Councilmember Wells has been working closely with the Mayor to roll out several funding and redevelopment packages targeting H Street, NE. There’s a major announcement at the Starburst intersection tomorrow morning. Here’s a snapshot of everything going on:

-- $50 million – streetscape renovation and street car development for the H Street, NE corridor
-- $25 million – tax increment financing targeting mixed-use and retail development projects (click here for more information and to apply: deadline April 18, 2008)
-- $600,000 – neighborhood investment fund targeting community-based projects needing matching funds (click here for more information and to apply: deadline June 30, 2008)
-- $500,000 – reimbursable grants for façade and building improvements for property owners on H Street (click here for more information and to apply: deadline Feb. 29, 2008)
-- $225,000 – dedicated, branded H Street shuttle bus to support small businesses linking passengers to Union Station and Benning Road Metro stations.

These are exciting projects that will transform H Street – bringing vital new businesses and retail to the corridor, supporting the entrepreneurs and established businesses already serving residents, and creating a safer and more accessible street for neighbors and visitors alike.

A few important things to note. The funding available through the Neighborhood Investment Fund and Reimbursable Grants is “rolling”. In other words, the agencies distributing these funds don’t wait until the deadline to make awards; they award to eligible applicants until the funding runs out. So… if you know of a great organization or business that should apply for these funds, encourage them to do so as soon as possible. If they wait until the deadline, the funding may have run out by then.

The streetscape work is going to be the most visible (and disruptive) change that neighbors and businesses will face. Councilmember Wells is working with our local businesses to schedule a forum where they can get all the block-by-block details of the DDOT streetscape plan, hear from the Mayor’s agencies about economic assistance packages aimed to help small businesses survive the street work taking place right outside their front door, and also hear from other businesses that have gone through a similar effort (Barracks Row, P Street, etc.) and share lessons learned.

But for the big kick-off, please join Tommy this Thursday morning, 10:30 a.m., at the Starburst intersection for the official announcement and groundbreaking of the streetscape and streetcar projects with Mayor Adrian Fenty.