McHenry City Council set to consider second application to facade grant program – Shaw Local | #citycouncil


Since the city of McHenry revamped its facade grant program in October, two businesses have now applied for the grant and a third is in talks with city staff, a city official said.

“I think [the city] has gotten a lot of interest and in people interested in the program,” McHenry Economic Development Director Doug Martin said.

At Monday’s 7 p.m. McHenry City Council meeting, the city council is set to vote on that second application. The owner of 1252 Green Street is seeking $30,000 for improvements to the building facades facing Green Street and Neuman Park and a municipal parking lot.

The work, according to a report to city council, includes power washing; painting and staining; window, door and signage installation; electrical improvements; a new deck and masonry work.

The grant is a dollar-for-dollar match for up to 189 linear feet of improvements to the facades, according to the report.

Some of the work was already completed in anticipation of the grant, according to Martin’s report to council. The building is currently not occupied.

Revamping the program to allow for multiple facades – those facing the street, alleys and parks, too – seems to have generated interest in a program Martin saw as underutilized in previous years.

“I think that when we revamped it … that helped considerably” to make the program more palatable to property owners, Martin said. “People want to invest in their properties and this help make a difference” for the overall costs.

The previous grant request, approved by council at its Nov. 21 meeting, was for $2,710 in improvements to the Cottage Boutique at 1251-1253 Green Street. That request sought funding for painting and staining the facade, new windows and door frames and masonry work.


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