Façade Improvement Programs
The URA offers several different façade improvement programs designed to help commercial building owners and tenants improve or restore their storefronts.
The URA offers several different façade improvement programs designed to help commercial building owners and tenants improve or restore their storefronts.
Restored and improved storefronts are essential to the vitality of our local communities. They revitalize the pedestrian environment, attract more customers to your business and encourage neighborhood economic development and investment.
Your building's location determines which facade improvement program applies to your property. You can only use one program at a time.
Please enter your address into the map below to determine your program eligibility.
Streetface Renovation Program
The Streetface Renovation Program is designed to help business owners make improvements to their façades and improve the "face" of their commercial districts by creating more attractive street-level experiences.
Storefront Renovation Program
The Storefront Renovation Program is designed to help business owners make improvements to their storefronts and improve the appearance of our neighborhoods' commercial corridors.
Program Guidelines and Application
Downtown Façade Restoration Program
The Downtown Façade Restoration Program is designed to promote the preservation and improvement of buildings between Liberty Avenue and First Avenue in the Golden Triangle.
Cultural District Historic Façade Restoration Program
The Cultural District Historic Façade Restoration Program is designed to promote the preservation and improvement of the buildings in the Penn-Liberty Historic District, a portion of the nascent cultural district adjacent to Heinz Hall and the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts.
LIFTS Program
The Local Investment for Tomorrow’s Streetscapes (LIFTS) program helps small businesses and property owners renovate their building’s streetface by tapping into public and crowdfinanced funds.
The URA Streetface Program can cover 40% of your streetface improvement costs, up to $30,000. Honeycomb Credit can help you finance the remaining costs, by letting you borrow the funds from everyday people in your community and the Honeycomb network.
*** The Local Economic Revitalization Tax Act District (LERTA) was created to improve the economic and business climate of certain residential and commercial districts by lessening the tax burden on new development. The URA will work closely with those who wish to take advantage of this incentive by walking you through the application and public process to make utilizing LERTA as simple as possible. Find the LERTA application here.
Success Stories
From 2014-2017 the CIE worked with local businesses to accomplish the following façade projects:
- 217 completed URA grants and loans
- $2,685,931 in URA investments
- $10,340,975 in total project costs
La Gourmandine (Hazelwood)
The URA provided a $31,500 Streetface façade forgiveable loan for the renovation of the vacant former D'Imperios Market in Hazelwood. This location is the manufacturing facility for La Gourmandine Bakery and is also the home to their third retail bakery site.
Second Avenue Before
Second Avenue After
Twisted Frenchman (East Liberty)
The URA provided a $31,500 Streetface Program grant for the facade rehabilitation of Twisted Frenchman in East Liberty. The restaurant partners drastically improved the façade of their new building.
5925 Baum Blvd Before
5925 Baum Blvd After
Espresso a Mano (Lawrenceville)
3623 Butler Before
3623 Butler After
For more information on all of our Façade Improvement Programs, please contact Siena Kane, façade development specialist, at 412.255.6546 or skane@ura.org.