Tremont – ‘Built for This’ Update

#built4this #tremont #TakeoutTuesdayCLE #ShopSaturdaysCLE

Greetings fellow business owners, property owners, and community stakeholders!  As we find out more about the governor’s directions on possible reopening the economy.  We encourage you to watch the Governor’s press conference on Monday, April 27th at 2pm.  Tremont West and other community and national partners are working on creating a list of best practices for safe work and operating environments.  We also ask that you share what you are doing for your employees and customers to keep them safe.

With other neighborhood-based partners around the city, we have been promoting the support of small and local businesses through:

    • #ShopSaturdaysCLE – positioning Saturdays for online shopping from local retailers
    • #TakeOutTuesdayCLE – positioning Tuesdays for ordering takeout and delivery from local restaurants

Upcoming Webinars

  • To aid businesses returning to the office, Greater Cleveland Partnership will host a webinar on April 28 on indoor air quality. To learn more and register, visit their website.
  • Downtown Denver Partnership is hosting a webinar on restarting the economy featuring urban studies theorist Richard Florida on April 30. Click here to learn more and register.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) CARES Act Update

  • Another round of funding is opening with more flexible rules for smaller businesses and eligible lenders.  We will update with more information based on interest expressed by Tremont businesses.
  • Highlights
    • Only 25% of forgivable expenses can be non-payroll
    • Loan terms – 1% over 2 years with first 6 months deferred

County Small Business Stabilization Fund

  • Grants, loans and technical assistance – website
  • This Program received over 2000 applicants countywide and over 400 in Cleveland as of mid-week last week.
  • The County will announce those who will be awarded a grant on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. Grant funds will begin to be distributed during the week of April 27, 2020. Businesses who are applying for loans will complete the loan process with funds being deployed to businesses based on completion of their process.

Please contact Khalid Hawthorne (khalidhawthorne@tremontwest.org) or Cory Riordan (coryriordan@tremontwest.org) directly for assistance and support.  We also want to share the following information and resources for you:

Please feel free to contact Khalid Hawthorne at khalidhawthorne@tremontwest.org or Cory Riordan at coryriordan@tremontwest.org for more information and/ or support.

Tremont – ‘Built for This’ Update – 5/30/20 PDF with links here
#built4this #tremont #TakeoutTuesdayCLE #ShopSaturdaysCLE
Greetings fellow business owners, property owners, and community stakeholders! The city has been responding to our advocacy on many levels. On Wednesday, June 6th, the City Council will vote to approve legislation to allow temporary expansion for restaurants into the public ROW (i.e. sidewalks, parking space/ private lots, parklets, and streets). This is super exciting news and I look forward to providing the details of that process once they are available. There are areas of concentrated activity where we see the opportunity to do some things on a larger scale for our community. We kickstart those discussions soon. This is a time for us to rally around and embrace our ENTIRE community…LET’S GET IT DONE!

City of Cleveland’s Working Capital Loans
The City of Cleveland has approved the first round of Working Capital Loan program loans. I was happy to see several businesses in Tremont on the list of businesses receiving these funds. The City expects to get the payments out in the next four to six weeks. If you applied but were not awarded a loan, the City expects to be able to fund your application once the next round of funding becomes available.
Applications for the City’s two new programs are now available:
• The Restoration Working Capital Loan program provides working capital loans. Large businesses (more than 30 employees) can receive a loan of up to $100,000 and small businesses (fewer than 30 employees) can receive a loan of up to $25,000. More information and the application is available here.
• The City is also offering working capital loans up to $20,000 for Specially Impacted Businesses (restaurants, personal care businesses and storefront retail establishments.). Up to $10,000 (50%) of the loan is forgivable if spent on costs associated with PPE or COVID-related safety (i.e. signage, plexiglass dividers, masks for employees, etc.) Just make sure you save your receipts for safety-related purchases. More information and the application is available here.

City of Cleveland’s Temporary Outdoor Dining Legislation
Last night, Cleveland City Council announced that they will introduce emergency legislation to allow for restaurants to temporarily expand into the public right of way creating outdoor dining space through full or partial street closures (i.e. Professor Avenue), parklets in parking lanes in front of businesses, private parking lots, and other public rights-of-way. The legislation should pass on Wednesday. I don’t have any more information on what the approval process will look like, but I wanted you to know as soon as I did so you can start thinking about how you might take advantage of this. If you serve alcohol and would like to expand your liquor permit, I have provided the application to do so below.
There a few businesses who wanted this yesterday on Professor. I see an opportunity along West 14th to implement something on a district scale as well. I encourage others to reach out about sidewalk or lot encroachments expansions. We need to plan for these spaces comprehensively and support you in the approval process.
The City’s Economic Development Department has been asked if the expenses related to creating more outdoor space (barriers, furniture, etc) would be eligible for their forgivable Working Capital loans and they do not know that yet. I will share more when they approve the eligible expenses for this program.

