Urban Renewal Grants

Before applying, please review the grant guidelines on this page

Applications are currently closed, please email tyler.ferrari [at] dallasor.gov (tyler[dot]ferrari[at]dallasor[dot]gov) to learn about the next grant cycle

Purpose:

The Dallas Urban Renewal agency is investing directly into buildings in the Urban Renewal District with the Urban Renewal Grant Program. Each year, the Agency allocates funding from the Urban Renewal District for projects across the District, including this program. This program will strive to carry out the goals and objectives outlined in the Dallas Downtown Urban Renewal Plan. Financial assistance is available for projects within the Urban Renewal District, meeting the following goals of the Urban Renewal Plan:

1. Promote development of a unified and cohesive downtown.
2. Promote a mix of retail, commercial and residential uses oriented to pedestrians.
3. Promote high quality design and development compatible with the historic architectural theme of Dallas’ Central Business District.
4. Increase employment and business activity in the downtown.
5. Increase the tax base in the downtown and throughout the Urban Renewal District

Roles:

Applicant – The property owner or authorized representative of the property owner. 

Grant Administrator – The City Manager or designee shall be the Grant Administrator, and is the public contact for information about the program. The Administrator is responsible for assembling city staff to review grant applications for compliance with applicable provisions of City, County and/or State codes and ordinances.

Eligible Uses of Funding:

1. Alteration, replacement, or repair to exterior facades, including windows and doors.
   1. Buildings listed as “contributing” to the Dallas Downtown Historic District or listed on the Local Landmarks Register must use historically appropriate materials and methods for this work, as outlined in the Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for Historic Places.
   2. Applications for the construction of a new building within the Historic District are not required to follow the above guidelines.
2. Work related to the structural safety of a building, as required by a building official, fire marshal, or architect/engineer licensed in the State of Oregon
3. Critical utility infrastructure (e.g. plumbing, electrical, mechanical and HVAC).
4. Roof reconstruction.
5. Awnings, or other pedestrian weather protection measures.
6. New construction or structure additions.
7. Seismic upgrades requiring a structural permit.
8. Interior structural improvements.
9. ADA Improvements to entryways, exits, restroom facilities, and construction/retrofit of elevators.
10. Technical Assistance, or the hiring of a certified and licensed contractor, architect, or design professional to design a project that includes any or all the above.

Ineligible Uses of Funding:

1. Purchase of appliances/equipment that can be removed from the building when the use changes (kitchen equipment, washers/dryers, cleaning equipment, etc.).
2. Interior improvements designed for a specific use (ex: temporary walls for dividing large spaces into smaller offices).
3. Improvements to spaces that, in the opinion of the Agency, the current or planned use of which does not, or will not, materially contribute to the economic vitality of the District. Examples of uses that do not materially contribute to the economic vitality of the District may include, but are not limited to, vacant spaces, spaces used primarily for passive storage of personal property, spaces used primarily for fulfillment of off-site sales, and warehouses; provided, that a grant may be made for such a space if the applicant presents a plan, satisfactory to the Agency, to change the use of the space to make it a space that will contribute materially to the economic vitality of the District
4. Hiring a grant writer or other technical assistance not related to building design or construction.

Grant Amounts and Matching Requirements:

Grant Criteria:

1. Construction projects must be at least $10,000 in value.
2. The applicant must be the property owner, or an authorized representative of the property owner (contractor, architect, tenant, etc.).
3. The building and its tenants must have the necessary permits to operate in the space (if the building is presently occupied). These permits may include a Certificate of Occupancy issued by the Building Department, applicable state and county licensing, and/or applicable planning/zoning permits.
4. The project must obtain all necessary building permits and inspections related to the permits must be completed before funds can be dispersed.
5. Projects must be located within the Dallas Urban Renewal Area (see Attachment A).
6. Single-family homes are not eligible for this grant, unless being converted into a commercial use.
7. Multi-family projects may be eligible if they meet the necessary zoning requirements for the Central Business District.
8. A property owner is eligible for only one construction grant and one technical assistance grant per fiscal year. Property owners that own multiple properties can only apply for a grant for one of their properties in a fiscal year.
9. The property is not tax exempt.
10. The Application must meet the respective scoring requirements for the type of funding requested.

Application Process:

1. The application window is a period of six (6) weeks set by the Grant Administrator. The period will begin no later than May 15^th.
   1. If funding for the current fiscal year remains after the first application period, the Grant Administrator may open another six-week application period where new applications will be accepted.
2. After the application window closes, the Grant Administrator will compile all the applications and provide them to the scoring committee.
   1. The scoring committee will be comprised of at least two (2) City of Dallas staff members, and at least one (1) member of the Urban Renewal District Advisory Committee (URDAC).
3. The Application must meet the respective scoring requirements for the type of funding requested (See Attachment B) to be accepted. Projects scoring less than the minimum amount will not be considered for funding. (See Attachment E.)
   1. Projects that do not reach the minimum score will be rejected and the applicant will be notified and provided the scoring information for their application. Rejected applicants can reapply for funding, if it is available, during the following grant cycle.
4. The applications will be submitted for a Departmental Review, where each respective city department may recommend conditions of approval for an application.
5. Once all the applications are scored and reviewed, all qualifying applications will be presented to the Urban Renewal Agency for review and approval.
6. The Agency Board of Directors will review the applications and award funding based on the scores of the scoring committee. The Agency may impose conditions of approval, award projects in full, or award projects partially, depending on the funding available to the Urban Renewal District.
7. If an application is approved, staff will draft a funding agreement between the applicant and the Agency. The funding agreement will include the award amount, conditions set by the Agency, and requirements of the grant.

