Resource Roundup: May 12th, 2021

Pioneer Square Business Stakeholders-

The Alliance for Pioneer Square team is working diligently to keep the Pioneer Square community informed regarding new resources and opportunities available to them. This roundup is part of a series of weekly messages capturing new resources and opportunities. Find each weekly email to date on our website.

*Please see this roundup's new resources and opportunities highlighted in RED*

What's Happening

*NEW* Earlier this month Gov. Jay Inslee announced a two-week pause on movement in the Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan. Under the pause, every county will remain in its current phase. At the end of two weeks, each county will be re-evaluated. The decision was made in consultation with the Department of Health, and reflects current data suggesting Washington’s fourth wave has hit a plateau. Read the rest of the Governor's announcement here .

*NEW* On April 29th, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued five new clarifications to its Conditional Sailing Order that constructively advance planning to safely resume cruise in the United States. The clarifications include an alternate pathway to cruise resumption when passengers and crew are vaccinated, updated testing requirements, and the use of multi-port agreements. These changes do not automatically mean a return to cruise. Cruise lines will still need to meet all the CDC Conditional Sailing Order requirements before sailing can resume.

The Port of Seattle would like to share how these updates affect our cruise season and how we should focus our efforts. Depending upon approval from CDC, cruise lines may be able to offer cruises from Seattle mid to late summer for 2021 season. Read the Port's full response here. The Port is also hosting a webinar series in May on how the Port and its partners are navigating the road to recovery and keeping our communities safe, healthy, and thriving. You can RSVP to one or all three events here.

Effective Thursday April 15, all Washingtonians over the age of 16 will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. See “How to get vaccinated” for appointment scheduling options in King County. Visit here for more information.

Worker and Business Resources

*NEW* The U.S. Small Business Administration opened the application portal for the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) on May 3. Eligible applicants can register for an account at restaurants.sba.gov. Once businesses register for an account, they will be able to complete their application by uploading the required documents to the application portal.

Eligible businesses are eligible for up to $5 million in funding per location, not to exceed $10 million total for the applicant and affiliated businesses. The Office of Economic Development (OED) encourages all eligible applicants to submit applications and will be providing technical assistance for business owners, including bilingual assistance in multiple languages. Additionally, you can view presentations from a previous information session hosted by the SBA Seattle District Office here and here. Find more information to help prepare for the application here.

*NEW* The City of Seattle's Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) has translated information about business license fee's and taxes for Seattle businesses into 7 languages: Amharic&English, English, Korean&English, SimplifiedChinese&English, Somali&English, Spanish&English, TraditionalChinese&English, Vietnamese&English.

The U.S. Small Business Administration reopened the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) application portal on April 24, 2021 for operators of live venues, live performing arts organizations, museums and movie theatres, as well as live venue promoters, theatrical producers and talent representatives to apply for critical economic relief. SVOG is a first come, first served grant, and all submitted applications will be processed in the order they are received. Learn more and apply here.

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) allows small and midsize employers, and certain governmental employers, to claim refundable tax credits that reimburse them for the cost of providing paid sick and family leave to their employees due to COVID-19, including leave taken by employees to receive or recover from COVID-19 vaccinations. The ARP tax credits are available to eligible employers that pay sick and family leave for leave from April 1, 2021, through September 30, 2021. Learn more about how to claim the tax credit here.

Washington State Department of Commerce is partnering with ArtsFund to center a grant program on arts, cultural, science, and heritage organizations. Grants will also be awarded to nonprofit neighborhood organizations, and sports and recreation organizations. These pandemic recovery grants will be administered by ArtsFund to Washington nonprofits. Grants will be distributed to nonprofits statewide in three focus areas listed on this website. All applications received by the May 24 deadline will be considered. Click here to apply.

The City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development is now offering consulting for food manufacturing and accounting services. Services are free for business < 5 employees and < 80% AMI (about $70k for a household of two).
Food manufacturing consulting will support for businesses who are looking to start or expand a packaged food business, catering operation, or operate a farmers’ market concession. For food manufacturing consulting, contact: Jennifer Tam, Restaurant Advocate.
Accounting consulting will in support small businesses as they put their financials together for all the grant apps and helping set up business accounting systems. For accounting consulting, contact AJ Cari, Business Advocate.

Recently, President Biden signed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act into law extending the PPP deadline from March 31 to May 31, 2021. The bill also provides that the Small Business Administration would have until June 30, 2021 to process lender applications. Read the full statement from SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman about how this is providing additional critical relief to small businesses. Get technical assistance, find a lender, and more at SmallBizHelpWA.com. Need help with applying for PPP, SVOG, or understanding what federal resources are available to you and your small business? Contact Seattle Office of Economic Development at 206-684-8090 or [email protected]. For more information, click here.

