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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The City of Yellowknife has approved seven grant applications for its facade and site improvement program this year - which amounts to a seven-fold improvement over past years when it typically received one, if any applications.

Twist Resto-Lounge and Fuego International Restaurant were the recipients of a $30,000 facade and site improvement grant in 2009 that allowed them to build their patio. - Nicole Veerman/NNSL photo Grant recipients Holy Trinity Anglican Church Megsie Developments Guy Architects Life Care Planning Bayside Bed and Breakfast Nadji Architects Side Door Youth Centre

City Coun. Bob Brooks, who is also the chair of the Smart Growth Implementation Committee, which oversees the grants, said the growth is partly due to the expansion of the program to include Old Town and Old Airport Road from previously being just downtown.

"We wanted to have it available on all of the major thoroughfares, so we started advertising that fact for this year, and we were quite pleased that we got seven applications," said Brooks. He said all seven applicants will be receiving varying dollar figures to beautify their storefronts.

The program was created to assist property owners in improving, renovating or rehabilitating the facades of their commercial buildings and residential condominiums. It grants up to 50 per cent of eligible improvement costs to a maximum of $30,000 for a facade or combined facade and site improvement.

The grants are submitted to the city and then reviewed by the Smart Growth Implementation Committee. In previous years, the facade and site improvement program was the responsibility of the Downtown Enhancement Committee, which was incorporated into the Smart Growth Implementation Committee last year. Past grant recipients include Adam's Dental Clinic, Fuego International Restaurant, Sutherland's Drugs and Coldwell Banker.

The decision to broaden the scope of the program was in line with the recommendations made by the Smart Growth Plan completed by the city last fall. The plan identifies Old Town, Old Airport Road and downtown as areas of focus for future development and improvement

in the city. Of the seven applications that came forward this year, five were in the downtown core and the remaining two were in Old Town.

Each of the seven applicants received a portion of the allotted $76,000, a number larger than in previous years. Usually the city puts aside $45,000 for the program.

"But we decided for this year because we also had street-scape money and a few other leftover pots, we rolled it in together - so, we actually had $76,000 to give away," Brooks said.

Mark Heyck, deputy mayor and spokesperson for the city while Mayor Gord Van Tighem is away, said the program makes it more affordable for property owners to improve their buildings.

"We have a lot of buildings that were built quite some time ago and may not have the funds or the opportunity to improve that on their own," Heyck said. "So, this is a proactive way for the city to beautify our downtown."

And by making the city more attractive, it makes it more livable, he said.

"It improves quality of life - it makes people want to frequent those areas of the city more often and it improves the overall appearance both for residents and for visitors to the community."

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