Label
Arlington Business Access Relief Grant
City Council Members Theresa Gadus and Adam Martinez
Title
Authorizing the Mayor and the Department of Economic Development to create an Arlington Business Access Relief Grant to be administered to eligible storefront businesses in the designated project area on Arlington Avenue; authorizing the Mayor to enter into program grant agreements with eligible businesses; authorizing the expenditure of $25,000 from the General Fund; authorizing, subject to further appropriations, the expenditure of funds from the General Fund for the Arlington Business Access Relief Grant; and declaring an emergency.
Body
SUMMARY & BACKGROUND:
The City of Toledo prides itself on its resiliency, and its ability to come together when a neighborhood goes through an unplanned emergency event, and it is no different when that event is an unplanned construction project or reconstruction project. Though normal road construction projects have very few negative impacts on local businesses or residential areas, some unfortunately rise to a level that presents a difficult long-term situation requiring remediation. Months or even years of construction work can have significant impacts on nearby small businesses and the residents of that area.
Construction activity and street closures can restrict access to storefronts, reduce parking, create traffic congestion, increase noise and dust, and make it more difficult for customers, deliveries, and employees to reach a business. These disruptions can reduce customer traffic and sales while increasing operating costs. For small businesses that operate on narrow margins, a temporary decline in revenue can create meaningful financial hardship, particularly when construction lasts for an extended period of time.
The City of Toledo has already adopted a grant program that mitigates the financial distress of construction projects on legacy commercial corridors, but new situations arise that prove this same logic and careful management of the unintended effects of construction can and should apply to non-legacy corridors as well, such as Arlington Avenue, in the wake of a multiple-year project for replacement of the sanitary sewer main.
Toledo City Council recognizes the need for additional grant funds to be dispersed to deal with the negative impacts of the Arlington situation and others that may arise in the future; for the benefit of local businesses that operate a storefront that relies on foot traffic.
Standing up an ‘Arlington Business Access Relief Grant’ will provide a one-time grant to eligible businesses on Arlington Avenue from South Detroit Avenue to Spencer Street. Eligibility includes being a privately owned, for-profit business, registered in the State of Ohio, with a permanent customer-facing storefront. They must have been actively operating since January 1, 2026, and maintained regular hours this year, except during street closures, and be in good standing with governmental entities. Full eligibility requirements, eligible expenses, and required documentation will be provided as a appendix to this ordinance.
Summary
NOW THEREFORE Be it ordained by the Council of the City of Toledo:
SECTION 1. That the Mayor and Department of Economic Development are authorized to create and administer the Arlington Business Access Relief Grant, through which eligible business may receive an annual grant of $5000 to assist with eligible operating expenses.
SECTION 2. That the Mayor and Department of Economic Development are authorized to award eligible grantees that apply before December 15, 2026, or by deadlines set in subsequent years, subject to additional appropriations.
SECTION 3. That grantees must meet all eligibility requirements, provide all required documentation to the Department of Economic Development, and use grant funds for eligible expenses.
SECTION 4. That, subject to approved appropriations, expenditures are authorized from the General Fund Account Code *******.
SECTION 5. That the Finance Director is authorized to issue warrants against the account code identified in Section 4 in payment of the above authorized obligations upon satisfactory grant application and approval.
SECTION 6. That it is found and determined that all formal actions of Council concerning and relating to the passage of this Ordinance were adopted in an open meeting of Council and that all deliberations of Council and any of its committees that result in such formal action were in meetings open to the public in compliance with all legal requirements, including Section 121.22, Ohio Revised Code.
SECTION 7. That this Ordinance is declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force immediately from and after its passage. The reason for the emergency lies in the fact that same is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and property and for the further reason that this Ordinance must be immediately effective to facilitate the Construction Resilience Grant Program.
Vote on emergency clause: yeas _____, nays _____.
Passed: _________________, as an emergency measure: yeas _____, nays _____.
Attest: ________________________ __________________________________
Clerk of Council President of Council
Approved: _____________________ __________________________________
Mayor
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an Ordinance passed by
Council ________________________.
Attest: ________________________
Clerk of Council