Division of Liquor Control – Expansion Applications
DIVISION OF LIQUOR CONTROL – EXPANSION APPLICATIONS DURING COVID-19
During the term of the COVID-19 health emergency in Ohio, the Division of Liquor Control will streamline the review process on temporary liquor permit premises expansion requests. The Request for Expansion Application can be found here.
• Supporting documentation that may be required may include the permit number and location/address. Maps, photos, and sketches will also be considered.
• Inspections are not required for the temporary expansion request application. A Compliance Agent from the Division’s Investigative Services Unit may visit your permit premises to view the proposed expansion, take photos, and record any other pertinent information.
• Your request may require approval by your local board of health and/or legislative authority.
• There is no cost to the permit holder.
• Temporary Expansions will expire on August 5, 2020.
• All temporary expansion requests with supporting documentation must be submitted to the Division via email to LiquorLegal@com.state.oh.us.
• Local authorities have jurisdiction and will enforce any liquor violations with the assistance of the Ohio Department of Public Safety’s Investigative Unit.
• USE OF OUTDOOR PREMISES MUST COMPLY WITH SOCIAL DISTANCING REQUIREMENTS AND ANY OTHER ORDERS OF THE GOVERNOR OR DIRECTOR OF HEALTH DURING THE TERM OF THE COVID-19 HEALTH EMERGENCY.
For further guidance, permit holders are encouraged to contact the Division’s Legal Section at LiquorLegal@com.state.oh.us.

Honeycomb Bond
Honeycomb is announcing a new product for small businesses that offer debt-free capital and a new way to engage their communities during a time of crisis.
Honeycomb Loyalty Bonds* enable small businesses to raise cash quickly by selling a gift card “subscription” that will keep customers coming back for years to come.
Honeycomb has helped several businesses in Cleveland with access to capital and created this specific program in response to the current crisis. Let us know if you are interested and we will connect you with the appropriate people.

Responsible Restart Resources
▪ CDC Main Employer Resource Page
o Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019
▪ FDA Best Practices
o Best Practices for Retail Food Stores, Restaurants, and Food Pick-Up/Delivery Services
▪ Food & Beverage Issues Alliance – this is a nonprofit source, but the information was vetted by FEMA
o Food Industry Recommended Protocols When Employee/Guest is Sick
▪ OSHA Regulations and Guidance
o Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
o Worker Exposure Risk to COVID-19
o COVID-19 Guidance for the Construction Workforce
o COVID-19 Guidance for the Manufacturing Industry Workforce
o COVID-19 Guidance for the Package Delivery Workforce
o COVID-19 Guidance for Retail Workers
o Prevent Worker Exposure to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

With other neighborhood-based partners around the city, we have been promoting the support of small and local businesses through:
o #ShopSaturdaysCLE – positioning Saturdays for online shopping from local retailers
o #TakeOutTuesdayCLE – positioning Tuesdays for ordering takeout and delivery from local restaurants
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) CARES Act Update
• Another round of funding is opening with more flexible rules for smaller businesses and eligible lenders. There have been smaller banks and organizations certified to offer this program. Email us to find out the best options available as soon as possible if you have not already applied.
• Highlights
o Only 25% of forgivable expenses can be non-payroll
o Loan terms – 1% over 2 years with first 6 months deferred

Please contact Khalid Hawthorne (khalidhawthorne@tremontwest.org) or Cory Riordan (coryriordan@tremontwest.org) directly for assistance and support. We also want to share the following information and resources for you:
• Cuyahoga County Small Business Stabilization Resources
• City of Cleveland Emergency Working Capital Program
• SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program – Low-interest, long-term loans of up to $2M; Call the Small Business Administration’s Cleveland Office at 216- 522-4180 for more details.
• CARES Act Tax Updates
• Tremont News – www.experiencetremont.com/about/newsroom Information about latest updates regarding the COVID-19 crisis and general community updates.
• Downtown Cleveland Alliance Resources – https://www.downtowncleveland.com/news/march-2020-1/covid-19-updates-in-downtown-cleveland
• Ohio City COVID-19 Resources – www.ohiocity.org/covid19
• Greater Cleveland Partnership has a growing list of companies in Cleveland who are currently hiring.
• Ohio Development Services Agency released a survey trying to assess damages to businesses: Economic Damage Assessment Survey
• The City of Cleveland has deferred payment for six months on most loans issued by the city and aid businesses seeking to obtain deferment on loans issued by other lenders. (Cleveland.com article)

Please feel free to contact Khalid Hawthorne at khalidhawthorne@tremontwest.org or Cory Riordan at coryriordan@tremontwest.org for more information and/ or support.