Mundelein kicks in $25,000 to help fund shopping center renovation
A facade renovation at a small shopping center in Mundelein will get a $25,000 boost from the village.
West Town Shoppes, near the southeast corner of Midlothian Road and Route 176, is the latest beneficiary of Mundelein's Business Incentive Grant program. The shopping center is home to Miller's Cleaners, a restaurant called Tamales Diana and Artistic Pet Grooming.
Cary-based AMPA Management oversees the property and applied for the grant, which the village board approved Monday night.
A new facade and new windows and doors will be installed, among other project elements, village documents indicate. The work is expected to cost $187,140.
Mundelein Trustee Kerston Russell voiced support for the project before Monday's vote.
"I really like what they're doing," he said. "I think it's really going to improve that area."
Since the business grant program launched in 2014, grants for 51 businesses totaling more than $529,000 have been awarded, officials said. They've helped fund nearly $3 million in site improvements.
Grants of up to $25,000 are available, covering up to half the cost of an improvement project. Interior and exterior renovations, new signs and landscaping changes are among the projects that qualify.
Instead of getting the money up front, recipients are reimbursed for their expenses. Work must be completed within one year of the grant being awarded, or else the grant will be revoked.
Recipients have included Park Street Restaurant, Emil's Sports Bar, the Lakeside Recreation Center and Luke's of Mundelein.
Mayor Steve Lentz has called the program "a critical piece in improving the aesthetics and image of Mundelein."
The grant for West Town Shoppes brings the total amount of money awarded through the program so far this fiscal year to $50,000, officials said, leaving only $25,000 remaining in the program's annual budget.
Other local businesses have shown interest in applying for grants, said Amanda Orenchuk, Mundelein's community development director.