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced extended deferment periods for all disaster loans, including the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, until 2022. This means:
All SBA disaster loans made in calendar year 2020, including COVID-19 EIDL, will have a first payment due date extended from 12-months to 24-months from the date of the note.
All SBA disaster loans made in calendar year 2021, including COVID-19 EIDL, will have a first payment due date extended from 12-months to 18-months from the date of the note.

Find more information on the announcement here.

Reopening Resources

*NEW* The Pioneer Square Business Owners & Managers Facebook group is an opportunity for business owners and retailers to participate in an online forum and share resources, support, and stories. We invite you to join group and connect with other neighborhood businesses. Click here to join the Pioneer Square Business Owners and Managers Facebook page.

King County is providing reopening business tools for Phase 3 guidance and requirements. The new tools include a safe work plan template, owners guide to reopening and reopening checklist. Businesses can access these resources below:
King County Safe Start: Businesses and Workplaces
City of Seattle: COVID-19 Reopening Business

The Association of Washington Businesses has created a hub where businesses can get access to PPE and other resources to assist with reopening. The site is free to use and available to all Washington businesses.

The Alliance for Pioneer Square has introduced a section on our website to help provide businesses guidance and resources for best practices as they prepare to reopen their doors to customers.

Neighborhood Advocacy

*NEW* The Pioneer Square BIA is excited to announce the opening of the 2021 Inspiration Fund. This year, the BIA is matching volunteer hours and/or funding up to $5,000 for community members to implement projects and programs making a positive impact in the Pioneer Square neighborhood. Applications will be accepted until May 31st, 2021 at midnight. Learn more and apply here.

*NEW* Join the Alliance for Pioneer Square at a virtual information session on Friday, May 21st from 1:30 to 2:30pm where we will be presenting on the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on Pioneer Square, relief and resources available to those impacted by the crisis, and the Alliance’s response to support our neighborhood. RSVP here. Find previous meeting slides and webinar recordings here.

*NEW* Join the Alliance for Pioneer Square and Pioneer Square Preservation Board for an update on the process of altering the Pioneer Square Preservation District guidelines on Tuesday, May 27th from 12:00 to 1:00pm. RSVP here. Learn more about the current Pioneer Square Preservation District guidelines here.

Partner Efforts

*NEW* Below are this week's hours of operation at the Lumen Field Mass Vaccination Center :
Wednesday, May 12th (1,600 appointments): Open 10:45am to 7:30pm
Saturday, May 15th (8,600 appointments) Open 10:45am—Close 7:30pm

Additionally, T-Mobile Park will begin adding vaccinated sections this Thursday and are looking to increase their capacity to 14K. Lumen Field and the Sounders are working together to determine the number of vaccinated sections/attendance figures we will be adding to the stadium later this month. You will not see any change in traffic patterns for this Sunday’s match but most likely will see an increase in traffic for the match on May 23rd. Additionally, the matches in late June will have higher attendances than the one in late May. Find the Seattle Sounders schedule here and Mariners schedule here.

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is looking to commission writers, artists, photographers, or other creatives to participate in a new storytelling project called Seattle Histories. This series focuses on the people and places that have shaped Seattle’s past and led us to the present. In partnership with the Historic Preservation Program, we are highlighting communities and stories that have not been prioritized in mainstream media or have been left out of the historical narrative. We encourage people who have connections to Seattle’s Black, Indigenous, or people of color communities to submit ideas for creative work. Submit a statement of interest by May 17, 2021 here.

Neighborhood Spotlight

ULI Northwest is hosting a two-part virtual series on Thursday, May 13th & May 20th at 12pm - 1:30pm exploring the public, private, and community investments priming the economic recovery of Seattle’s historic district. Learn about public and private investments revitalizing Pioneer Square’s economy from a stellar group of Pioneer Square & industry heavy-hitters, featuring (for PART 1):

Lisa Howard / Exec. Director: Alliance for Pioneer Square
Rico Quirindongo / Interim Director: OPCD City of Seattle
Brice Maryman PLA, FASLA, LEED AP / Principal: MIG
Ned Carner / Chief Investment Officer: Unico Properties LLC
Menno Hilberts / MD Project Management: citizenM hotels
Jon Buerge / Chief Development Officer: Urban Villages
Aaron Barthel / Owner: Intrigue Chocolate Co.

Click here to register for part 1 and 2.

Additional Resources

Between weekly messages please review our website, which features an in-depth series of resources intended to assist small business owners, managers, and employees impacted by the COVID-19 virus crisis, along with public health recommendations.

Please let us know how we might best support you. Feel free to contact any of us with comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns.

Sincerely,

The Alliance Team

ALLIANCE FOR PIONEER SQUARE