• Tri-Cities Central
  • Posts
  • St. Charles to consider expanding Business Improvement Grant Program

St. Charles to consider expanding Business Improvement Grant Program

Updates will be discussed during a Special City Council meeting on Monday, January 27. The program aims to preserve existing downtown buildings, fill vacancies and attract new businesses.

Author

Sam Kraft
January 26, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 2 minutes

Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and surrounding communities.

Get yours: subscribe here. Refer a friend: share this link.

The City of St. Charles is set to discuss proposed amendments to its Business Improvement Grant (BIG) Program during a Special City Council meeting on Monday, January 27.

The program provides matching funds for preserving existing downtown building stock, filling vacancies and attracting new businesses to the area. The updates would better address inflation, accessibility concerns and increased demand.

Key proposed changes:

  • Increased funding limits: Maximum grant amounts would rise from $25K to $30K.

  • ADA-specific support: Reimbursement for accessibility improvements, such as ramps and widened doors, would increase to 75%, up to $10K.

  • Larger program budget: To meet growing demand, the city is proposing a significant budget increase for the program this year, from $50K to $12K.

The program aims to help businesses modernize, address safety and accessibility concerns and attract new tenants to vacant spaces.

City Council is expected to review and discuss the proposal during the meeting. Get more details here.

📖 Thanks for reading

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.

Reply

or to participate.