Purpose and Mission
The purpose of this program is to improve the appearance of commercial properties located in the defined area of the Neighborhood Preservation Program (see map). Improving the appearance of commercial buildings is part of an overall strategy to attract consumers and new businesses as well as to support existing businesses there.

Program Eligibility
The Program is available to commercial properties in the Vineland Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP) defined area indicated on the NPP Map. Decisions on applications for this program are based on the criteria outlined in this document. Each application/request will be considered solely on its merits, without regard to age (provided the applicant is of age as prescribed by law), color, creed, marital status, national origin, political party affiliation, race or sex of the applicant(s).

Eligible Use of Funds
Program funds are restricted in use to the financing of design and implementation of approved façade improvements as outlined herein for existing commercial buildings in Vineland Neighborhood Preservation Program defined area.

Qualifications for the Program
The property must be primarily for commercial use (51% of building space is for commercial purposes) and located in Vineland Neighborhood Preservation Program defined area.

Designs must meet all City codes; the Main Street New Jersey Storefront and Façade Design Guidelines; NPP guidelines, as well as approval of Main Street Vineland’s Design Review Committee (DRC).

All applications will be approved by Main Street Vineland’s Design Review Committee and this Committee will have the right and final authority to approve or deny or make any suggested changes to any application and budget.

If the business owner requesting a grant does not own the building, Main Street Vineland must have the property owners’ written approval for any project to be considered.

Eligible Improvements
Grants will be made to eligible to property or business owners who are in the Vineland Neighborhood Preservation Program designated district (defined above), to address a combination of the following areas of a building’s exterior front:

• Cleaning and Painting
• New awnings and signs
• Exterior wall repairs, including the repair, restorative installation of decorative details and other design features
• Building-mounted façade lighting
• Entries, door and window repairs and replacements
• Miscellaneous façade improvements
• Façade code violation eradication
• Soft costs (Architects/Site Engineers, attorney’s fees, permits, etc., as approved by the Design Review Committee)

The program offers a grant of 80% of project costs up to $5,000 (VDID/NPP contribution not to exceed $4,000 / 20% of project cost contribution by business and/or property owner) per storefront.

EXCEPTION: Sign Face only: 80% of up to a maximum of $1,500 ($1,200) max contribution from VDID/NPP 20% contribution by business and/or property owner).

Property owners or businesses may plan projects of any amount of money; however, in no case will the VDID’s contribution exceed $4,000 for any one property address.

These funds will be awarded based upon the number of applicants and size and scope of projects, based on the deadlines below. Once the amount of grant monies awarded to the VDID for this grant are committed, no more applications may be approved unless, as outlined below, an application fails to meet any deadline, in which case, those funds may be diverted to another applicant.

1. Preliminary Application Deadline: All completed preliminary applications must be submitted to the VDID within 30 days of the date of grant being awarded to the VDID and must include a projected budget.
2. Project Application Deadline: 30 days after the applicant has submitted its Preliminary Application, and has been approved by the DRC. Scope of project must be outlined, drawings provided and contractor quotations for completed scope of work and budget.
3. Start of project deadline: Agreement with contractor(s) must be provided and construction project must be started within 45 days of the acceptance of the Project Application Deadline. Any necessary permits must be obtained and there must be physical evidence that the project has begun. Funds will be forfeited if applicant does not meet this deadline and may be grant funding may be awarded to another applicant.
4. Continuation of project Deadline: The Design Review Committee (DRC) will continue to assess the progress of the project. The project must meet with the DRC’s expectation of timelines to ensure that the project will be fully completed by the deadline below.
5. Project completion deadline: All projects must be fully completed and all paperwork submitted by no later than midnight October 31, 2022.

Once all preliminary applications are received, the DRC will meet to compare the amounts of dollars for each project submitted against the grant dollars available to fund those projects. If more money is being requested for projects than there are grant dollars available, the DRC will determine how much money may be able to be rewarded to each applicant based on merit of the project. The goal is to be able to show visible and tangible results to the façade of the building and this will take precedence over other considerations. Not all applications will be awarded grant money for the proposed project(s) and the budget requested may be reduced based on the number of requested dollars for submitted projects.

Successful applications will be reimbursed after completion of the project or use of funds.

All projects must be FULLY COMPLETED by October 31, 2023.

Grant funding has been made available by the Neighborhood Preservation Program.