By: Daniel Roy · 24th March, 2026
Delphine unveiled her Main Street First plan on Tuesday — a $4M package of storefront grants, 21-day permits, and buy-local rules aimed at the corridors the recovery skipped.
Standing outside a third-generation bakery on Grand Avenue, Hartwell said the first 200 grants of up to $25,000 will go to shops in the six wards with the highest vacancy rates. Applications open in January and take fifteen minutes, she promised — "one page, plain language, decision in a month."
The plan also requires permit decisions within 21 days with a public tracker, and directs 30% of city purchasing to neighborhood vendors. The merchants association, which rarely endorses, called it "the first plan written from behind a counter instead of a desk."
"If you run a shop on our main streets, City Hall should work at your speed — not the other way around."
— Delphine Hartwell
Next stop on the rollout: a small-business roundtable in every ward before Election Day. Owners can RSVP on the Events page and bring their toughest permitting story.