DILLON (WBTW) – The City of Dillon is looking to redevelop it’s Downtown Historic District with the Inland Port coming to the area.
Dillon is using downtown Florence and Hartsville as an example to redevelop main street.
Stephaine Mitchell opened Gigi’s and Doc’s boutique just two months ago.
“We wanted to be in on the initial level of being able to get in on main street. We knew if we waited until everything was up and prosperous we would be priced out of the market,” explained Mitchell.
She says business is good but feels it could be better if the area was cleaned up.
“People think there is no money in Dillon. There is money to be spent in Dillon and it’s on main street,” said Mitchell. “I want Dillon to be the place that everybody wants to come and I want there to be a nice store on every corner for people to stop and park their car and just shop up and down Dillon and make a day of it.”
Mitchell is in the process of receiving a façade grant where the city will match up to $3,000 she spends on fixing up the front of her business.
“Our oning is in much need of work. So we are going to tear the current oning off,” she explained.
Mayor Todd Davis says the city hopes to add another incentive grant to next year’s budget starting in July.
The up-fit grant will match up to $15,000 for things like electrical or pluming work.
“We hope to be able to do two of those to start with. [To] See where is goes it goes after this year. We’ll see how competitive that’ll be,” said Mayor Davis.
Mayor Davis says the city invested 1.2 million dollars in 2003 on electrical work and landscape.
He also wants to clean up the look on main street by regulating what businesses can look like with a maintenance appearance ordinance.
“We don’t want that to be a hammer on the business owners. We want to help them before it ever comes into play. But there is time [where] you have to do something with your building before it becomes condemned,” Davis explained.
Both Davis and Mitchell hope empty businesses are filled and more owners apply for grants.
“I do see this city developing and growing and being a great place for people to stop off of I-95,” said Mitchell.
Mayor Davis says he’s working with business owners in the area to develop a redevelopment plan.
