The Colorado Department of Transportation awarded two new Revitalizing Main Streets grants this week to the Town of San Luis and City of Golden. The Revitalizing Main Streets Grants help localities improve their roadways and community infrastructure, supporting strong economic activity and public safety. The program began last summer in an effort to mitigate the negative economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis. The continuation and expansion of this program was made possible through a $30 million allocation from the state legislature in March 2021 and those funds are currently available for local government competition, with significant anticipated demand. Importantly, the passage of SB-260 would further extend this highly successful program beyond the current grant cycle.
“Each mainstreet across our state is a representation of the town and the people that call it home. These grants aren’t just about revitalizing our main streets, but really about supporting an entire local community and economy,” said Governor Jared Polis. “As we work to power the Colorado comeback, we want to ensure we are doing everything we can to support local businesses and help Coloradans get back to normal. Each grant is funding important improvements to improve our quality of life across our state and I can’t wait to see the creativity behind these terrific projects.”
“CDOT is passionate about this opportunity to continue to partner with our local governments as they implement these innovative transportation and safety related projects,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Working together to create these improvements along our state’s main streets will help local businesses bounce back while improving multimodal safety and accessibility along urban arterials.”
The two new awards this week brings the total Revitalizing Main Streets grant awards to 92 projects statewide and growing. Awarded projects span the entire state, from Denver and Boulder to Hugo and Limon to Frisco and Rifle. A full list of recipients is available here. Highlights include numerous projects facilitating safe pedestrian access to outdoor dining, improved lighting, sidewalk repair, incorporating “parklets” into streetscapes, and much more.
This week’s awards are as follows:
1. Town of San Luis – Award |$43,550.00
Project: San Luis Dining and Vending Parklet Spaces
Expand operations for local restaurants and entrepreneurs to use the sidewalks and parking spaces on Main Street by providing covered dining and vendor parklets to activate outdoor spaces for community use within the historic district of downtown San Luis.
“We are looking forward to using the CDOT Revitalizing Main Streets grant to help kickstart economic development and lead the way to help create a much needed vibrant Main Street business district,” said Susan Sanderford, San Luis Town Manager.
2. City of Golden – Award |$100,000.00
Project: City of Golden Architectural Fencing
Improve the downtown environment by prioritizing public health, multimodal use, and economic development. Last year’s successful temporary COVID-19 outdoor business expansions in the parking lane have been made permanent by ordinance. This grant will support the installation of permanent fencing for outdoor dining. This will complement Golden’s comprehensive plan to improve active transportation and multimodal facilities in downtown Golden. With separate funding, the City has purchased and will soon install several new bike racks in various locations.
“The City of Golden is grateful for the CDOT Revitalizing Main Street grant for architectural fencing,” said Brandon Narva, Acting Chair of the Downtown Development Authority. “With CDOT’s support, Golden is reimagining Washington Avenue, our “main street”, with new lighting for a safe and walkable Miner’s Alley, promoting public health and economic development through business expansion in the parking lane, improving wayfinding for pedestrians and cyclists, and installing more bike racks to increase multimodal options.”
Communities can apply for small grants up to $150,000 for multimodal and economic resiliency projects available on a rolling basis; large grant applications of up to $2 million closed on May 14. For more information, visit the Revitalizing Main Streets page.