Tamarac outlines $3 million incentives for plaza recovery and façade upgrades
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Summary
City staff presented two economic-incentive programs—a Commercial Plaza Recovery Program and a Commercial Façade Grant—totaling $3 million in proposed allocations, with launch of two programs planned June 27.
City of Tamarac staff on June 23 detailed two economic-development incentive programs intended to help small plaza owners bring properties into compliance and to fund exterior improvements along commercial corridors.
Kenneth, the city’s economic development administrator, described a Commercial Plaza Recovery Program that provides staff assistance to plaza owners and financial incentives tied to using local small, minority- and women-owned firms. Under that program, plaza owners may be reimbursed up to 20% of project costs (capped at $5,000) if they use 20% local firms, or up to 50% of project costs (capped at $10,000) if they use 100% local firms. The program will prioritize firms located first in Tamarac, then elsewhere in Broward County. Community Development will offer a separate application for additional aesthetic property-improvement grants.
The second program is a Commercial Façade Grant that would reimburse 50% of eligible exterior capital improvements up to $250,000 per project. Staff described eligible expenses as architectural and engineering fees, exterior demolition and construction, façade upgrades, parking-lot and landscaping work, replacement doors and windows, exterior lighting and electrical work, and monument and tenant signage. The façade grant carries program rules requiring construction to start within 12 months of the grant agreement and to finish within 24 months; properties receiving funds cannot be sold for two years and must be maintained for five years. Staff also added an optional in-kind public-art donation component tied to the city’s public art fund, to be accepted only if the owner agrees to maintain the installation.
Staff proposed a $3,000,000 budget allocation across the programs: $100,000 for the Commercial Plaza Recovery Program (intended to let about 10 plazas access incentives) and $1,000,000 for the commercial façade grants, estimated to support four projects at $250,000 each. Kenneth said two of the incentive programs are scheduled to launch Friday, June 27; two other related programs will launch later.
The presentation noted a three-tier structure for the plaza recovery program that includes timeline-based rewards and incentives for small-business utilization, with final awards reviewed first by Economic Development, then by a committee, and ultimately by the City Commission for approval.
No formal action was taken at the staff agenda review; staff presented the programs for commission consideration at the upcoming commission meeting.