September 18, 2020Dear Woodland Business Community,
The following is covered within this newsletter:
- Small Business Grant Program: Apply Sept 28th
- Parklets pop up in Woodland: Apply today
- City Update: Beamer/CR 102 Shelter Update; Japa Smart Parking App
- Biz Resources: Green Check Program
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$750,000 available for small businesses in Yolo County: Apply between Sept 28 - Oct 4th!
YOLO COUNTY'S SMALL BUSINESS GRANT PROGRAM is a new program from Yolo County to help mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on local, small businesses. The grant, financed by the County's CARES Act funding, provides economic assistance to help sustain small businesses by reimbursing expenditures directly related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a limited allocation of funds available for the program, therefore not all eligible businesses can be assisted.
$750,000 has been allocated to this grant program. Small businesses may apply for the following: - Businesses with 1 to 10 Full-Time Employees (FTE)* can apply for up to $500 per FTE up to a maximum of $5,000.
- Businesses with 11 to 25 FTE can apply for up to $500 per FTE up to a maximum of $10,000.
*FTE = an employee that works at least an average of 30 hours per week.
Part-time employees can also be considered an FTE for this program. For example, two part-time employees that regularly work 15 hours per week can be converted to one FTE and identified as such in the application. The objective of this program is to offer immediate financial assistance to for-profit small businesses, with a maximum of 25 full-time employees, located in the unincorporated and incorporated portions of Yolo County. Read the Overview document (below) for more information.
Grants will be awarded through a lottery system by geographic location and applications will not be available until the application period has started.
The application period begins September 28, 2020 at 9:00 am and ends October 4, 2020 at 5:00 pm.
For more information, visit: www.yolocounty.org/small-business-grant & contact: SBGprogram@yolocounty.org.
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- Apply for the new Outdoor Use Permit to build your Parklet -
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Woodland business owners are now authorized to build parklet structures for outdoor dining and commercial use. Find the application on this website.
The objective of this new permit, which is free of charge to all businesses, is to facilitate opportunity for all business owners to further expand business activity outside by accommodating outdoor seating and boutique displays, for our community to enjoy.
While the original Outdoor Use permit, published in June, alleviated the immediate need to expand by allowing the use of sidewalk and private parking spaces, many restaurants continue to hit capacity with their limited seating at peak dining hours and have sought City support to further expand into the public right-of-way. Numerous local businesses and residents have expressed support for expanding outdoor dining opportunities, resulting in commitments from Las Brasas, El Charro and Father Paddy’s, as the first to build these spaces. Other businesses have also expressed interest in and are preparing to follow suit if the initial parklets are successful. To further enhance the pedestrian and outdoor dining experience in the downtown, traffic lights on Main Street have been set to red flashing status to slow vehicle speeds.
Please contact our team if you would like more information on how to apply for this permit. |
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 El Charro Parklet on Main Street. Photo courtesy of VisitWoodland.
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Beamer & CR 102 Shelter Update
The Emergency Shelter, part of the East Beamer Way campus, represents collaboration with local non-profit Friends of the Mission, the City of Woodland and Yolo County. The City commenced construction on June 23rd with completion scheduled for November 14, 2020.
The Shelter consists of the first of three East Beamer Way developments, followed by 61 permanent supportive manufactured homes and when funding permits, the relocation and construction of a new Walter’s House, a substance abuse treatment center. Unhoused families will “backfill” the current Downtown facility, providing desperately needed family shelter. The new shelter facility at East Beamer Way will provide services 24/7, 365 days a year.
Broward Builders, Inc., a General Contracting firm, builder of the Woodland Senior and Community Center, and based in Woodland for over 30 years, partnered with the City to construct the facility. With a development team led by City staff, East Beamer Way will improve the quality of life for everyone in our community. Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chair Gary Sandy said, “The new shelter will enable the county to provide centralized services directly to the homeless in a more efficient and effective manner. This will improve our ability to transition the homeless from the streets and into stabilize housing." For more information, please visit the City of Woodland information page here.
Smart Parking Arrives in Woodland with the JAPA AppParking sensors were recently installed on Main Street and other areas in Woodland’s downtown parking spaces. These sensors are part of the City’s partnership with Japa Smart Parking App, bringing smart parking to Woodland.
Responding to parking issues in our Historic Downtown, the City sought out an innovative solution by teaming up with Woodland small business, JAPA, Inc. The installed parking sensors are able to detect a car and start a timer that will notify both the driver (once they have downloaded the JAPA Parking App), and the City's Parking Enforcement team when the parking term is about to expire. Once downloaded, the JAPA app furthermore helps drivers identify vacant parking spots in Downtown.
If you are interested in learning more, read the Daily Democrat article HERE.
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Apply for the County's Green Check Program to demonstrate COVID safety compliance
The GREEN CHECK PROGRAM is a new, voluntary program from Yolo County that businesses can apply for to show that they are in compliance with state and local guidance regarding COVID-19 and that public health and safety is a priority.
Through this incentive program, businesses will need to fill out a simple application that says their establishment is COVID-19 compliant by implementing and following set protocols that include, but are not limited to: face covering requirements, proper signage and distribution, personnel training, hand washing and hand-sanitizing, cleaning and disinfecting, and measures to maintain social distancing.
Businesses that have been certified as compliant will receive a certificate from the County featuring a green check mark and the text “Certificate of Compliance.” This signage means that the County has identified the business as following the guidelines and requirements set forth by the State of California and Yolo County.
The process is easy.
Step 1: Review the COVID-19 Protocols to see if you meet all the criteria.
Step 2: Fill out the 1 page application by either printing and emailing it to EOCLogistics@yolocounty.org OR completing the online application.
Step 3: Yolo County reviews your application then emails you your certificate.
Step 4: You're done! Place your new certificate in a visible place, window, or door at your business.
Visit the County's website for more information.
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Capital Region Small Business Development Center The SBDC offers no-cost business workshops for small businesses. Access their workshops here: https://www.capitalregionsbdc.com/
The SBDC is a federal and state funded organization that empowers entrepreneurs with world class one-on-one advising and capital resources to create marketplace advantage, job opportunities and meaningful community impact. Take advantage of their free services to grow your business via one-on-one advising and capital resources.
From January 1 through June 30, Capital Region Small Business Development Center served 20 Woodland-based clients with a total of 221 hours of private advising resulting in $1,594,323 in capital infusion into Woodland's economy!
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Our Economic Development / Food Front team is here to support you through this challenging time. Please contact us at the email addresses below (do not reply to this email). We look forward to connecting with you. We furthermore encourage you to periodically visit our COVID-19 Business & Employee support page and the business & employee FAQ page. |
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