This Wichita suburb is considering grants to help spruce up businesses on Broadway
When heading into Haysville, many people find themselves driving down South Broadway Avenue in order to reach the suburb’s main street. Some City Council members say that the corridor, which is mainly commercial buildings, needs to be tuned up in order to attract residents to the suburb.
So, in a push to improve South Broadway in Haysville, the council asked city staff to look at creating a grant to allow businesses there to improve their appearances.
Through the city’s facade grant program, businesses can get up to $5,000 from the city — a 50/50 match — to put toward facade improvements. The program has been available this year for all business owners in city limits. Now, members of the City Council are considering shifting that to only Broadway to fuel improvements there.
“If we’re going to go back to the facade grants, let’s make it specifically for Broadway,” council member Janet Parton said at a recent council meeting. “Let’s do this on Broadway, and get some movement there.”
Sam Valdez has been with Pride Autoplaza, a Broadway business, since 2008. He told The Eagle he hasn’t seen much change on Broadway in those years.
“It’d be great for this area,” Valdez said. “The road on the south of me, Emmett, for the last 17 years it was a dirt road. Last year (it got) paved. It’s beautiful back there, and I’d like to see everything keep improving.”
Valdez said the business participated in the facade grant program before, but could use some upgrades.
“It’s now been 17 years or something . . . anybody that did get improvement grants back then, you know, probably (needs) reconditioning again,” Valdez said.
The program is paid for by the transient guest tax.
“I think that’s a very effective way of spending this money … these businesses could use some help,” council member Eric Myers said.
Deputy Administrative Officer Georgie Carter told The Eagle that this year, 13 businesses applied for the citywide grants and six were awarded.
“(The grants are) focusing on exterior renovations, on repairs, and upgrading signage, paint, lighting, you know, outside improvements to make those properties try to look better,” Carter said.
The program began in 2001 and ran through 2015, Carter said. It returned this year.
“There was a rating system (on applications), and that was based on visibility (and) how much improvement (it) would give to the facility,” Carter said. “There were a couple other factors too, mainly . . . how much it would improve the business.”
The city is in the early stages of looking into the Broadway-specific facade grant program, but Carter said the plan is for city staff to come up with the proposal to bring to council in July. The next council meeting is set for July 13.
“I expect it will be very similar to the process that we did earlier this year,” Carter said. “It’s very early, so I don’t have a whole lot of answers on that. I expect there will be interest in it.”
Jeremy Zehring owns E Z Electric on Broadway. He said he thinks the grant would be a good option for businesses.
“I would love to see them do that for people,” Zehring said.
Zehring said the facade grant improvements could make Haysville more attractive for people traveling through.
“They just need to figure out how to bring more people here,” Zehring said. “I know that’s what they’re trying to do, and bring more businesses and have attraction here.”
“That’ll definitely help upkeep the place. . . . The best attraction is when you first come into a place. And if you don’t have a very good attraction, you’re not gonna have a very good outcome.”
