The Historic Review Board and the City of Oregon City recognize that with local historic designation should come some amount of assistance. The Historic Review Board’s preservation grant program makes funds available to property owners of locally designated historic buildings desiring to make exterior rehabilitation or renovation improvements.
The preservation grant program awards grants of up to $1,000 dollars and must be matched one-for-one. The Historic Review Board may choose to grant additional funds beyond $1,000 at the end of the fiscal year if there is money remaining in the grant budget. Larger projects may be phased; applicants can request grants for three years in a row for a total of $3,000.
Window repair is one of the most common grant projects. Grant money can be used to pay for a wide range of wood window repair issues from reglazing, to rehanging weights, to rebuilding sashes. The Community Development Department has a list of repair contractors that specialize in historic windows, though property owners may choose any licensed contractor. The grant can also pay to replace vinyl and aluminum slider windows with more appropriate wood windows. Other projects that are eligible for grants include the addition of wood storm windows, porch or foundation repairs, and replacement of missing historic elements.
The Board reviews applications on the fourth Tuesday of each month at their regularly scheduled board meeting at City Commission Chambers. Complete applications received by the second Monday of each month can be processed during that same month. The grant application is available on the City website at www.orcity.org. Contact ocplanning@orcity.org or 503-722-3789 to schedule a time to review your project or if you have questions before submitting a grant application.
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