Downtown property improvement grants available for second year

Feb. 15—For the second year in a row, businesses, residents and nonprofit corporations in downtown Anniston can apply for grants to improve their property.

Main Street Anniston and the Downtown Development Authority announced the multi-purpose reimbursement grant program on Feb. 10, in which eligible applicants may apply for up to $10,000 for various projects.

Karla Eden, Mainstreet Anniston director, said $147,503 was awarded to business owners and property owners in the district last year.

"This resulted in 23 completed projects with an investment totaling $352,735," Eden said. "The projects completed included everything from new roofs to complete interior remodels and repairs."

Eden said that this type of preventative maintenance has a positive effect on the longevity and beautification of Anniston's historic structures.

Eden said that applications are now open and will remain open until the funding pool is exhausted.

The grant is available to applicants within the defined boundaries of the Downtown Anniston Historic District and Anniston's West 15th Historic District. Those boundaries include Noble Street from 9th to 15th Street, Wilmer Avenue, Anniston's west 15th historic district, Gurnee Avenue and parts of 13th and 14th streets along with a section of Moore Avenue.

The reimbursement grant funds from this program are provided by the Downtown Development Authority, an incorporated entity that is separate from the city of Anniston's municipal government.

Under this reimbursement program, eligible applicants may apply for reimbursement funds for any of the following projects, as long as said project are completed after January 1, 2023:

* Exterior facade (defined as a building's front, back, its sides, rooftop) improvements or enhancements.

* Interior renovations or repairs.

* Fire suppression assistance, such as sprinkler installation.

* Environmental cleanup of a property.

* Historic rehabilitation of a property.

* The purchase of business equipment, such as kitchen equipment and/or equipment necessary for a business to properly operate or improve its current operations.

* New construction and developments.

* Addition of residential lofts to existing buildings.

* Innovative business plans and/or programs that would create jobs and/or strengthen the entrepreneurial atmosphere of Downtown Anniston or the West 15th Street Historic District.

Jackson Hodges, public information director for the city of Anniston, said Wednesday that five have already applied for grants.

The application for the grants — that includes detailed maps of the historic districts — is online only at: www.annistonal.gov/mainstreetanniston/reimbursement-grant-application.

For questions on the application process or guidelines, please contact Main Street Anniston staff:

Main Street director Karla Eden at 256-371-3711 or keden@annistonal.gov; or Main Street administrative assistant Kristin Smith at 256-231-7633 or ksmith@annistonal.gov.

Staff writer Bill Wilson: 256-235-3562. On Twitter @bwilson_star.