The Facade Improvement Program is a reimbursement / matching grant program administered by the City of St. Charles to encourage the rehabilitation and restoration of the exterior of buildings in the downtown area.
Please carefully review the application materials.
Overview of the Program:
- Provides matching grants to reimburse property owners or businesses for improvements to the exterior of downtown area buildings.
- The Historic Preservation Commission provides design guidance on how to meet the architectural standards.
- The application review process requires an approval recommendation by the Historic Preservation Commission and approval of a Grant Agreement by the City Council.
Qualifications:
- Properties must be located in Downtown Special Service Area 1B or in a Historic District or designated Historic Landmark site.
- Commercial and multi-family residential properties are eligible, with 25% reimbursement for maintenance work and 50% reimbursement for other improvements.
- Historic single family residential buildings are eligible for 50% reimbursement for certain types of historic preservation projects.
- Architectural Services are reimbursable at 100% up to a certain limit.
- More information on eligible and ineligible items can be found in the application materials.
Restrictions:
- The grant year runs from May 1 to April 30. The program budget is set at a specific amount each year by the City Council. Grants are awarded on a first come, first served basis. Commercial properties in SSA 1-B have priority over other commercial properties.
- Limitations apply to the overall grant amount. In general, the overall amount of grants for any commercial or multi-family residential property cannot exceed $20,000 within any five year period. Single-family residential properties are limited to $5,000.
- Grants cannot be provided for work that has been completed prior to City Council approval of the Grant Agreement.
- The final grant amount will be based on the actual cost of work and cannot exceed the total amount of the grant as specified in the Grant Agreement.
