SALISBURY — The city of Salisbury opened two grants that are designed to assist downtown businesses with repairs or improvements for application on Thursday.

The two grants, the Municipal Service District Grant and Innes Street Improvement Grant, are both aimed at downtown businesses and provides 50/50 matching funding up to $5,000 for building, landscaping, parking lot or driveway projects. 

The only difference between the two are the areas in which businesses are eligible. The Municipal Service District Grant is for businesses within the Downtown Municipal Service District, which is between Horah Street in the south, Cemetery Street in the north, Fulton Street in the west and Long Street in the east. The Innes Street Improvement Grant is for businesses within the Innes Street Improvement District, which is one block away from Innes Street between Interstate 85 and Corriher Avenue.

Applications, online and print, for the two grants are available on the city website at salisburync.gov/grants. Applications for both grants will be accepted until Friday, Aug. 30.

Both grants are reimbursement grants, meaning the funds are only given after the project is completed and has been inspected and approved.

Projects can range from minor repairs and repainting to substantial façade and landscape rehabilitation projects and the installation of new pedestrian amenities such as outdoor seating, planters, awnings, café fences and lighting, according to the city’s website.

The budget for the current fiscal year includes $50,000 for the grants, or $25,000 to both the Innes Street and municipal service district grants.

The grants come as a result of the city hosting a group with architects, planners, landscapers and a traffic engineer to conduct a study of the visual and functional characteristics of Innes Street in 1995. Under the guidance of the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects, they participated in a planning workshop known as the Urban Design Assistance Team. The workshop led to a list of recommendations for improving the appearance and functionality of the downtown corridor, titled “Towards a Vision of the Future — The Innes Street Corridor Study.”

The city’s Community Appearance Commission is tasked with implementing those recommendations and making requests for funding from the Salisbury City Council each year to encourage Innes Street and Municipal Services District merchants to make façade and other exterior improvements.