Vacant buildings throughout the Tower District in Fresno could soon be filled with new businesses as part of a proposed program with the city.
The Fresno City Council established a pilot program on Thursday to incentivize commercial jobs within vacant buildings.
The big picture: The pilot program, which was proposed by Councilwoman Annalisa Perea, will provide sales tax rebates to local businesses that fill vacant buildings.
- To be eligible, businesses must have no more than 75 employees and not be part of a larger chain.
- Eligible businesses will fill storefronts that have been vacant for at least one month and have at least a two-year lease moving forward.
By the numbers: Businesses would receive a local sales tax rebate of 50% of the city’s share.
- The pilot program would provide a maximum of $375,000 in rebates during its one-year lifespan.
Go deeper: Smoke shops would not be eligible to participate in the program.
- The city announced on Wednesday that local smoke shops have dropped their lawsuit against the city’s new ordinance that regulates them.
- City officials said inspections have uncovered various illegal activities taking place at smoke shops across the city, including selling flavored tobacco products and cannabis to minors.
