Two buildings given grants for downtown facelift

Dan Kulin

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2005 | 9:55 a.m.

A planned art gallery and an office building were the first recipients of $50,000 in matching grants from a Las Vegas program intended to encourage downtown businesses to fix up their properties, city Office of Business Development Director Scott Adams said.

The Las Vegas City Council adopted the Commercial Visual Improvement Program and later put $1 million into the program. To qualify for the program, a property must be inside the city's redevelopment area, which includes most of the greater downtown area from Interstate 15 to Eastern Avenue and between Sahara and Washington avenues.

The grants approved on Wednesday went to the planned Main Street Studios at 1421 S. Main St. and Fourth Street Place, an office building home primarily to attorneys' offices at 720 S. Fourth St.

According to city documents provided by Main Street Studios, there are plans to spend about $190,000 on the building for improvements including new doors, windows, landscaping, lighting and signs.

Plans for the office building include $200,000 in improvements to its exterior such as new windows, parking lot lights and a new canopy.

The city money will help offset those costs.

During the Wednesday council meeting, Cindy Funkhouser and Naomi Arin, who represented the Main Street Studios, said they intend to open two art galleries and a cafe in the building.

Mayor Oscar Goodman said the women were extraordinary, adding that Funkhouser "has single handedly" made downtown Las Vegas a place to be.

"First Friday is her baby," Goodman said about the monthly arts festival held on the first Friday night of every month in the area around Main Street and Charleston Boulevard.

Councilman Gary Reese said the grants were a great way for the city to encourage property owners to improve their properties and "make it more attractive for others to come downtown."

Councilman Lawrence Weekly said downtown properties need to be improved to bring more people downtown.

"And we can't just talk about, we have to put our money where our mouth is," Weekly said, referring to the grant program.

On separate votes, the council voted 6-0 to approve the grants. Councilman Michael Mack attended most of the Wednesday council meeting but was not present for those votes.

The money for the program comes from the city Redevelopment Agency, which receives a portion of the tax revenue collected from properties within the city's redevelopment area.