Del Mar council endorses downtown facade improvement program

A plan to help downtown Del Mar business owners brighten up their storefronts won the City Council’s support Monday, Dec. 17.

The council voted 5-0 to approve the Del Mar Facade Improvement Program, while delaying a decision on funding the $40,000 cost until the panel’s Jan. 14 budget discussion.

As proposed, the program will finance grants paying for half of the cost incurred by proprietors for fixing up the fronts of their sites facing the street.

City officials said the program should serve as an incentive for improvements such as new signs, fresh paint or renovated designs that dovetail with renovations associated with the city’s upcoming Downtown Streetscape Project.