782 Main St., Hellertown, was the biggest winner in terms of the amount of facade grant funding recommended by the Hellertown Planning Commission at a meeting April 20. Planners recommended a total of $10,000 in matching grant funds for streetscape and facade improvements for the building that will soon house a microbrewery.
The Hellertown Planning Commission met to discuss and score facade grant applications submitted by seven commercial property owners in the borough, and ultimately recommended matching grant awards of up to $10,000 for five of them.
The recommendations must still be approved by Hellertown Borough Council when it meets on Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m.
If council approves the recommended applications, property owners will have 90 days to complete the renovations and submit invoices to the borough to receive reimbursement.
The five properties planners recommended receive facade grants are:
- 782 Main St. (RMI Building), where the partners who are planning to open the Lost Tavern Brewing microbrewery/tasting room later this year applied for a grant to make both facade and streetscape improvements, such as the creation of an outdoor seating area. The recommended grant award for this project included two parts: $8,494.50 for facade improvements and $1,505.50 for streetscape improvements, for a total of $10,000.
- 982 Main St. (Feet First), which houses a podiatry practice. Planners noted that the building is a converted Victorian era home and a “historic property” on Main Street, and recommended a grant award of $6,290.
- 1105 Main St. (Saylor’s & Co.) was recommended to receive a grant award of $1,135 for facade improvements.
- 326 Main St. (Heintzelman Funeral Home) was recommended to receive a grant award of $5,300 for facade improvements.
- 837 Main St. (Dave’s Vapor & Cigarette Outlet) was recommended to receive a grant award of $5,765. Property owner Irene Papageorgiou said she plans to take down the building’s narrow wraparound awning to make repairs to it, as well as raise an awning on the Depot Street side of the building where a new garage door for a loading dock area would be installed.
Two other projects were tabled after planners decided they didn’t have enough information or the required information to score them.
A proposal for facade improvements at 654 Front St. was tabled because the painting estimate that was submitted as part of the application was for the entire building. However, only the street-facing side of the building is eligible for funding.
Planners also disliked proposed lighting and aesthetic changes–such as shutters–which they said would not match the character of the modern, one-story building.
An application for facade improvements to a one-story complex at 46-86 W. Water St., which houses several businesses, was also criticized before being tabled.
Planner Maria Diaz-Joves said the owner’s proposal to paint the entire building white “is not an improvement.”
“It’s such a prominent location,” she said. “The last thing I want to see is one big white-on-white box.”
Planners said they may request that the building owner resubmit his application, because according to the rules of the facade grant program only the street-facing side of the property is eligible for an award. However, the cost estimates that were provided cover improvements to non-street-facing sides.
Commission member Kim LaBrake said the project might benefit from “design assistance,” and also said she hopes to avoid a monochromatic color scheme for the facade from being implemented.
“It has a potential of really making a difference if it’s done correctly,” said planner Francene Drake.
Altogether about $28,500 in grants were recommended for approval by planners, out of an available total of $50,000.
Assuming the two remaining property owners resubmit their applications and are awarded the maximum each ($10,000) it would nearly exhaust the funding pool.
However, if there is funding remaining, there will likely be another submission round.
