Great Street Grants for Bladensburg Road Businesses

This is something a lot of people have asked for, and worked on, for quite a while. I'm so glad it has finally become a reality. Grants like this have really helped out a lot of H Street businesses, and I hope the same can happen for the spots that border Trinidad and Carver-Langston. Here are the meeting details:

Wednesday, JULY 31
MPD-5D Police Station
1805 Bladensburg Road NE

More info here. Read a letter about this program from Kenyan McDuffie after the jump.

Hello Ward 5 Residents,

Over the past several months, I ushered through the Council legislation designating three Ward 5 corridors as Retail Priority Areas: Bladensburg Road, North Capitol Street, and Rhode Island Avenue. These corridors are deeply deserving of investment by the city, and Retail Priority Area designation allows that investment to occur.

I am pleased to announce that the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) is taking advantage of these new Retail Priority Area designations by making grants available to businesses on Bladensburg Road and Rhode Island Avenue (a similar program was previously offered to businesses on North Capitol Street). The Great Streets Grant Initiative is now accepting applications for grants of up to $85,000 to support and foster growth amongst small businesses.

Eligible applicants must own retail or service business within DMPED’s specified boundaries and must satisfy other eligibility requirements. An applicant may be a property owner or a lessee. Interested business owners must submit their application online by visiting www.greatstreets.dc.gov. The deadline to submit an application is September 9, 2013 at 6:00pm.

I am pleased that, in partnership with DMPED, we are able to dedicate public resources to enhance the offerings and amenities available to our Ward 5 businesses.

Please share this announcement with business owners and entrepreneurs in the ward.