HomeMy WebLinkAboutA001 - Council Action Form dated June 10, 2025ITEM #:31
DEPT:P&H
June 10, 2025
Staff Report
SPRING FY 2024/25 DOWNTOWN FACADE GRANTS
BACKGROUND:
The Downtown Facade Grant Program was introduced in 2000 to facilitate private
improvements to downtown retail and other commercial storefronts (Attachment A). City
Council has modified the program requirements multiple times within the past several years,
mostly recently last year to allow for a new type of grant for exterior building maintenance and
rear facades of historic buildings. The program has two funding rounds with different
priorities, a fall round for primarily front facade improvements and a spring round for
front facades, historic rehabilitation, maintenance, and rear facades.
The City Council annually budgets $75,000 as matching funds for eligible projects. The
program has allowed for up to $23,000 of dollar-for-dollar matching funds per front facade and
up to $2,000 for additional architectural services for standard facade grants. For the spring
2024/25 fiscal year, the remaining available funding for the Downtown Facade Grant Program
is $146,216. Projects that were previously approved, but not yet started or completed are not
included in the available funding amount.
The program requires compliance with specified Design Guidelines that can be found on the
Planning Division webpage . The program requirements include a prerequisite of a ground
floor use of office or retail trade. Additionally, grant eligibility includes a requirement for
proposed improvements to retain the historic facade or for the removal of non-compliant
elements consistent with the guidelines or to pursue eligibility under the Other facade
guidelines.
The program program was modified recently to allow for the rehabilitation of historically
significant, character-defining features of contributing historic resources in the National
Register Downtown Historic District. This work includes restoration of original windows or
distinct architectural features such as parapet walls. Further program modifications made
exterior walls, roofs, and foundations eligible for maintenance and allowed for rear facades to
receive grant funding in compliance with the Design Guidelines.
Proposed improvements are intended to have significant positive visual impact on the building
and the overall district. If grant requests exceed the available funding, the program criteria for
front facades includes preference for facades that have not received funding in previous
rounds. Attachment B provides an overview of the intent and process for the facade grant
program, and Attachment C outlines scoring criteria. Attachments D, E, and F are the current
applications.
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GRANT APPLICATIONS RECEIVED:
The City solicited applications for the second round of FY 2024/25 funding in April 2025. Three
complete applications are being considered for this second round. (An additional application,
not included, was deemed incomplete.) All three of the proposed grants are related to
maintenance rather than the traditional facade improvement grants to remove
noncompliant features. A project summary, location map, and project design illustrations are
attached. Staff calculated the total request of eligible grant funding to be $52,926.
Address Business or Building
Name
Staff Recommended
Award
Total Project
(applicant estimates)
136 & 138 Main Street Little Woods Herbs &
Teas $18,625 $39,250
202 Main Street P. Frangos Building $24,294 $53,000
313 Main Street Cooks' Emporium $10,007 $22,014
TOTAL $52,926 $114,264
136 & 138 Main Street :
The building at 136 and 138 Main Street is home to Little Woods Herbs and Teas. The two-
story structure was constructed in the mid-1880s and, like most of the buildings on Main
Street, had its original, Victorian facade replaced between the 1920s and 1940s. The facade
is little changed since then. The building is located in the National Register Historic District as
a contributing resource.
The applicants are requesting grant funding for the following work:
repointing the mortar and repairing cracks on the front facade
repairing and replacing windows lintels on the front facade
repair to the parge coating on the rear facade (a parge coat is the thin coat of mortar
over the bricks)
This work qualifies as a maintenance grant as supporting the exterior structural
elements of the building.
The applicant is proposing to remove a chimney on the roof of the building, which staff
determined is not an eligible cost as it does not maintain an existing feature of the building nor
is it removing a non-compliant feature from an eligible facade. No other design changes are
proposed.
Work Eligible Cost Estimates Total Cost Estimates
Front Facade Brick & Mortar
Repair $12,750 $12,750
Window Lintel Restoration $12,000 $12,000
Rear Facade Repair $8,500 $8,500
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Ineligible Work (including
contingency) $4,000
Professional Design Fees $2,000 $2,000
Total $35,250 $39,250
The City's match is $16,625 plus $2,000 in design fees for a total of $18,625.
