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C ouncilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie 2
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A PROPOSED RESOLUTION 9
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 12
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To declare the existence of an emergency to the Retail Incentive Act of 2004 to designate 15
certain neighborhoods as Retail Priority Areas, including those within the Mount 16
Vernon Triangle, Eastern Market, Barracks Row, and Georgia Avenue areas. 17
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RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That 19
this resolution may be cited as the “ Great Streets Program Expansion Neighborhood 20
Retail Priority Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024”. 21
Sec. 2. (a) The District since 2006 has run the Great Streets retail priority grant 22
program that allows small businesses within a defined area to apply for grants to support 23
their businesses. This program began with the Retail Incentive Act of 2004 and has been 24
expanded on several occasions. The grants awarded support small businesses along these 25
corridors, create new job opportunities, and provide access to capital. According to the 26
Office of Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, which administers the 27
program. 28
(b) The Committee of the Whole approved the Great Streets Program Expansion 29
Neighborhood Retail Priority Amendment Act of 2024 on October 28, 2024 (“permanent 30
legislation”) to address gaps in the Great Streets program in various parts of the District 31 2
of Columbia. To ensure that these new eligible participants can apply for the Great 1
Streets grants in Fiscal Year 2025, the Council must pass this emergency legislation. 2
Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia determines that the 3
circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute emergency circumstances, making it 4
necessary that the “ Great Streets Program Expansion Neighborhood Retail Priority 5
Amendment Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024 ” be adopted after a single 6
reading. 7
Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately. 8