MANSFIELD — Mansfield City Council approved the creation of a new downtown improvement grant program at Tuesday night’s meeting.
The Downtown Vertical Improvement Program will offer $30,000 in grant funding per year with awards capped at $15,000 per project. The two-year pilot was recently recommended by the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board, which oversees expenditures from the city’s downtown improvement fund.
The downtown area designated for the project ranges from Adams Street on the east, Bowman/Sturges on the west, Sixth Street on the north and First Street on the south.
Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield Inc., explained that some commercial spaces, including vacant second and third stories, aren’t being utilized because bringing them up to code is cost prohibitive. Some of them have been vacant for decades.
Downtown Mansfield Inc. will receive $3,000 annually for managing the project. Kime said she hopes to award two to three grants per year.
“Our goal for the Downtown Vertical Improvement Program is to offer incentives for activating vacant spaces in the downtown,” Kime said. “We’d like to have buildings that are ready to go so we can get entrepreneurs into spaces quicker.”
Kime said there’s a misconception that downtown is full of vacant spaces, when in reality, properties that are up-to-code are in high demand.
“Storefronts that are renovated are pretty much full,” she said. “We have waiting lists for property or business owners that want to come into downtown. We just need more spaces available for them.”
Common obstacles to code compliance include outdated HVAC systems, electric systems, roofing and non-ADA compliance. All of these issues can be costly to address.
“We’re losing business opportunities to communities that have spaces that are plug and play,” Kime told council.
Kime added that similar programs in Columbus have been successful at incentivizing property owners to renovate their spaces. She told council there were already two or three businesses that had expressed interest in the program.
While the program will not require a specific match percentage, applicants will have to present a plan for bringing their buildings fully up-to-code.
City Engineer Bob Bianchi said evaluators would consider the application and look at the associated code requirements that need to be met in order to solidify the development.
“I think it’s important to note the board approved recommending a program not to exceed two years. We can evaluate the success of the program at that time and determine if the board would like to move forward with it in future years,” Bianchi said.
More information for applicants will be available on DMI’s website once the program begins.
Kime told council members that if the program proves to be a success, she plans to seek more funds to keep it going.
Also on Tuesday, City Council:
— approved $9,000 from the city’s downtown improvement fund to improve planters along Diamond Street through the downtown. The advisory board recommended the project at the same meeting on March 17.
— approved the usage of federal funds through the Community Development Block Grant and Home Investment Partnership programs.
— approved an agreement with Vital Records Control, Inc., from Columbus to store archived public records that had been stored at the Mansfield Commerce Center.
— approved a $4,302.23 payment to resident Martin Rawls, 647 W. Third St., for accidentally discarding the musical equipment he had stored inside a Johns Park building last summer.
— approved increasing the maximum reimbursable amount available under the city sewer assistance program when damage to property is caused by city sewer back-ups or water main breaks. Under the new ordinance, the city could pay up to 50 percent of documented expenses, with a cap of $1,200.
— approved demolition of properties at 182 Harker St., 279-281 Reed St., 290 E. First St., 402 Central Ave., 503 Lida St., 518 King St. and 1160 Pawnee Ave.
— approved sprinkling, mowing, sweeping and cleaning the grass plots or lawn strips in the middle of Glenwood and Parkwood boulevards. Property owners are assessed for the work.
— approved an electric services aggregation with Dynergy Energy Services, LLC, to secure “lower cost electric services within the city.”
— approved advertising for bids to repave parking lots at the Municipal Building and the Utility Collections Building.
— approved authorizing spending $1,986.54 for a Microsoft Surface laptop using American Rescue Plan Act revenue replacement funds.
— approved entering into a lease with Mansfield Sky Club, owned by Dan Niss, to operate a restaurant at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
— approved spending $59,000 to purchase new playground equipment at Dickson Park.
City editor Carl Hunnell contributed to this report.