202 Main Street :
The building at 202 Main Street, the P. Frangos Building, is home to Chic Beauty Salon on the
ground level. The two-story structure was erected in the mid-1880s and had its original,
Victorian facade replaced between the 1920s and 1940s.The building is located within the
National Register Historic District as a contributing resource.
The facade is largely unchanged since the current facade was constructed and the two
windows on the second story are original to that streamlined facade. The windows are 4 panes
wide by 5 panes tall with steel muntins (the horizontal and vertical pieces holding the panes).
The casement windows each open on the left and right sides.
The applicant is requesting grant funding to restore and repair the original windows,
which qualifies as a rehabilitation grant for character-defining, historically significant
features. The repair of the original window is an example of work that was previously
ineligible but is now eligible after Council's recent changes to promote historic
preservation. The work also includes repairs to the exterior of the west wall, which includes
repairing the mortar and replacing missing bricks, which qualifies as maintenance. This wall,
which was originally shared with a now demolished building, now faces Cynthia Duff Plaza,
which cuts through the south side of the Main Street block to the municipal parking lot. No
design changes are proposed.
Work Eligible Cost Estimates Total Cost Estimates
Window Repair & Associated
Work $39,588 $39,588
Repair to West Exterior Wall $5,000 $5,000
Ineligible Work (including
contingency) $3,412
Professional Design Fees $2,000 $5,000
Total $48,588 $53,000
The City match is $22,294 plus $2,000 in design fees for a total of $24,294.
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313 Main Street :
The building at 313 Main Street was built in the mid-1920s and is home on the ground level to
Cooks' Emporium. The structure has two stories and its facade is likely original. The building is
located within the National Register Historic District and is a contributing resource.
The facade is largely unchanged since it was built. The applicant is proposing to repair the
mortar and brickwork where damage has occurred, which qualifies for the maintenance grant.
No design changes are proposed.
Work Eligible Cost Estimates Total Cost Estimates
Front Facade Brick & Mortar
Repair $16,014 $16,014
Ineligible Work (contingency) $4,000
Professional Design Fees $2,000 $2,000
Total $18,014 $22,014
The City match is $8,007 plus $2,000 in design fees for a total of $10,007.
OPTIONS:
1. Approve the Downtown Facade Improvement and Maintenance Grants as proposed by
the applicants for:
a. 136 & 138 Main Street for up to $16,625 in estimated eligible costs for facade
repairs and $2,000 in design fees.
b. 202 Main Street for up to $22,294 in estimated eligible costs for the restoration of
original windows and repair to an exterior wall and $2,000 in design fees.
c. 313 Main Street for up to $8,007 in estimated eligible costs for the facade repairs
and $2,000 in design fees.
2. Modify the award amounts, conditions, or decline to award a grant to any or all of the
applicants based upon the finding that any of the proposed projects do not meet the
intent of the program or its requirements.
3. Defer action and ask staff or the applicant(s) for additional information.
STAFF COMMENTS:
The Downtown Facade Grant application solicitation has resulted in three requests for a total
of $52,926. A fourth request was submitted for maintenance, but it did not include a required
assessment of the building conditions to be a complete application. Staff responded to the
applicant and requested additional information, but it was not ready to be reviewed consistent
with the three complete applications.
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City staff has determined that the proposed Downtown Facade Improvement projects
for the buildings at 136 & 138 Main Street, 202 Main Street, and 313 Main Street comply
with the requirements of the program. There is adequate funding available for the
requests. Therefore, is it the recommendation of the City Manager that the Council approve
Alternative #1, as described above.
ATTACHMENT(S):
Attachment A - Eligibility Maps.pdf
Attachment B - Program Overview.pdf
Attachment C - Scoring Criteria.pdf
Attachment D - 136 & 138 Main Street.pdf
Attachment E - 202 Main Street.pdf
Attachment F - 313 Main Street.pdf
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Attachment A
Eligibility Maps & Project Locations (Starred)
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Attachment B
Downtown Façade Grant Overview
There are two façade grants:
1. Modifications to bring façades into compliance with the Downtown Design Guidelines.
2. Rehabilitation of historically significant, character-defining features.
Requirements for Downtown Design Guidelines Façade Grants
▪ The building must be located downtown within boundaries established by City Council.
▪ The ground floor must be Office Uses or Trade Uses as defined by the Ames zoning
ordinance.
▪ The façade design must comply with the Downtown Design Guidelines.
