Salina Awards First Round of Downtown Storefront Grants
A dozen small businesses in downtown Salina received matching grants to restore historic facades and reopen long-vacant upper floors.
Twelve businesses in downtown Salina have been awarded the first round of matching grants under a revitalization program aimed at restoring the district's historic brick storefronts and bringing life back to vacant upper floors.
The grants, capped at $25,000 each, must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the property owner and are intended for exterior restoration, signage, and the conversion of unused second stories into apartments. City leaders see downtown housing as key to sustaining the shops and restaurants below.
"A downtown that empties out at five o'clock cannot support the businesses we want," the head of the city's economic development office said. Several recipients plan to add loft apartments, adding to a small but growing base of residents living in the core.
Officials said demand for the grants far exceeded available funding, and the city commission will weigh expanding the program next year.
