season. The approved amended guideline language at that time allowed for the C-FIP to be utilized by non-sales tax-generating first-floor businesses only until December 31, 2025, because that is when staff knew the previously planned-for construction project would be concluded.
• The C-FIP Program was 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 Village Board recently approved amendments to the Village’s Commercial Façade Improvement Program through Resolution 25-122 on February 4, 2025. There were several amendments approved at that time; the most notable were program adjustments made to accommodate businesses in the Hemingway Business District during the then planned-for 2025 Renew the Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project. Since the most recent approval of the amendment to the program’s guidelines, the Village has moved the streetscape improvement program to the 2026 construction calendar. Therefore, new amendments to the C-FIP guidelines are being proposed to extend the availability of the program to all first-floor non-sales tax-generating licensed businesses in the Hemingway Business District for both calendar years 2025 and 2026. With the approval of these proposed amendments, the availability of the program to non-sales tax-generating first-floor licensed businesses would now end on December 31, 2026, instead of ending on December 31, 2025, as was previously approved by the Board. The new amendment wording is bold, underlined, and shaded in yellow.
In addition to the new proposed program guideline amendments summarized above, additional background on the history of the C-FIP and the Village Board’s most recently approved amendments, as were outlined for the Village Board when those amendments were presented to the Board at their February 4, 2025 meeting, are again summarized below.
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 businesses and property owners to help offset the overall cost of these façade improvements, which totaled $760,702.51.
The C-FIP, a dynamic program, has been in place since 2019, and this proposed Resolution is the fourth 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 guideline changes that were approved most recently by the Village Board on February 4, 2025, accomplished two main goals: 1) They expanded the 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; 2) They lowered the project cost threshold for all C-FIP projects from $2,000.00 to $1,000.00. The purpose of the first goal is to mitigate the impacts of the Renew the Avenue project. 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.
Again, the new amendments to the C-FIP guidelines that are currently being proposed, if approved, will extend the program availability to all first-floor non-sales tax-generating licensed businesses in the Hemingway Business District for both calendar years 2025 and 2026. With the approval of these proposed amendments, the availability of the program to non-sales tax-generating first-floor licensed businesses would now end on December 31, 2026, instead of ending on December 31, 2025, as was previously approved by the Board. Attachment 2 includes the new amendment wording, which is bold, underlined, and shaded in yellow.
Timing Considerations
The Village is continuing to market the C-FIP to the business community and it is important that the program’s guidelines match the will of the Village Board, on paper, as quickly as possible to avoid confusion. Applications for the program are being accepted now.
Budget Impact
The approval of the recommended C-FIP guideline amendments will be supported by already budgeted funds in 2025 within the following Development Services account numbers: 1) The regular community-wide C-FIP has $80,000.00 in GL account 1001.46262.101.585651 and 2) The Hemingway District Renew the Avenue C-FIP has $100,000 in GL account 1001.46262.101.585625. Monies will be recommended for 2026 during the normal FY26 budget process.
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. 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. 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, the previous 36 approved C-FIP improvement projects have occurred across ten (10) different business districts and areas, spread throughout the Village.
Community Input
The Hemingway Business District Board provided the attached letter, recommending approval of the C-FIP guideline changes that the Village Board approved back at their February 4, 2025 meeting under Resolution 25-122. The Village’s Business Association Council (BAC) has also expressed support for the recommended guideline changes that were approved.
The current recommended guideline changes are supported by the Hemingway Business District Board.
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, makes the program available to 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 Renew the Avenue streetscape construction project for both calendar years 2025 and 2026 will be beneficial. Businesses will not be eligible for more money than originally planned but will have a longer period of time in which to execute their improvements.
Disadvantages:
• Administration of an increased number of grant applications will have an impact on Development Services staff.
Alternatives
Alternative 1:
Alternatives
Do not approve the Resolution to expand the C-FIP program availability to non-sales tax-generating Hemingway District businesses into 2026, and only allow the Hemingway Business District business benefit in 2025.
Advantages:
• No additional work impact will be created for the Development Services staff.
• The program is successful as is, so keeping it going as previously approved, with the additional 2025 Hemingway District non-sales-tax generating benefit, will still be advantageous but is less advantageous than giving businesses all of 2025 and 2026 to participate.
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 means potentially limiting one of the programs designed to assist Hemingway District first-floor businesses during the potentially impactful, now 2026, focused Renew the Avenue construction project.
Anticipated Future Actions
If approved, the amended C-FIP guidelines will be widely distributed and discussed with the members of the Oak Park business community through various Village communication avenues, the Chamber of Commerce, and established Business District organizations. Additionally, 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 DS staff often does 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: Craig Failor, Director, Development Services
Approved By: Kevin J. Jackson, Village Manager
Attachment(s):
1. Proposed Resolution.
2. Proposed C-FIP Guideline Changes with yellow, bold, and underlined indicating new language.
3. Letter of Support from the Hemingway Business District Board from February 2025.
4. Memo from the October 29, 2024, Finance Committee of the Village Board when the most recent changes to the C-FIP, approved by the Board on February 4, 2025, were discussed.