South San Antonio News

On July 7, Council members Marc Whyte, District 10, and Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, District 2, submitted a City Council Consideration Request (CCR) to create a permanent construction grant fund to mitigate the impacts of major City-initiated construction projects on local, small businesses.

“Across our City, small businesses have contributed to the culture and community that make our neighborhoods whole. Many have not only survived, but thrived in areas others would not invest in due to, among other things, lack of quality infrastructure. Now that our City is making equitable investment in long-neglected parts of town, those businesses bear the burdens caused by construction. A permanent construction grant program will allow us to support those businesses while making the much-needed improvements our communities deserve,” said Councilman McKee-Rodriguez. 

Councilman Marc Whyte shared, “It’s exciting to be filing this CCR today with hopes it will go some way towards helping our City’s small businesses on all sides of town.  As many in the community have noticed, some construction projects seem to be moving slowly.  Regardless of the reasons for this, these projects can negatively impact the sales of those businesses nearby. Supporting our City’s small businesses should be a priority for this City Council, and providing some measure of economic relief to the businesses impacted by slow construction makes good sense.”

The proposal calls for City staff to conduct thorough stakeholder input to develop the scope and eligibility requirements of the program. The City initiated a similar construction mitigation grant program with American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, but this proposal would make it permanent, and identify other opportunities for support, such as with utilities. 

The Council Consideration Request was filed on July 7, 2023 with supporting signatures from Councilmembers Sukh Kaur (D1), Melissa Cabello Havrda (D6), and Marina Alderete Gavito (D7).

Original source can be found here.