HARLINGEN — Like many small business owners, Lori Rodgers is working on big plans to spruce up her arts studio.
So she is turning to City Hall to help her pay for a new roof for her Rio Grande Valley Arts Studio.
On Thursday, Mayor Norma Sepulveda and the city’s Economic Development Corporation are unveiling a new program offering grants of as much as $10,000 to help small businesses fund upgrades to their shops.
At 5:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, Sepulveda and members of the EDC staff are set to help residents apply for grants, with the city offering to match 50 percent up to $10,000.
“It’s a going to be a small part of it but it’s going to be a big chunk,” Rodgers said of her plans to apply for a $10,000 grant. “It’s an excellent program. It will really help small businesses that have put their blood, sweat and tears into their business to better the community.”
First round
To launch the Revitalize Harlingen program, officials are setting aside $150,000, focusing on an area west of Commerce Street from West Jackson Avenue to West Harrison Avenue, West Van Buren Avenue to West Jackson, West Harrison Avenue to M Street, West Tyler Avenue to M Street and F Street to West Jackson.
“I would like this to continue and move into more zones,” Sepulveda said Wednesday, referring to the program’s next target area. “This is hopefully the first of many. We want to see the return of our investment.”
The program will offer grants to qualifying small businesses’ property owners and tenants planning to upgrade their shops’ facades, curb appeal, signage and landscaping.
“Property owners and/or tenants are able to apply for up to 50% of their total exterior project costs, to a maximum of $10,000,” a press release states. “This program is designed to enhance business storefronts, encourage job retention and stimulate economic activity.”
Helping small businesses grow
In Harlingen, like in other cities, small businesses help drive the economy.
“It’s definitely going to make a difference,” Sepulveda said of the new program. “My goal is to help everyone doing business here get that support. I don’t want a single business in Harlingen to close its doors because it doesn’t have the resources. If there’s a way for us to prevent that, we want to step in to see what is available.”
Application process
The program offers a simplified application process.
“We’re trying to streamline the process,” Sepulveda said, adding property owners and tenants can even apply with a phone call.
Targeting next business zone
Now, the EDC is conducting a survey to help determine the next area the program will target, Sepulveda said.
“That way the community can tell us what exactly is their need,” Sepulveda said. “We need to see how to focus our money. We want to revitalize areas left out in the past.”
First step
The grant program is the first part of a bigger campaign aimed at revitalizing parts of the city, Sepulveda said.
“This is definitely the start of many more programs to benefit the business community,” she said.
Downtown program
In the city’s downtown area, a similar grant program has helped businesses revamp their shops while boosting their property values, Eric Ziehe, president of the EDC’s board, said.
“As a real estate professional, I understand the value of property and improvements made to the exterior of a business, restoring and enhancing adds value to a business,” he stated. “I’ve seen this program work in our downtown area and we need to reach out to the qualifying businesses, who could use this matching grant.”
More than 30 years ago, property owner Bill DeBrooke helped the Downtown Improvement District launch the city’s long-running grant program.
“On the west side of the tracks, every building in the district has received grants,” DeBrooke said. “The difference is amazing. We have turned the west side of the tracks from basically a bar district to a vibrant business community made up of small business owners.”
For more information on the city’s new grant program, visit harlingenedc.com/revitalize-harlingen.
