Applications Open for Small Business Façade and Parklet Improvements

Applications are now open for the City of Santa Rosa's Small Business Support Program focused on façade improvement, placemaking, and parklet build-out grants in qualifying commercial districts within the city. Applications are available at SRCity.org/SmallBizSupport.

The primary goal of the City of Santa Rosa Small Business Support Program is to encourage economic development and destination awareness of historically under-invested areas by enhancing the exterior appearance and commercial viability of storefront businesses in the City's commercial districts. Improvements should enhance or restore the physical condition or appearance of a business and/or building, and/or enhance the placemaking of an area. In accordance with the American Rescue Plan Act funding source, the applications are designed to remove barriers and facilitate equitable access to funding for small businesses and property owners that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is anticipated that a typical award will grant up to 70% of the project costs, depending on funding availability and evaluation criteria. Of that, 20% of the award will be available up front for startup costs, and the remaining award will be issued through reimbursement. Business or property owners that are applying to have public art installed will be pared with a public art project manager who will work with the business to design public art on site, such as an exterior mural or mosaic paid for by the City.

To qualify for the grant, businesses must be located within the Roseland commercial areas, along the Santa Rosa Avenue or Petaluma Hill Road commercial corridors, or in the downtown area. Pending fund availability, a second phase of grant funding may be opened, and the remaining Santa Rosa commercial areas would become eligible. A map of qualifying areas is available on the program website.

To meet the definition of an Impacted Small Business, applicants must have 500 employees or less, be able to demonstrate a decline in revenue due to COVID-19, faced increased costs, have a lack of capacity to weather financial hardship due to the pandemic, and/or have been challenged with covering payroll, rent or mortgage, and other operating costs during the pandemic.

More information and a link to the Small Business Support Program grant application can be found at SRCity.org/SmallBizSupport, or by contacting the City of Santa Rosa Economic Development Division at [email protected]or (707) 543-3080.