▪ Improvements to historic façades shall include replacing non-compliant elements with
compliant elements. Maintenance is not eligible for grant funding (see Downtown Building
Maintenance Grant for possible maintenance eligibility).
▪ Residential structures and buildings owned by the government, churches, and other religious
institutions are not eligible.
▪ No façade grant shall exceed $23,000.
▪ The Ames Planning Division shall administer the Grant Program and prepare eligibility
requirements, terms, and application forms as necessary for effective implementation.
Downtown Design Guidelines Program Logistics
The following process for review of applications for façade grants provides time to inform all
potential applicants of the opportunity, to work with applicants, applicants to prepare submittals
and for staff to review applications and report to City Council. Two grant periods will be planned
for each fiscal year.
First Grant Period
For this first grant period, preference for grant awards will be given to:
- façades that have not received any previous grant funding
- front façades
Action Steps:
▪ Staff will inform all property and business owners of grant availability, process, and deadlines.
▪ Staff will work with applicants to define the project, ensure that it meets the guidelines, and
assure that it is feasible and can be completed within the time frame.
▪ Applications will be accepted in the summer, as early as June.
▪ Staff will review and score applications and report to City Council in July or August for
awarding grants.
▪ Projects may then start in the fall and be potentially completed before the holiday shopping
season or completed the following year.
Second Grant Period
If the entire budget is not committed in the first grant period in each year (fall), a second grant
period will begin in the spring. While façades on Main Street and façades for which no previous
grants have been awarded will still receive first preference in this second grant period, all
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downtown grant requests will be considered and potentially approved if funds remain after all first-
preference proposals are awarded.
Grants for façades that do not face a street are eligible in the second grant period. There
are no separate design guidelines for these ‘other’ façades. Grant awards will be prioritized for
those façades that are visible from public streets and the municipal parking lot north of the railroad
tracks.
Due to the lack of defined guidelines, each proposal will be evaluated on case-by-case basis for
its visual significance and general improvement of its historic character. A final determination will
be made by City Council for consistency with the intent of the program.
Requirements for Rehabilitation of Historically Significant,
Character-Defining Features
▪ The work must retain and restore the architectural feature related to the building’s historic
significance. Examples include original windows, transoms, decorative cornices. Maintenance
activities of a building are not eligible.
▪ The architectural features must relate to the front façade.
▪ The building must be a contributing structure to the National Register Ames Main Street
Historic District or otherwise an individually listed Historic Resource on the National Register.
Rehabilitation Program Logistics
Two grant periods will be planned for each fiscal year.
First Grant Period
The Rehabilitation Grant may only be applied for in conjunction with work eligible for the standard
grant. A property may be awarded a total of $46,000 for one façade ($23,000 for compliance with
Downtown Design Guidelines and $23,000 for rehabilitation of historically significant, character-
defining features). Only one Rehabilitation Grant may be approved for a property in this round.
Action Steps:
▪ Staff will inform all property and business owners of grant availability, process, and deadlines.
▪ Staff will work with applicants to define the project, ensure that it meets the guidelines, and
assure that it is feasible and can be completed within the time frame.
▪ Applications will be accepted in the summer, as early as June.
▪ Staff will review and score applications and report to City Council in late summer for awarding
grants.
▪ Projects may then start in the fall and be potentially completed before the holiday shopping
season or completed the following year.
Second Grant Period
A Rehabilitation Grant applies to historically significant, character-defining features by
themselves, and need not be in conjunction with other work. Grants can be awarded
independently for significant features, for a maximum of $23,000.
Conditions of Grant Approval
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▪ Grantees must receive a notice to proceed from the City prior to starting work.
▪ Grantees must apply for a notice to proceed within 9 months of the approval of the grant.
▪ Construction must be completed within 1 year of issuance of the notice to proceed.
▪ Any required building code and/or safety improvements to a structure must be completed
before grant work proceeds or before grant funds are paid.
▪ If a grantee does not move forward with a project consistent with the Program’s Eligibility and
Terms, including the program logistics, the award will be considered forfeited.
The table below outlines when funds are available for the various grant categories.
The program is funded at the beginning of the fiscal year (beginning in July). The funding
emphasis of the Downtown Façade Grant Program is therefore placed on the traditional grants.
Grant Type Fall Spring
Traditional Y Y
Rehabilitation* Y (with Traditional) Y (Standalone)
Other Facades* N Y
Maintenance* N Y
* Applies only to buildings that are contributing resources to the Ames Main Stret National
Register Historic District.
