Danbury Launches Downtown Façade Improvement Grant Program

DANBURY, CT – The City has launched a Façade Improvement Grant Program in the Downtown Revitalization Zone (DRZ) "in order to incentivize and bolster the private development already occurring in our city center," the Mayor's Office announced today.

“This initiative is one more plank of our plan for Danbury’s future,” Mayor Mark Boughton said in a release.

The maximum amount of any grant is $10,000.00 (with a maximum of $50,000.00 per property) or 50 percent of the total façade improvement costs, whichever is less. The reimbursement grants are on a first-come basis.

The façade grant budget was previously funded through the Capital Improvement Program.

“Over the last several years, we’ve seen incredible movement in the city center. By enacting this piece of our downtown plan, we hope to provide current/prospective property and business owners the opportunity to improve their store front, which will have a modeling effect throughout our city,” Boughton said.

The DRZ includes Main Street from Elmwood Place to Franklin Street, as well as the areas of Ives Street and Lee Hartell Drive.

The following are considered eligible applicants in the eligible property area:

1. Property owners of occupied commercial buildings.
2. Tenants of a commercial building owner provided the owner of the building has given written approval of the proposed work and has signed the application.
3. Prospective purchasers of eligible buildings provided the current property owner of the building has signed the application and said prospective purchaser acknowledges that the grant agreement will not be executed until after the closing.
4. Property owners of vacant buildings if the owner’s purpose is to rehabilitate the building to attract a use allowed in accordance with the City of Danbury Zoning Regulations.

Additional requirements for property owners, tenants and prospective purchasers, as well as the full overlay of the DRZ, can be found here, as well as the Permit Center homepage.

Applications must be completed and returned to the Permit Center in City Hall.