Comity Buzz, a small coffee shop in Pontiac, Indiana, recently received help from the local city council. The city agreed to give the shop a $5,000 redevelopment business grant, and will also pay a 25 percent share of about $11,000 in construction costs to bring the coffee shop site up to code.Located downtown, the shop is being assisted in an effort to preserve inner city businesses. It also benefits from the city's rent subsidy program, an incentive funded by the city's downtown tax increment financing district which diverts property tax income into a special fund to pay for economic redevelopment.
This same effort is occurring in several other mid-size and small cities across the United States - such as Columbus, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Mobile, Alabama; and many others.
If you have a business in the downtown area, and would like to know if you qualify for grants from your city, contact your local city council.
