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BY IVAN SANDERS
CITY OF ELIZABETHTON PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
A public meeting was held on Monday evening at Elizabethton City Hall to provide information and answer questions about the planning and economic development services facade rehabilitation grant program for businesses that are located in the Main Street district of Elizabethton.

It is the fourth year of the program which is approved by city council to help provide incentives to improve the facades of buildings within the district which encourages the improvement of downtown buildings, the improvement of commercial sales, local sales tax collection in downtown, the enhancement of marketability of the downtown buildings, and the attraction of new businesses and shoppers to the downtown area.

The program initially was for a total amount of $10,000 but since has increased to $25,000 as more applications showed the need for future investments in the downtown area.

In 2022, there were 12 applications with six funded. The businesses, if approved, can receive up to $4,000 reimbursement for improvements to their buildings and they must provide the necessary paperwork for monies that have been paid out to receive the reimbursement.

“Anything to the exterior is eligible,” said Logan Engle, Director of Planning and Economic Development for Elizabethton. “No landscaping is covered and the money cannot be used to purchase property. Items covered included things such as windows, doors, painting, signs, store-front renovations, roofs, and sidewalk barriers similar to the black rails that the Riverside Tap House installed are included.”

In order to be eligible for a facade grant, applicants must receive a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Elizabethton Historic Zoning Commission (if located in the Historic Zoning District) or receive preapproval from the Elizabethton Planning & Development Dept. staff.

Applications are now available with the deadline to apply by close of business on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Applicants that are approved will be notified no later than Oct. 13, 2023 and the work must be completed by June 1, 2024 and all of the matching grant requested on the application must be used.

Engle can be contacted at 423-542-1503 with further questions or emailed at lengle@cityofelizabethton.org.

Also, the application can be found by copying the following and pasting into an internet browser: http://cms1.revize.com/revize/elizabethton/2023_24_Facade_Grant_Program_Application_37_.pdf