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Requirements for Downtown Building Maintenance Grants
Only those buildings that are contributing resources to the Ames Main Street National Register
Historic District are eligible for a Maintenance Grant.
The following maintenance work is eligible for grant funding:
▪ Repair of exterior walls – external repair only. This includes the repointing of brick walls and
structural repair.
▪ Foundation repairs.
▪ Roof repair/replacement – external repair only.
The following work is ineligible for grant funding:
▪ Internal building activates (including plumping, electrical and HVAC systems),
▪ External work for signage,
▪ Paint,
▪ Window replacement,
▪ Lighting, external stairways, or
▪ Façade redesigns are not otherwise eligible as an improvement grant project
An application requirement for a maintenance grant requires an assessment of the structural
conditions of the building to ensure that an adequate scope of work is proposed to ensure the
work has lasting value supporting the integrity of the building.
This grant is only eligible for the second grant period in the spring.
Conditions of Grant Approval
▪ Grantees must receive a notice to proceed from the City prior to starting work.
▪ Grantees must apply for a notice to proceed within 9 months of the approval of the grant.
▪ Construction must be completed within 1 year of issuance of the notice to proceed.
▪ Any required building code and/or safety improvements to a structure must be completed
before grant work proceeds or before grant funds are paid.
▪ If a grantee does not move forward with a project consistent with the Program’s Eligibility and
Terms, including the program logistics, the award will be considered forfeited.
The table below outlines when funds are available for the various grant categories.
The program is funded at the beginning of the fiscal year (beginning in July). The funding
emphasis of the Downtown Façade Grant Program is therefore placed on the traditional grants.
Grant Type Fall Spring
Traditional Y Y
Rehabilitation* Y (with Traditional) Y (Standalone)
Other Facades* N Y
Maintenance* N Y
* Applies only to buildings that are contributing resources to the Ames Main Stret National
Register Historic District.
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Attachment C
Scoring Criteria
For each category, the following criteria shall be used to award points:
VISUAL IMPACT Maximum Score 30 Points
▪ Improvements apply to more than one story on one façade
▪ Improvements apply to more than one 25-foot wide bay on one façade
▪ Improvements will create more visual significance because:
- key, highly visual elements of the building are being improved
- the building is prominently visible due to its location (E.g., it serves as a focal point from
a street, is at a prominent intersection, or is larger than other buildings around it)
FINANCIAL IMPACT Maximum Score 30 Points
▪ Matching funds exceed the minimum dollar-for-dollar match
▪ The project includes improvements being made to
- ensure public safety,
- establish or preserve the building’s structural integrity
- resist water and moisture penetration
- correct other serious safety issues
▪ The façade project is part of a larger project that improves other exterior or interior parts of
the building
▪ The project helps to make use of space that has been unoccupied or used only for storage
EXTENT OF IMPROVEMENTS Maximum Score 20 Points
The number points granted in this category shall be based upon the number of elements from the
Downtown Design Guidelines being improved. More improved elements deserve more points.
HISTORIC FAÇADES (such as Café Diem): OTHER FAÇADES (such as Wheatsfield):
▪ Display windows ▪ Quality materials
▪ Transoms ▪ Façade modulation
▪ Masonry (includes removing cover-up) ▪ Fenestration
▪ Upper floor windows ▪ Roof
▪ Parapet and cornices ▪ Awnings
▪ Awnings and canopies ▪ Building entrances
▪ Entrance
▪ Kickplate
HISTORIC DESIGN Maximum Score 20 Points
▪ Project includes historically appropriate materials and restoration techniques
▪ Project goes beyond basic rehabilitation and re-establishes a more historically accurate
appearance than other projects
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Attachment D
136 & 138 Main Street
Repair to brick and mortar
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Repair to brick and mortar
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Repair to brick and parge coat
Repair to brick and parge coat
15
Repair to brick and parge coat
Repair to brick and parge coat
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Attachment E
202 Main Street
(P. Frangos Building)
Repair to Muntins
(east window)
17
Repair to Muntins
(west window)
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Window - Interior
19
Window - Interior
20
Window - Interior
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Attachment F
313 Main Street
(Cooks’ Emporium)
Repair to brick & mortar
22
Repair to brick & mortar
23
Repair to brick & mortar
Repair to brick & mortar
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