Section 691.230  Reactivating Vacant and Mainstreet Places (REVAMP) Grants Program Eligibility

a)         Program eligibility

A business applying for the REVAMP Program must be an independently owned and operated for-profit corporation, a limited liability corporation, a partnership, a non-profit organization or a sole proprietorship authorized to conduct business and operating in the State of Illinois; or an Illinois local unit of government. All ineligible businesses listed in Subpart A (see Section 691.70(c) and (d)) are also ineligible to apply under the REVAMP Program, except for businesses that derive a majority of their income as an owner of real property that leases that property to a tenant or tenants under a lease agreement (see Section 691.70(c)(9)); employment agencies (see Section 691.70(c)(15)); and government-owned business entities (see Section 691.70(c)(11)). Businesses that operate COVID-19 testing sites or COVID-19 vaccine distribution sites primarily, and businesses that previously received a Back to Business or Business Interruption Grant, are ineligible to apply to the REVAMP Program. The physical location of the establishment that benefits from the grant must be currently occupied by the applicant business and have been previously vacant without a tenant for 90 consecutive days ending on or after March 1, 2020. The physical location of the establishment which benefits from the grant must be located in a high traffic area.  To be eligible, all non-governmental applicants shall have earned less than $20 million in gross operating revenue for 2021.  If the business incorporated (or for businesses not required to incorporate, began operating) starting January 1, 2021, or later, to be eligible, a pro-rated amount of the applicant's earnings in 2021 must equate to less than $20 million in gross operating revenue based on the number of days in operation when extrapolated for a full year.

b)         Program-specific expenditures

Under the REVAMP Program, expenditures must have been incurred directly and paid for by an eligible business on or after March 13, 2020, up to the date of application submission, for the benefit of an establishment meeting the description in subsection (a). The following COVID-19-related expenditures are reimbursable:

1)         Rent or mortgage payments made during temporary closures due to COVID-19 Prevention Directives;

2)         Insurance payments made during temporary closures due to COVID-19 Prevention Directives;

3)         Utility payments made during temporary closures due to COVID-19 Prevention Directives;

4)         COVID-19 vaccination, testing, and contact tracing;

5)         Renovations or investments to the facility that encouraged distancing, erected barriers, improved ventilation, or permitted the use of outdoor space to mitigate the spread of COVID-19;

6)         Investment in technology that supported remote work or the delivery or pick-up of goods sold by the business;

7)         Personal protective equipment;

8)         Sanitation and deep cleaning; and

9)         Commercial property rehabilitation, storefront improvements, and façade improvements for businesses operating within a Qualified Census Tract.

(Source:  Added at 47 Ill. Reg. 3723, effective March 1, 2023)