Downtown, Midtown Businesses Could Get $5,000

Small business security is the story here — not a giant redevelopment tower, not a police staffing plan, but a pretty targeted pot of money for storefront fixes. Reno’s Redevelopment Agency opened applications on May 6 for a new ReSecure pilot that will help businesses and property owners in Redevelopment Areas 1 and 2 pay for safety upgrades. (reno.gov) The pitch is simple: if a qualifying applicant spends money to harden a site, the city can reimburse a matching amount up to $5,000 after the work is done. ### What actually launched? ReSecure is a pilot grant program aimed at businesses and properties in Reno’s downtown and midtown redevelopment zones. (reno.gov) The city says the money is for “safety-focused improvements,” and the program sits under the Reno Redevelopment Agency rather than the police department, which tells you a lot about how officials see the problem — safety and business confidence are being treated as redevelopment issues too. ### Who can get the money? The eligible pool is narrower than “any Reno business.” Applicants have to be in Redevelopment Areas 1 or 2 — the city’s core redevelopment districts that cover downtown and surrounding target areas, including midtown. (reno.gov) Reno’s rollout also says the program is for businesses and property owners, so both tenants and owners may have a path in if they meet the site and program rules. ### How much is really on the table? The headline number is $5,000, but the catch is that this is a matching grant. That means the city is not just cutting checks upfront. Applicants pay for approved improvements, complete the work, and then get reimbursed for up to the same amount, capped at $5,000 per eligible business or property. (reno.gov) Reno budgeted $50,000 for Redevelopment Area 1 and $50,000 for Redevelopment Area 2, so the total pilot is $100,000. In a perfect split, that funds about 20 max-size awards. ### What can businesses spend it on? The approved categories are pretty practical. Think exterior-facing security cameras, better lighting, access-control systems, tougher entry points, and landscaping or visibility changes that make it easier to see what’s happening around a storefront. (reno.gov) Basically, the city is paying for the boring stuff that often matters most after dark — the kind of upgrades owners know they need but keep pushing down the list. ### Why does CPTED keep coming up? Because Reno wants the upgrades to follow Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design — CPTED for short. That framework is about reducing opportunities for crime through the built environment: better sightlines, clearer boundaries, smarter access points, and upkeep that signals a space is watched and maintained. (reno.gov) Reno says police and code-enforcement staff are trained in CPTED assessments and will help support the program’s goals. ### Why is the city doing this now? The city’s own explanation is that businesses in these redevelopment areas asked for help improving site conditions to deter crime and feel safer. (reno.gov) So this is less a random grant drop and more a response to complaints or pressure from merchants in the core. It also fits a broader Reno pattern — the Redevelopment Agency has been using targeted incentive programs, like façade and tenant-improvement grants, to push investment into the same districts. ### What’s the deadline? Applications are open now and close June 15, 2026. Reno says selected applicants are expected to be notified by summer 2026. There was also a May 4 Redevelopment Agency Board memo tied to the initiative, which suggests this was queued up as a formal board-backed program before the public launch. (reno.gov) ### Bottom line? This is a small grant program, but that’s kind of the point. Reno is testing whether modest, fast security reimbursements can make downtown and midtown storefronts feel safer without waiting for a giant policy overhaul. If the money moves quickly and businesses actually use it, ReSecure could become the template for a bigger round later. (reno.gov)