The Oil City Main Street Program, in collaboration with the City of Oil City, offers a Façade Improvement Grant Program which provides reimbursable, 50/50 matching grants of up to $5,000 for exterior storefront improvements on eligible buildings located within the Oil City Main Street District.
Donor Name: City of Oil City
State: Pennsylvania
City: Oil City
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline (mm/dd/yyyy): 03/31/2022
Size of the Grant: $25,000
Details:
The Oil City Main Street Façade Program provides funding to commercial building owners and business owners (with property owner approval) as well as non-profits, to encourage restoration of building facades within the targeted area. This is a matching grant program that requires a 50/50, dollar for dollar match by the applicant and is a reimbursable program.
Goals
The Oil City Main Street Façade Program has the following goals and objectives:
- Reduce or eliminate vacancies throughout the OCMS target area; and promote the adaptive reuse of commercial buildings.
- Bring substandard building conditions into compliance with basic health, safety, and building codes while enhancing the visual appeal of the Main Street businesses.
- Encourage redevelopment and reinvestment as well as stimulate private investment, therefore enhancing commercial growth in the OCMS target area.
- Assist with the preservation of the historic commercial buildings and assure that these buildings are rehabilitated in an appropriate manner.
- Add significant physical improvements to the aesthetics of a Main Street property that is compatible with existing buildings and the historical era of Oil City.
- To create a compelling image of the Oil City Downtown that will increase commerce, attract new business and foster a sense of community and civic pride in Oil City.
- To assist in furthering the efforts of the City of Oil City Downtown Economic Development Strategy Plan.
Funding Information
The maximum funding awarded to a façade grant applicant is 50% of the project cost, not to exceed $5,000 per application. While the total cost of the improvements may exceed $10,000.00, the maximum reimbursement shall not exceed $5,000.00. Large-scale projects costing $25,000 or more are subject to the Prevailing Wage Act.
Eligible Activities
Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Awnings: Installation, repair, and maintenance of fabric awnings.
- Signage: Installation, maintenance, repair, removal, and replacement.
- Doors and Windows: Maintenance, repairs, replacement, and restoration of window sashes, and exterior doors. Installation of storm windows is also eligible in conjunction with other significant façade improvements.
- Painting: Surface preparation, cleaning, painting.
- Brick and Stone Masonry: Structural repairs, cleaning, and re-pointing.
- Architectural Metals: Repair, cleaning, refinishing, painting, duplication, and restoration of exterior building components, e.g. cast iron, pressed tin.
- Exterior Woodwork: Maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and restoration of sills, windows and doorframes, bulkheads, storefront and roof cornices, window hoods, decorative moldings.
- Storefronts: Removal of inappropriate coverings and additions, maintenance, repair, rehabilitation, and restoration of display and transom windows and lighting.
- Lighting: External lighting fixtures both for signage and building lighting. Also, storefront window lighting clearly visible from the street, enhancing the façade.
- Design Assistance: architectural consultation, renderings, and/or drawings.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any person(s) or other legal entity owning property within the designated Oil City Main Street district is eligible to apply. Business owners who lease buildings or parts thereof may apply if given permission by the property owner, as shown by the owner’s signature on the application.
- A business owner or property owner may apply more than once for the same building. A property owner with multiple properties (different addresses) within the Main Street area may also apply more than once.
- OCMS maintains the right to limit the total amount of funding awarded in order to allow other interested owners to apply.
- If a property owner seeks and receives a grant, a tenant in the same building may also apply for a grant.
- A tenant can apply for the full amount, with the consent of the property owner.
- All property owners must be current on their City, School District, and County taxes. If a property owner is delinquent on their taxes, tenants located within the property are also ineligible to receive a façade grant.
For more information, visit Façade Improvement Grant Program.
