East Liverpool hopes facade grants will boost downtown
The Market Street Loft is an example of one of the buildings in East Liverpool that has seen a $9.5 million spent on redevelopment to eliminate a previously blighted area and provide housing downtown. (Photos by Deanne Johnson)
The Little Building on the diamond in East Liverpool has seen better days, but recent plans include reopening the storefronts for businesses again.
An ornate building across the street from the Little Building has upper windows boarded up.
The Market Street Loft is an example of one of the buildings in East Liverpool that has seen a $9.5 million spent on redevelopment to eliminate a previously blighted area and provide housing downtown. (Photos by Deanne Johnson)
The Little Building on the diamond in East Liverpool has seen better days, but recent plans include reopening the storefronts for businesses again.
An ornate building across the street from the Little Building has upper windows boarded up.
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EAST LIVERPOOL -- With downtown hoping to make a comeback, the City of East Liverpool is launching a Facade Grant program.
The investment in the community is coming courtesy of $80,000 budgeted by the city and another $100,000 in money the city requested from the Columbiana County Commissioners. The commissioners voted last month to approve the $100,000, which is coming out of the American Rescue Plan Act funding commissioners have been granting for projects throughout the county.
Councilman John Mercer, who sits on the economic development committee, said the city is very grateful for the assistance of money from the commissioners and hopes the money will help to encourage some of the developers to make more improvements to the fronts of buildings in the city.
"Some of these buildings need a little sprucing up and others need a lot of work," Mercer said.
Over recent months, Mercer said there have been seven buildings change hands in the downtown area and there are plans for them. For instance, with some work the Little Building right on the diamond will once again have storefronts. The new owner of another building on Fifth Street is planning to put a tech company upstairs and retail space downstairs.
Those buildings will join other projects. According to a letter from Mayor Greg Bricker requesting the money from the commissioners, there have been 10 businesses open in downtown in 2020 and some of the development projects include $8 million spent on the building currently housing the New Castle School of Trades where more than 200 students are training, $9.5 million spent on the Market Street Lofts, which provides more downtown housing and $1.1 million used to turn a former bank building into Renovatio's Tap Room and Restaurant.
But while those buildings have improved, others remain boarded up or with broken windows. The hope is by creating a facade program through the Community Improvement Corp., the city will be able to continue in a positive direction and bring even more people into downtown.
Mercer said CIC will be overseeing the facade program and the specifics on when and how businesses will apply for the money, as well as how the program will work, will be determined in the upcoming weeks. At this point, he said they are happy they have $180,000 to get the program off the ground.
"It never hurts," Mercer said about more buildings getting some attention in town. "Anything we can do to make downtown better is worth it."
djohnson@mojonews.com