The Retail and Restaurant Business Grant Program is sponsored by the City of West Chicago for the purpose of strengthening retail business activity in the Downtown Business District (“Downtown”), by attracting new retail and restaurant businesses as well as to assist existing retail and restaurant businesses.
Grants available under the Program at any particular time are subject to the then-available funding as budgeted from time to time by the City of West Chicago within the Downtown TIF Fund. A maximum $10,000 matching grant amount is available. Applicants must complete the application, provide required attachments and obtain City approval. The business must be located within the Downtown TIF Business District, which is shown on the map below.
Downtown Retail and Restaurant Business Grant Guidelines and Application - .pdf 319 kb
Downtown TIF District Map - .pdf 793.60 kb
Part of the Window of Opportunity program for TIF District businesses which provides a limited match of private funds in the form of grants to be used for building façade improvements.
Facade Improvement Plan Brochure - .pdf 225.78 kb
Facade Improvement Grant Guidelines and Application - .pdf 232 kb
Sales Tax Sharing & Financial Incentives
Creative, customized incentives based on need are available. The City of West Chicago recognizes that business incentives are not "one size fits all" and seeks to assess the unique needs of the individual business with the goal of creating a mutually beneficial arrangement for the prospective business and the community. Programs like sales tax sharing or tax increment finance (TIF) district rebates are two examples.
Streamlined Development Process
The City of West Chicago strives to provide the smoothest experience for developers while maintaining conformance to all codes. It offers weekly meetings with interested developers from the pre-application to the plan review stages of a project, updated permit applications and guidelines, and clear, constant communication throughout the project.