North Sacramento Façade and Property Improvement Pilot

The North Sacramento Façade and Property Improvement Pilot (Façade Pilot) is a grant program that provides up to $30,000 for eligible exterior improvements to properties located along the Marysville – Del Paso Boulevard commercial corridor.

To be eligible, applicants must be the property owner of, or the business owner occupying, a building with street frontage located on either Marysville Boulevard or Del Paso Boulevard.

Additional eligibility requirements are as follows:

1. If a property owner is the applicant:

1. The property owner must have owned the building as of January 1, 2022,

2. The property owner must qualify as a small business as defined in Section 35.3 of Title 31 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR); and

3. Meet either (1) or (2):

• The building must be located within a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 2022 or 2023 Qualified Census Tract (QCT); or

• The property owner must attest to experiencing negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If a business owner is the applicant:

1. The business owner must have been in operation at the building as of January 1, 2022,

2. The business owner must qualify as a small business as defined in Section 35.3 of Title 31 of the CFR; and

3. Meet either (1) or (2):

• The building must be located within a HUD 2022 or 2023 QCT; or

• The business owner must attest to experiencing negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to the requirements in section 2 above, if a business owner who rents is the applicant:

1. The business owner must obtain the property owner’s written consent for the proposed improvements; and

2. Meet either (1) or (2):

• The business owner must have a current lease with a minimum of three years remaining; or

• The business owner must obtain the property owner’s written assurance of a lease extension for at least three years.

Applicants owning, or doing business in, more than one building can apply for one grant per building. If a contiguous building with multiple storefronts, applicants can apply for one grant per storefront. However, the City reserves the right to limit the number of grants awarded to any applicant at its sole discretion.

The minimum funding request per application is $5,000.

The maximum funding request per application is $30,000.

Grant awards totaling $5,000 or less do not require a match.

Any amount more than $5,000 requires a 50% match. For example, if an applicant receives a $25,000 grant, the applicant is required to contribute $10,000 ($25,000 - $5,000 = $20,000 x 50%). In this example, the applicant will realize a total of $35,000 in improvements with a $10,000 investment.

The City will review applications based on the following prioritization criteria:

1. Ability to complete improvements within 12 months, which includes completing design, obtaining applicable permitting, and completing construction;

2. Quality of planned improvements and permanent impact to streetscape; and

3. Reasonableness of cost estimate.

At the close of each round, the City will invite the highest ranked applicants to participate in an application review meeting.

The City will notify applicants if invited to participate in an application review meeting via the email address provided on the application. The City will notify all applicants regardless of funding status within the month following close of the application window so applicants know whether they should apply for a future round.

The City will disburse the grant funding in the form of progress payments based on the following milestones:

1. 15% disbursement of total grant award upon sharing contractor agreement(s) for design if applicable;

2. 25% disbursement of total grant award upon obtaining City planning and building approval if applicable;

3. 25% disbursement of total grant award upon sharing contractor agreement(s) for construction if applicable; and

4. 35% disbursement of total grant award upon construction completion and City closeout approval.

If the progress payment disbursement milestones above are not applicable, the City will consider alternative milestones on a case-by-case basis. Additionally, for grant awards over $5,000, the applicant must demonstrate some contribution towards the 50% match requirement in order to receive each progress payment.

Eligible activities include but are not limited to:

1. Exterior painting;

2. Restoration of original architectural features;

3. Removal of boarded windows, security bars, dilapidated signs, awnings, and other exterior clutter;

4. Installation of new façade elements including, but not limited to, signs, awnings, canopies, lighting, windows, doors, stucco, siding, tile, or stone accents;

5. Installation of permanent and irrigated landscaping;

6. Construction of new entrances;

7. Construction of new and permanent outdoor dining or gathering spaces;

8. Construction of new block walls or non-chain link fencing (cannot be located on street frontage unless in conjunction with creating a new outdoor dining or gathering space);

9. Construction of new trash enclosures;

10. Any applicable professional service fees related to design, architectural, engineering, and construction plans (cannot exceed 15% of total grant award); and

11. Any applicable City and State permitting fees.

The City will consider other activities on a case-by-case basis. In general, the activities must permanently improve the physical appearance of the property. Additionally, the activities cannot be one of the ineligible activities listed below.

Ineligible activities include:

1. Interior property improvements;

2. Improvements extending into the public right of way (street or sidewalk);

3. Improvements to new buildings constructed within the last five calendar years;

4. Performing general or deferred repair or maintenance including roof repair and replacement;

5. Upgrading mechanical, plumbing, or electrical equipment;

6. Temporary or removable patio furniture, fixtures, or accessories;

7. Land clearing or tree removal costs;

8. Parking area paving, resurfacing, repairing, or restriping;

9. Chain link fencing with or without slats; and

10. Residential projects located in residential neighborhoods and non-conforming uses in commercially zoned areas.

To assist grantees, the City is working to establish a list of licensed and insured design professionals to recommend.