Champaign City Council Discusses Grant Initiative to Enhance...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a move to breathe new life into its downtown area, the Champaign City Council is considering a novel proposal called the “Downtown Refresh.” This initiative is designed to lure both people and businesses back to the heart of the city with the help of a competitive reimbursement grant program.

As outlined by Dan Saphiere, an Associate City Planner, the recent surge in construction costs has posed significant challenges for local businesses. Simultaneously, downtown has witnessed a decline in food and beverage sales, compounding the difficulties faced by the community.

This grant program aspires to revitalize the area by encouraging the renovation of storefronts and addressing the issue of vacant facades. The ultimate aim is to increase foot traffic and enhance the sense of safety for residents and visitors alike. “Part of feeling safe is filling in more storefronts,” Saphiere noted, emphasizing the importance of a vibrant and bustling downtown.

“Part of feeling safe is filling in more storefronts,” Sapphire said.

The council agenda for Tuesday’s meeting shows 28 downtown commercial spaces are currently empty. To try and solve the problem, Saphiere said the new plan would incentivize new businesses filling those spaces a little bit more than pre-existing stores.

He said if a new business leases a storefront and renovates “anything a customer can see” for $50,000 or less, the program, as currently shown in city documents, would allow the city to match 75% of the cost through a reimbursement.

“So for a $40,000 project in that location, if they’re filling it with a new business, the city will reimburse $30,000 and the property owner will pay $10,000,” said Saphiere.

For upgrades made by current downtown businesses, the city would pay back half of their renovation costs. Any project costing $10,000 or more would require half of the money to be spent on the exterior of the structure.

Esquire Lounge co-owner Paul Higgins said he’s on board with the plan.

“As a business you never want to leave money on the table,” Higgins said. “From our vantage point, it’s always about kind of just making the pie bigger. The more people we can get downtown, whether they want to go to a nice fancy restaurant, whether they want to go to the Virginia [Theatre] or make some candles over at Fire Doll.”

The program would use a 2025 food and beverage tax allocation from the city, and comes with an application process for business owners.

“We only have $500,000 [for the grant], so if we get 30 applications we need a way to objectively narrow that down,” said Saphiere.

He said he’s hoping to begin accepting grant applications for the proposal May 5 to June 19.

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Champaign City Council Discusses Grant Initiative to Enhance Downtown Revitalization

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