Baton Rouge Commercial Building Improvement Program

The Baton Rouge Commercial Building Improvement Program provides for-profit businesses, nonprofit storefront operators, and property owners in East Baton Rouge Parish with reimbursement grants of $10,000 to $50,000 to fund exterior improvements to commercial buildings within low-to-moderate income (LMI) neighborhoods. Administered by the East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President's Office of Community Development and funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the program has approximately $300,000 in total awards available per round on a competitive basis. The program is designed to rehabilitate and reactivate blighted or underused commercial buildings in LMI neighborhoods, strengthen commercial corridors through visible high-impact exterior improvements, and support small, locally owned businesses serving LMI communities.

Eligible exterior improvements include window and door replacement, exterior painting and finishes, roofing, removal of security bars or grates, storefront transparency improvements, storefront and exterior envelope improvements, permanent code-compliant signage, exterior lighting, sidewalk repair, awnings and canopies, masonry repair and restoration, ADA-compliant exterior improvements, and design costs of up to 10 percent of project total. Ineligible costs include new construction, property acquisition or building expansion, interior renovations of any kind, interior furniture, fixtures, or equipment, temporary signage or banners, routine maintenance without visual improvement, installation of security bars, landscaping beyond the immediate building frontage, permit or legal fees, and any work completed before Notice to Proceed. A financial match is not required, but applicants who provide a minimum 25 percent cash match receive additional scoring points (in-kind contributions are not accepted).

Eligible applicants include for-profit businesses, nonprofit organizations operating a commercial storefront, and property owners applying on behalf of an eligible tenant business. Home-based businesses, businesses without a public-facing storefront, financial institutions, adult-oriented businesses, and applicants with unresolved compliance issues on prior CDBG-funded programs are not eligible. Projects must be located in CDBG-eligible LMI census tracts, with preference given to annual Priority Areas mapped in the program guidelines. Tenant applicants must have at least 12 months remaining on their lease (or a renewal option extending 12 months beyond project completion). Because the program is federally funded, funded projects are subject to Davis-Bacon prevailing wage requirements, environmental review, and historic preservation guidelines. All construction work must be completed by contractors from a pre-approved contractor pool selected by the Office of Community Development (applicants cannot independently select or substitute a contractor), and reimbursements are paid directly to the contractor as work progresses. Improvements must remain in place for a minimum of five years, and awards over $25,000 may require a recorded property restriction or covenant to enforce this requirement.