La Crosse raises façade grant caps; staff keeps 50% match and TID geographic limits

The La Crosse Economic and Community Development Committee unanimously approved revisions June 25 to the city’s Elevate Downtown and North Side façade grant program guidelines, increasing per‑project grant caps and clarifying application requirements.

Josh Lien, an intern in the city’s planning department, presented program metrics: the downtown and North Side programs have supported 46 completed projects and six in progress; the city has contributed about $524,000 to those projects and currently has nearly $70,000 set aside for projects in progress, and staff said the grants have helped leverage roughly $683,000 in additional local investment and supported more than $13 million in total restoration spending to date.

Under the revised guidelines approved by the committee, the maximum award for non‑historic front facades would increase from $10,000 to $15,000 and the maximum for historic buildings would increase from $20,000 to $30,000. The policy preserves a minimum 50% owner match for front facades (a one‑to‑one match). For rear or alley facades the program continues to provide a higher city share (staff described this as a roughly 75/25 city/owner split). The guidelines also retain caps on specific elements: signage support capped at $1,000 and awnings at $2,000; a cap on architectural and engineering support remains in place. Staff clarified that a professionally rendered elevation will no longer be required for every application but may be requested by staff for larger projects.

Several commissioners praised the program’s ripple effects but raised accessibility concerns for North Side applicants. Commissioner Marcus asked why the program’s geographic boundaries are restricted; staff explained the grants are funded largely from specific Tax Increment District (TID) funds tied to downtown TIDs and that those funding sources limit where the program can be offered. Staff said TID11, which has funded downtown grants, is reaching its expenditure period in October 2026 and TID17 remains available; historically the North Side program used other funding sources such as CIP or ARPA in years when those were available. Staff said the city typically puts a $100,000 CIP request into the capital plan to seed the program each year and that North Side projects could be supported if council released funds after an application is received.

Commissioner Markerson noted some HUD/HOME/CDBG reporting tables lack dollar amounts and suggested future improvements to reporting; staff said the CAPER and consolidated plan processes are the appropriate places for additional data display and that some report tables are static HUD output.

The committee voted to accept the revised guidelines by voice vote.

Why it matters: The increases in award caps and clarified application language aim to make façade grants more effective for larger, higher‑cost restoration work while preserving local matching requirements and the city’s fiscal controls.