DEPARTMENT: Office of Historic Preservation and World Heritage Office
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Shanon Miller and Colleen Swain
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
City-wide Legacy Business Registry and World Heritage Area Legacy Business Grant Pilot Program
SUMMARY:
City Staff will provide a briefing on the City-wide Legacy Business Registry Program and the World Heritage Area Legacy Business Grant Pilot Program for eligible businesses within the World Heritage Buffer Zone or within a two mile radius of Missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan or Espada.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
World Heritage designation for the five San Antonio Missions will increase visitation and tourism spending, promote the history and culture of San Antonio, and create jobs and small business opportunities. In order to prepare for this increased activity and to maximize benefits, input from the community was used to prepare the World Heritage Work Plan. The World Heritage Office is responsible for implementing, coordinating and managing this work plan, which identifies specific tasks and deliverables for the following categories: management and oversight, infrastructure, wayfinding, transportation, beautification, economic development, land use, and marketing and outreach.
The Office of Historic Preservation and World Heritage Office have collaborated on several work plan tasks and most recently have been working to develop a program to recognize, support and provide tools to legacy businesses.
The Office of Historic Preservation will launch a city-wide Legacy Business Registry Program as part of the ScoutSA initiative. The program will acknowledge long-lived San Antonio businesses as an important historic asset to the city and work to preserve the city’s Legacy Businesses through a campaign that identifies, promotes, and markets the businesses. To qualify for the registry, businesses must be 20 years or older and contribute to the history, culture, and authentic identity of San Antonio. In return for acknowledgement as a Legacy Business, businesses will agree to perpetuate the business, its historic name and the historic service it provides. In addition to being listed online and in print and receiving a window decal, registered businesses will receive marketing and promotion opportunities. The Legacy Business Registry is open to businesses city-wide and will be administered by the Office of Historic Preservation.
Legacy Businesses listed on the city-wide registry that are located in the World Heritage Area, specifically within the World Heritage Buffer Zone or a two mile radius of Missions Concepcion, San Jose, San Juan and Espada will be eligible for a grant pilot program administered through the World Heritage Office. The World Heritage Area Legacy Business Grant Pilot Program will provide eligible businesses with up to $10,000 in grant funds to be matched by the applicant for (1) façade improvements, and/or (2) signage, parking lot, and landscape improvements. An application and project design review is required as part of the approval process for exterior grants. Legacy Businesses applying for grants through the pilot program will be required to complete three business capacity building classes through approved partner agencies, with the goal of sustaining and growing their businesses. Additionally, the City will also work with eligible businesses through its partners to assist with obtaining loans for building interior infrastructure improvements. Exterior and interior improvements will comply with applicable building codes and city, state and federal requirements.
Eligible legacy businesses within the World Heritage Area will receive special recognition on the World Heritage mobile responsive website (www.worldheritagesa.com <http://www.worldheritagesa.com>) which connects visitors to area businesses, as well as the benefits mentioned previously to being included as part of the city-wide registry.
ISSUE:
World Heritage designation can be a catalyst for socio-economic for South Central San Antonio, if leverage effectively. The greatest impact will come from increased visitation and tourism spending. In order to benefit from this increase in visitation, the need to preserve legacy businesses by identifying, promoting and providing financial and capacity building assistance was identified as a critical component of the World Heritage Work Plan.
This will come before City Council for approval in February 2018.
ALTERNATIVES:
This item is for briefing purposes only.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding in the amount of $100,000 for the World Heritage Area Legacy Business Grant Pilot Program is available from the ICIF Fund.
RECOMMENDATION:
This item is for briefing purposes only.