Image via Sherman Park Grocery Center
Sherman Park Grocery Center
Rundown, neglected storefronts have become a byproduct of the pandemic, but the City of Milwaukee is looking to step in and initiate change.
Milwaukee's Department of City Development (DCD) is providing local businesses with financial assistance for building renovations and improvements through the Commercial Revitalization Grant Program. The program aims to enhance building aesthetics and activate the public realm in Milwaukee, by assisting businesses in creating higher quality storefronts that attract customers and support neighborhood development.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson recognizes the importance of commercial corridors in boosting economic activity and enhancing neighborhood development throughout Milwaukee. He is pleased that the Commercial Revitalization Grant Program is helping Milwaukee businesses succeed by building stronger businesses, activating commercial corridors, and growing the local economy.
In 2022, the DCD awarded more than $1.5 million in grant funding to 50 local businesses for property renovations and improvements. A total of 92 grants were administered in 2022, and applicants may be eligible to receive more than one grant during the year. The funds awarded by DCD to the grant recipients helped leverage more than $12.4 million in new investment to their properties or commercial spaces.
For 2023, there is $1 million in grant funding available, and 25% of those funds have already been awarded to local businesses that are creating stronger commercial corridors in Milwaukee.
DCD’s Commercial Revitalization Grants fund four different programs to assist businesses and property owners with investing in commercial storefronts throughout the City of Milwaukee. These programs include the Signage Grant Program, which provides assistance to business owners for creating or updating their signage; the Façade Grant Program, which provides assistance to businesses and commercial property owners for street-facing façade renovations; the Storefront Activation Grant, which provides assistance to commercial property owners for interior renovations that help prepare vacant spaces for occupancy by new tenants, and the Retail Investment Fund (RIF), which provides funding for retail development projects located in neighborhood business districts.
Milwaukee businesses that received funding in 2022 are praising their experience working with DCD and the Commercial Revitalization Grant Program. Hue Asian Kitchen, a women and minority-owned restaurant, received more than $62,000 in Commercial Revitalization Grants. Cat Tran from the Bay View restaurant shared, "Our work with the Commercial Corridors Team was extremely positive. The staff was knowledgeable, prompt, kind, and understanding. The DCD did not hesitate to assist in every way possible to keep our project on top of mind and to assist in moving the project along until its completion. Our commitment to Milwaukee will continue thanks to the grant money received through the City of Milwaukee."
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Sherman Park Grocery, which was awarded more than $30,000 in Commercial Revitalization Grants, is grateful for the opportunity to provide affordable fresh fruits and vegetables to many residents in a food desert. "The Commercial Revitalization Grant Program was extremely instrumental in bringing fresh affordable fruits and vegetables to the Sherman Park neighborhood” said Maurice Wince, Owner of Sherman Park Grocery. “The grant allows us to combat childhood obesity and cholesterol heart disease, but most of all, Sherman Park Grocery is able to provide affordable fresh fruits and vegetables to many residents. Our doors are open seven days a week, and we employ up to 15 employees. The staff at DCD was great in helping us navigate through understanding the systems and completing the paperwork. We appreciate our partnership with DCD and the City of Milwaukee."
North Avenue Market in Uptown Crossing received more than $37,000 in Commercial Revitalization Grants, which were instrumental in converting their building from a bank into a food hall or what Chris Harris Morse, Owner of North Avenue Market, calls a neighborhood hub. "Funds from the Commercial Revitalization Grant played a key role in our ability to convert our North Avenue Market building from a bank into a food hall, or what I call a neighborhood.”
For more about the role of the grants as well as the mission of the Department of City Development, visit the DCD website.
