HOUSTON -- 11 News has learned that Metro is setting aside a $5 million fund to provide grant assistance to businesses impacted by the next round of light rail construction.
The plan, initially approved by the Metro board last month and due for one final board review before the program is officially announced, would provide grants of up to $25,000 per business.
Business owners adversely impacted by light rail construction will be asked to submit an application for assistance. Final details of the plan are still being worked out but an initial requirement includes that a business would need to have at least a three-year track record at the location in question. Officials said $25,000 is the maximum amount each business could receive, but the grant amount will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
It’s easy to find businesses like that on a drive along Fulton between Cavalcade and the North Loop. The first phase of construction has been underway for several months and the streets are lined with heavy earthmoving equipment.
At the intersection of Fulton and Wynne a backhoe is parked on the street in front of Lisa Vo’s nail salon. She says the last two months have been extremely slow. In fact, on Friday we found her applying acrylic nails to her first customer in the last two days.
"The business, nobody come,” she said of the slow down since the road construction began. “And one day I don't have nothing."
“Slow, very slow,” added Maria Vegas at a beauty shop next door. We found her in her shop alone. She didn’t have a single customer all day.
"Tomorrow I have an appointment, two appointments. But it's not gonna be enough you know."
“We want them to be able to survive and be able to thrive,” said Houston City Councilman Ed Gonzalez, “Not only pre-construction but also after it comes through their neighborhoods.”
Metro plans to announce the business assistance program in the next two weeks. It’s a program restaurant owner Bill Sadler wishes Metro had announced a decade ago when the first light rail line was built through downtown Houston.
“They put us out of business,” he said. After several years of trying to survive with the light rail construction project blocking his downtown restaurant location, he closed and moved Arturo’s Italian Restaurant to the Galleria area.
"I think it's not only a good idea it's a fair idea,” he said of the new Metro plan. “If they come in and destroy your business, it seems like they ought to help you not have your business destroyed."
Metro plans to announce the program in the next two weeks and instruct business owners on how to apply for the grants. They are not prepared yet to take grant applications.