Application Requirements:

Applications must be submitted using the online portal provided on the City’s website. Every application must include the following: 

1. Completed application form (this is the online application)
2. Applications must meet applicable building design standards (currently under Chapter 2, Section 2.3.080 of the Dallas Development Code)
3. Completed funding form (See Attachment B.)
4. Completed expense form (See Attachment C.)
5. Property owner authorization letter (See Attachment D.)
6. A minimum of one (1) bid from a licensed contractor or design professional for the scope of the project
7. Any documentation that shows the work proposed must be completed for building safety and occupancy (if applicable)
8. Optional: Letter(s) of support from neighboring businesses, local non-profits, or other community stakeholders. 

If an application is deemed incomplete, staff will notify the applicant via email that their application is incomplete. An applicant will have 15 days from the date of notification to submit the materials required to deem the application complete. If the materials are not submitted in the allotted timeframe, the application will not be scored and will be automatically rejected.

Grant Requirements:

1. Grant funds are disbursed on a reimbursement basis only. Grant funds will not be provided in advance under any circumstances.
2. The approved project cannot begin until after the funding agreement is signed by both the applicant and the City Manager. Any expenses incurred before the funding agreement is signed will not be eligible for reimbursement.
3. The approved project must be completed within 12 months of signing the funding agreement. An applicant may request up to two (2) 60-day extensions if needed. These requests must be made in writing at least 15 days before the project completion deadline.
4. Grants distributed to a space that, at the time of the application, the Agency finds does not contribute materially to the economic vitality of the District, but for which the Agency has approved a plan to alter the use of the space to make it a space that contributes materially to the economic vitality of the District, will be distributed when the applicant has implemented its plan and the Agency determines the plan has been implemented to its satisfaction and the space has met the criteria for a grant. If the plan has not been implemented to the Agency’s satisfaction within one-year from the date of the fully executed funding agreement, the grant may be cancelled and withdrawn.
5. The applicant is required to obtain and meet the requirements of all necessary permits issued by the City of Dallas, Polk County, State of Oregon, and other applicable governing agencies before funds can be dispersed.
6. The Grant Administrator is required to inspect the work associated with the approved project for completion before funds can be dispersed.

Other Terms and Conditions:

• Applicants must sign the approved funding agreement within 30 days of being notified of the award. Funds may be forfeited if the funding agreement is not signed by the applicant within this timeframe.
• Applicants are not required, but are heavily encouraged to attend the meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency when their application is being considered for funding approval to answer any detailed questions about their project. Staff is not responsible for answering project specific questions on behalf of the applicant.
• Changes to the scope of the project after a funding agreement is fully executed must be approved by the Grant Administrator. Applicants must notify the Grant Administrator in writing of the proposed changes to determine if a new funding agreement is required
  • If a new funding agreement is required, the Grant Administrator will notify the applicant and submit a new funding agreement for their signature.
  • A new funding agreement way require additional approvals from the Agency – the applicant will be notified if this action is required.

Scoring Information:

Applicants are highly encouraged to review the scoring rubric before applying. The scoring rubric is included in this packet to provide applicants with an opportunity to evaluate their project before submittal.

• The minimum score for technical assistance applications is 50 points.
• The minimum score for construction applications is 75 points.
  • Construction applications must be well rounded applications that are transformative in nature. In addition to meeting the minimum score, the application must score at least 30 points from the following categories
    • Building Improvements
    • Economic Impact on Downtown

Applications will be evaluated, in part, on the economic impact of the project on downtown. This is evaluated using the criteria on page 2 of the rubric. Applicants can receive points based on the type of use, and the strength of that proposed use. The “strength” of the proposal may be evaluated by the scoring committee using the following methods:

• Is the proposed use a type of use that is new to downtown? (Ex: Is the restaurant a new type of cuisine, dining type, etc?)
• Is the proposed use a type of use oriented towards pedestrians or vehicles? (Ex: A retail business that specializes in online sales or pick up sales would score lower than a “traditional retail business.”)
• Is the proposed use meeting an easily identifiable community need or want? (Ex: A new dry cleaner business may be scored higher than a new hair salon)

This is not an exhaustive list – questions about the Economic Impact section should be referred to the Grant Administrator before the end of the application window. 

Applications are currently closed, please email tyler.ferrari [at] dallasor.gov (tyler[dot]ferrari[at]dallasor[dot]gov) to learn about the next grant cycle