Downtown Midtown businesses eligible $5,000 security grant

Reno is trying a pretty specific fix for a pretty familiar problem — businesses in Downtown and Midtown want to feel safer, but many small operators do not have spare cash for cameras, lighting, or tougher storefronts. So the city just opened a pilot grant program called ReSecure. It lets eligible businesses and property owners apply for dollar-for-dollar matching reimbursements of up to $5,000 for security-focused upgrades, with applications open through June 15. ### What is Reno actually offering? ReSecure is a Reno Redevelopment Agency pilot, not a general small-business giveaway. The city set aside $100,000 total — $50,000 for Redevelopment Area 1 and $50,000 for Area 2 — and each approved business or property can get reimbursed for up to $5,000 after the work is finished. That reimbursement-only setup matters because applicants need to front the money first. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### Who can apply? The program is aimed at businesses and commercial properties inside Reno’s redevelopment areas, which cover the Downtown and Midtown corridors the city is focused on here. Applicants need a valid City of Reno business license, need to be in good standing, and cannot have open code cases. Property owners can apply, and tenants can apply too, but tenants need written owner consent before installing improvements. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### What kinds of upgrades count? This is about physical, safety-oriented improvements tied to the street and storefront — not vague “security consulting.” Eligible work includes security camera systems, improved lighting, building hardening, and visibility enhancements. The city says the improvements need to be exterior-facing or directly tied to visibility, access control, or public safety conditions. It is basically using design as a crime-prevention tool. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### Why does Reno keep talking about “environmental design”? Because the program is built around CPTED — Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design. That sounds technical, but the idea is simple: brighter, clearer, harder-to-hide spaces can reduce opportunities for crime and make corridors feel safer. Think of it less like adding one more gadget and more like changing the street-level conditions that make trouble easier or harder. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### Why use redevelopment money for this? That is the bigger policy angle. Reno leaders have been looking for ways to use redevelopment dollars to improve safety in the city core. Earlier this year, Mayor Hillary Schieve floated using those funds for more police officers, but that ran into legal limits. Safety-related capital investments, though — things like physical upgrades and targeted infrastructure — fit the redevelopment toolbox much better. ReSecure is the city’s workaround. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### Is this free money? Not exactly — and that is the catch. The grants are matching reimbursements, so businesses have to pay upfront and then document the completed work. Projects also need to be finished within 90 days of award, and the improvements have to stay operational for at least two years. That means the program favors applicants who can move quickly and carry the initial cost. (mynews4.com) ### Why launch this now? City officials are framing it as the next step after earlier redevelopment programs that focused more on appearance and property conditions. ReSecure shifts that same reinvestment logic toward safety — with the bet that better-lit, better-secured storefronts can help both crime prevention and business confidence. In plain English, Reno is trying to make safety part of economic development instead of treating it as a separate issue. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com) ### What happens next? Applications stay open until June 15, and the city expects winners to be selected this summer. If the pilot works, the real test will not just be how many grants get handed out. It will be whether a relatively small pool of redevelopment money can visibly change how Downtown and Midtown corridors feel to businesses, workers, and customers. (mynews4.com) ### Bottom line Reno is not handing Downtown and Midtown businesses a giant public-safety fix. It is trying a smaller, more practical one — help pay for the cameras, lighting, and storefront upgrades that owners have been putting off, then see if that changes the block. (cityofrenoartscultureandevents.submittable.com)