CEDC renews storefront grant program

A program to help local property owners improve their storefronts was reactivated when the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation Board met on January 11.

The CEDC Traditional Façade Grant Program, as it is now termed, provides fifty-fifty matching grants up to a maximum of $2,000 per project for properties in Clarendon’s Central Business District and along the US 287 corridor through the city.

Under the terms of the program, if the total of a project costs $1,500, the CEDC would contribute a maximum of $750. A $4,000 project would be eligible for the maximum of $2,000, and any projects costing more than $4,000 would only be eligible for the maximum of $2,000 of CEDC funds.

The program was originally authorized by the CEDC in 2008 and ran through 2017. During that time, the CEDC awarded 25 façade grants totaling $32,382.04 to property owners in Clarendon, resulting in more than $64,764 in business improvements.

Projects eligible for consideration could be anything from a simple coat of paint to new signage to a complete rehabilitation of a storefront. Projects must be pre-approved by the CEDC board, and the funds will be paid to successful applicants when invoices are submitted for the completed project.

CEDC funds cannot be used for labor costs if the owner, the tenant, or the applicant’s employees do the work. In that case, the grant would cover supplies and materials only.

Those interested in applying for the CEDC Traditional Façade Grant can find the proper application at ClarendonTx.com/FacadeGrants. The CEDC board will consider façade grant applications during its regular meetings on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at the Clarendon Visitor Center inside the Mulkey Theatre. To be considered, applications need to be turned in by the Friday before that month’s meeting.

For property owners interested in larger renovations to historic buildings, the CEDC Historic Façade Grant Program was approved in 2018. The program is more restrictive than the Traditional Façade Grant Program but provides more money to promote heritage tourism while encouraging rehabilitation and preservation of historic properties. The program awards matching funds up to 80 percent of the actual, eligible costs up to a maximum grant of $400 per linear foot of the storefront (i.e. $10,000 for a 25-foot storefront or $20,000 for a 50-foot storefront). Information on CEDC Historic Façade Grants is also available at ClarendonTx.com/FacadeGrants.