Façade Conservation & Enhancement Grant Program

Program Description

Three stacked incentives for property owners and tenants of commercial buildings in Saskatoon's established commercial areas. The Façade Conservation & Enhancement incentive pays 50% of costs to $16,000 for a comprehensive storefront redesign; the Heritage Conservation incentive adds 10% to $4,000 for buildings on the Saskatoon Register of Historic Places or Built Heritage Database, for a combined $20,000; and the Building Refresh incentive pays 50% to $2,500 for small maintenance and improvement work, first-come first-served.

Eligibility Requirements

• The property must be a commercial property — a building used for commercial purposes located in a commercial, institutional, mixed-use or industrial zoning district, with commercial occupancy on the ground floor.
• The site must be located in one of Saskatoon's established commercial areas shown on the program's Location map; the City defines the Program Area as only those areas with allocated funding within approved budgets, so eligibility follows the annual budget allocation and is not a fixed city-wide entitlement.
• Either the building owner or a tenant may apply. The applicant states which they are and receives the grant; a tenant applicant must supply a letter of understanding from the property owner confirming the owner is aware of the work and that the tenant is completing it and will receive the incentive.
• The project must involve conservation, rejuvenation or improvement of the façade, or include design features benefiting the public realm of a commercial building.
• Only the 'storefront' façade is eligible — the frontage delineated by features indicating a separate or distinctive frontage and typically containing an entrance.
• Properties in tax arrears or under an Order to Remedy with the City of Saskatoon are not eligible (exceptions at the discretion of the General Manager, Community Services Division).
• Projects on buildings without heritage elements that are only maintenance are eligible only under the Building Refresh incentive — routine maintenance, painting or signage alone will not be funded under the Façade Conservation & Enhancement incentive.
• To receive the Heritage Conservation incentive the building must be listed on the Saskatoon Register of Historic Places or on the Built Heritage Database, and the work must conserve character-defining elements sympathetically to the building character and streetscape.
• Façade Conservation & Enhancement and Heritage Conservation applications must be received within an intake period — applications received outside an intake period will not be accepted.
• The Building Refresh incentive can be awarded to the same building only once every five years, and applicants must reapply each time.
• The Adjudication Committee and the General Manager, Community Services reserve the right to decline applications that have received previous funding under this program.
• Applications should be submitted before work begins; failure to do so could result in not qualifying for funding.
• Work must be performed by a professional and/or contractor — the applicant's or property owner's own labour is not an eligible cost.
• Applicants are responsible for obtaining all necessary permits; grant payment is not issued until permits are provided to the Program Coordinator along with receipts for the work.
• Design or finish changes must be brought to the Program Coordinator before construction on them begins — changing the design without contacting the Coordinator can void the grant.
• Projects approved under Façade Conservation & Enhancement or Heritage Conservation must be completed within 24 months of the start date; Building Refresh projects within 12 months (an 18-month extension is available at the discretion of the General Manager, Community Services).