YOUNGSTOWN — The city’s design review committee approved exterior projects at five businesses, making them eligible to receive grant money from Youngstown’s facade program.

With the approvals Tuesday, the committee has authorized 44 businesses to receive program grants.

City council in December 2022 set aside $1 million of Youngstown’s $82.78 million in American Rescue Plan funds for the facade program. It allows eligible companies to receive up to $20,000 each to help pay for the cost of exterior improvements.

To get the grants, companies have to obtain permission from the design review committee. Companies must show they are paying at least half of the cost of the work being done.

The grants are forgivable loans with a five-year term. Every year a business remains open at its location in the city, 20% of the loan is forgiven until it reaches 100% at five years.

Of the five approvals Tuesday, two were deferred from last month by the committee.

Those two were for the $20,000 maximum amount through the program.

WZZ LLC is doing a $60,486 project to a building at 2203 Market St. that will be used by Los Gallos for warehouse space.

The other project is a new digital sign at the Youngstown Playhouse, 600 Playhouse Lane. The sign will cost $47,947.

The three new projects approved Tuesday include $18,998 in improvements — painting and pressure washing and installing speakers and light fixtures — at the DeYor Performing Arts Center’s Eleanor Beecher Flad Pavilion, 260 W. Federal St.

The center will get $9,499 from the city’s facade program.

ACLD School and Learning Center, 118 E. Wood St., received approval to install six exterior security cameras. The project’s cost is $13,545 with ACLD getting a grant of $6,772.50.

Beyond Expectations Beauty College LLC, which opened Tuesday at 2246 Glenwood Ave. as an expansion of Beyond Expectations Barber College, received permission to replace its garage door from the committee.

The project’s cost is $8,000 with $4,000 coming from the city’s facade program.

For the second straight month, the committee postponed a vote on a request from JZP Properties, which operates the Steel City Bar & Grill at 1418 E. Midlothian Blvd. for a grant because no one from the business attended the meeting.

JZP is seeking $8,900 for a $17,800 project that includes renovating the parking lot, painting and repairing its patio and adding lighting.

dskolnick@vindy.com