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Galesburg Downtown Special Service Area looking to expand

The Galesburg City Council voted Monday to lower the bar for eligibility on receiving grants for businesses in the downtown area.

The approval, which reduces the minimum cost of work needed to be eligible for facade grants from $40,000 to $30,000, is just the beginning of the Galesburg Downtown Council’s new plans to service the area.

GDC President Bob Bondi says some 99 property owners are in the downtown Special Service Area, roughly enclosed by East Ferris, South Chambers, North Cedar and a line south of East Simmons streets.

Plans are in the works to expand that region in all directions.

Through an agreement between the city and the GDC, businesses in the area are taxed and, as Bondi tells WGIL, those businesses then receive certain perks.

“The investment in the special area, is we try to improve the overall neighborhood pooling our money and helping our neighbors to improve their facades and help maintain leasable properties.”

The proposed expansion would mean more businesses could reap those benefits, which include cleaning and plowing services.

“Expanding it takes the base of those dollars and improves what I call the entrance portals to the downtown,” Bondi says. 

The expansion would bring businesses, such as Fat Fish Pub, The Silver Front Saloon, and Alfano’s Pizzeria, under the SSA umbrella. Some businesses, like the Discovery Depot, would not be taxed but could still see benefits.

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