Building improvement grant

Main Street Portsmouth and the City of Portsmouth have partnered to offer a grant program for the purpose of promoting exterior building improvements to existing commercial properties in Portsmouth’s Downtown Improvement District. Every year a minimum of $25,000 is awarded to property owners within the Downtown Improvement District. The goal of the program is to improve the structural integrity, longevity and overall physical appearance of commercial buildings in Portsmouth’s Downtown Improvement District, therefore increasing the value to the owner and the community. Main Street Portsmouth and the City of Portsmouth believe property owners are a vital component to the success of the redevelopment and economic revitalization efforts in Portsmouth.

Application Criteria

Grant Application

Application Process: Once the grant application is available to the public the Design Review Board will meet and approve individual projects. Once approved, the Building Improvement Grant committee will go through the approved projects and allocate the grant monies to the individual projects.

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Please visit the City of Portsmouth Engineering Department’s webpage at http://portsmouthoh.org/departments/engineering to download copies of the Building Permit Application, the Design Review Board Certificate of Appropriateness, and an estimate of building permit fees.