Design Grants

Main Street McMinnville Design Grant Program Guidelines

Grant Description: The Design Grant is a reimbursement for work already accomplished on the exterior of a downtown building in view of the public. The work must have been pre-approved by Main Street McMinnville Design Grant Program.

Who can apply: Applications are taken on a building by building basis. One owner can apply for multiple buildings. However, Main Street McMinnville reserves the right to award grants to a broad application base rather than one single owner.

Maximum Grant Amount: $1,000 each maximum for each grant applications that are reviewed by the Main Street McMinnville Design Committee and approved by the Main Street McMinnville Board of Directors.

Match: The fund is a 75% / 25% matching grant, requiring 75% of the project cost shall be paid by the applicant and 25% of the project cost shall be paid by Main Street McMinnville up to $1,000 in matching grants by Main Street McMinnville.

Time:

  • Work must be completed before grant match is paid, and
  • Work must be completed within six months of approval of grant application.
  • Failure to complete the work within six months of approval will be reviewed by the Design Committee on a case-by-case basis and appropriate action will be taken.

Applicable Design Work:

  • Facade (front, side and/or rear) renovation in view of public only (i.e. awning removal, awning replacement, brick cleaning, window repair or replacement, exterior paint (if already painted), new signage, storefront renovations, replacing architectural elements once found on the building, etc.)
  • New construction & repairs and demolition, at the discretion of the Main Street Design Committee.
  • Work to be performed and all materials must meet the Historic Zoning District Design Guidelines.
  • Special consulting fees associated with the historic preservation of a building as a part of a renovation or new construction project.

Non-Applicable Work:

  • Acquisition of property
  • Interior rehabilitation
  • Provision of working capital
  • Financing inventory
  • Refinancing of an existing loan

Application and Approval Procedure:

  • Contact the Main Street Director at (931) 506-5335, and request a Design Grant Application. Main Street McMinnville will work with you to complete an application for improvements that will also be approved by the Historic Zoning Commission. Please note that Main Street McMinnville, as the awarding agency, may request additional items be included in the plan to ensure enhancements are in line with the mission of Main Street McMinnville.
  • Contact the McMinnville City Planner, David Baird or Director of Building and Codes, Jim Brock (931) 473-1204, and request an application form for a Certificate of Appropriateness. Complete the application form and return to Mr. Baird. Mr. Baird and Main Street McMinnville will work together to be sure the application meets the guidelines of the Historic Zoning Commission. If necessary, a review of the Historic Zoning Commission will be ordered. A building permit will be issued once the application has been approved.
  • The completed Design Grant application will be sent and reviewed by the Main Street Design Committee.
  • After receiving Design Committee approval, the Design Committee will seek approval by the Main Street McMinnville Board of Directors.

Special Conditions:

  • The applicant must submit a "design plan", including drawings/sketches, detailing the substance of the proposed project, as well as an estimated budget and a timetable for completion.
  • Please also submit the type of paint used, window examples, awning fabrics and proposed placement, architectural details.
  • Any proposed deviations from the approved "design plan" MUST be presented to the Design Committee for the reimbursement grant funds to apply to the project.
  • Once work has been completed, the applicant must submit copies of all receipts in the amount of the project that add up to projected cost in the grant application.
  • Example: $4,000 or more in receipts for approved work on the building will allow a reimbursement check not to exceed $1,000.00.
  • Reimbursement checks are normally issued within two weeks of the receipts received.

Main Street McMinnville Design Grant Application (PDF)

City of McMinnville Downtown Historic Zoning Commission