{"id":35545,"date":"2013-03-14T23:45:30","date_gmt":"2013-03-15T03:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/?p=35545"},"modified":"2013-03-14T23:45:30","modified_gmt":"2013-03-15T03:45:30","slug":"quimby-village-area-to-get-makeover-as-part-of-facade-grant-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroundfortwayne.com\/news\/2013\/03\/14\/quimby-village-area-to-get-makeover-as-part-of-facade-grant-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Quimby Village area to get makeover as part of Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"City<\/p>\n

News release from the City of Fort Wayne:<\/p>\n

Quimby Village area to get makeover as part of Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant program<\/strong>
\nNine other businesses receive grants<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry today announced that 10 local businesses will receive 2013 Commercial Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grants, including one which will enhance the Quimby Village area. This year’s fa\u00c3\u00a7ade grant awardees will receive $202,691 in City funding and have pledged to contribute nearly $850,000 in private investment to make improvements on their properties.<\/p>\n

“Our Commercial Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant program is making a dramatic impact on the appearance of commercial corridors in the heart of our city,” Mayor Henry said at a news conference at the Quimby Village site along Bluffton Road. “This program has provided the boost our local business owners have needed to improve the appearance of their buildings and provide a more welcoming atmosphere for customers.”<\/p>\n

The Quimby Village\/Clyde Theater Revitalization Project, located at 1808-1810 Bluffton Rd., will receive a $40,000 Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant. The owner, Rick Kinney of Even Keel Event Productions, will match the grant with approximately $150,000 in improvements. Kinney plans to open a multifunctional performing arts center, art gallery and recording studio. Retail and office space will also be available, as well as space for a restaurant.<\/p>\n

The City’s Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant will pay for replacing windows, doors and soffits, updating exterior lighting, removing graffiti, replacing sidewalks at the front and east side of the building and repairing the concrete exterior. Last year, the City awarded Kinney brownfield grants to investigate and remediate all asbestos and lead paint on the property.<\/p>\n

“I can’t say enough about the City’s Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant and Brownfield programs,” said Kinney. “The expertise and funding is giving me the jump start I need to get this project going and turn Quimby Village and the Clyde Theater into something really special.”<\/p>\n

Mayor Henry introduced the Commercial Fa\u00c3\u00a7ade Grant program in 2008 as part of his ongoing commitment to help local businesses thrive and expand, particularly in the heart of the city. The program is designed to assist business owners in making improvements to the exterior of their commercial properties. Enhancements can include signage, lighting, awnings, parking improvements, decorative fencing and more.<\/p>\n

The City requires applicants to provide a dollar-for-dollar match in order to receive the grant. The program has been so successful that from 2009 to 2012, the City awarded $939,092 in grant funding, which leveraged more than $2.6 million of private investment toward improvements. A total of 55 projects have been completed since the program was introduced.<\/p>\n

The program has helped property owners revitalize building exteriors on Wells Street, Main Street, Calhoun Street, Taylor Street, Broadway and other heavily traveled corridors throughout the City. In order to be eligible for a fa\u00c3\u00a7ade grant, a business must be located within one of the City’s Economic Development Target Areas, which are commercial corridors that are more challenging to redevelop because of the age of the buildings.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Quimby Village Revitalization Project, the other 2013 fa\u00c3\u00a7ade grant recipients are:<\/p>\n