Storefront Improvements

The U District is home to approximately 331 small businesses owned by BIPOC and/or women, making up about 63% of the entire business community. Around 75% of the 150 food and beverage businesses are owned by people of color, and 85% of all businesses are managed or operated by their owners, highlighting the small, family-owned nature of these businesses and their importance as pathways to prosperity.

Despite unprecedented private development pressure and a 75% decrease in consumers during the pandemic, along with rising costs of staffing and goods, the district has seen a significant number of ground-floor vacancies. To help businesses and entrepreneurs survive and thrive in a post-pandemic economy, the U District Partnership has taken various steps. It has streamlined permitting, provided architectural assistance, and injected $4.7 million of capital into the business community through three strategic grant programs:

1. Storefront Cleaning Grant, providing up to $1,000 for graffiti removal, pressure washing, and facade cleaning.
2. Tenant Improvement Grant, providing up to $200,000 for fixed asset improvements including exterior and interior rehabilitation, outdoor dining infrastructure, and specialized equipment to enhance business competitiveness.
3. Vacant Spaces Revival Grant, offering up to $100,000 for fixed asset improvements to support start-up costs for entrepreneurs to occupy a vacant ground-floor commercial space.

These interventions have resulted in significant support for over 130 businesses, with 86% of them being woman and/or BIPOC-owned. The program has revitalized more than 75 storefronts, filled 11 retail spaces, added over 450 outdoor dining seats, and reinvigorated the business district to attract and increase pedestrian foot traffic and consumer demand.