If your property sustained damage during recent civil unrest, you may be eligible for property tax relief. Please go online to the City Assessor website to complete the Disaster Reassessment Intake Form.

Xcel Energy is offering help for business with property damage. There are special recovery rebates to replace equipment that was damaged or destroyed, as well as free energy consulting services. Rebates will help offset the costs of high-efficiency lighting, cooling and other equipment. To apply, complete this brief survey.

The Re-Use Center is coordinating collection and transport of plywood as businesses remove them from windows and doors. Pick-up is available and all details can be found on the Reuse website. Urban Homeworks, an affordable housing nonprofit, is also accepting full sheets of plywood to reuse in two new homes they are building. Contact Stephanie at 612-426-8801 to arrange pick up. 

Three weeks have passed since the murder of George Floyd and during that time our inboxes have been flooded with anti-racism statements from corporate CEOs to yoga studios. I, too, have been thinking about the role of LBA as an organization at the epicenter of a social uprising asserting that Black Lives Matter. As a white woman and the only staff person for LBA, I just keep coming up with more questions rather than definitive statements.

• What does it look like to center our Black, brown and indigenous businesses within this conversation and enact practices to follow their leadership? 
• How do we think about structural racism and the wealth gap as it relates to business? Are we aware of the local policies that have enabled white business owners to more easily access credit, loans, capital and most of all land ownership? What is being done to increase opportunity and how can we do more?
• What is the impact of LBA’s history of mostly white board members, staff and membership? Have we represented our Black, brown, and indigenous business owners well? What could we do better?
• How do we support white-owned businesses by encouraging them to implement anti-racist policies and become active in the pursuit of racial justice?

 
So, does LBA have an anti-racism statement? No, not yet. The road ahead for physically rebuilding our community will be a long one. Let’s take the time to make a statement that is not just words, but one of reflection and action as we engage in the hard work of anti-racism. 
 
I know that many of you are asking these questions of yourself and with your staff, clients and customers. My hope is that LBA can be a business community that continues to listen, ask, learn and act together.
 
Thank you for reading,
Kim Jakus

The City of Minneapolis has a new website to learn about the City’s response and resources to address the recent civil unrest. You’ll also find resources for residents and businesses. The resources help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as well.

Repairing or Rebuilding your Business
If you have planned repairs, you can complete most permit applications online.  For questions regarding the permit application and review process email Development@minneapolismn.gov

If you are exploring your options for rebuilding, and have questions about zoning or property use, call 612-673-5065 or email zoning.recoveryinfo@minneapolismn.gov

MN DEED has just launched the Small Business Relief Grants Program, which will make available $10,000 grants to Minnesotan owned and operated businesses that can demonstrate financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of $60.3 million is available for grant awards which will be selected through a computer-generated, randomized selection process.
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Awards will be disbursed and administered by qualified local and regionally based nonprofit organizations. Grant funds received by individual businesses shall be used for working capital to support payroll expenses, rent, mortgage payments, utility bills, and other similar expenses that occur or have occurred since March 1, 2020, in the regular course of business. These are grants and no repayment will be required.

The application period will begin on Tuesday, June 23 and close at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 2. Additional eligibility requirements and application information can be found online at DEED’s Small Business Relief Grants page.

Property taxes of owners whose property has been unintentionally damaged or destroyed by arson or vandalism, by someone other than the property owner, may qualify for a property tax abatement and/or credit for taxes payable in 2020 and 2021 according to law. 
 
Assessor is required to review damage and conduct reassessment for calculating relief
The Assessor’s Office is required to review all properties damaged to determine the amount of structural damage and estimate a reassessed value that will be used to calculate a new tax amount. 
 
What you need to do
If your property sustained structural damage, please go online to the City Assessor website at www.minneapolismn.gov/assessor to complete the Disaster Reassessment Intake Form.  You may attach up to 10 photos or other supporting documents with the form. 
 
If you don’t have internet access, call 612-673-5959 and a staff member will contact you to collect more information. 
 
If you have questions, please call 612-673-5959 or email disaster.reassessment@minneapolismn.gov. Include your property identification number, address, phone number and question(s).
 
Next Steps
Once the assessor determines the percentage of damage and reassessed value, you will be contacted with next steps in the process. For properties that sustained 50 percent or more damage and qualify for an abatement/credit, an application is required.  The assessor will provide the application.
 
Assistance requested for outreach to all damaged properties
If you are aware of other properties that were damaged and haven’t received a letter from our office, please ask them to call 612-673-5959 or email disaster.reassessment@minneapolismn.gov

Severely damaged Longfellow small businesses receive urgent financial support for reconstruction; many residents face extreme difficulties shopping for food and necessities.
MINNEAPOLIS – June 12, 2020 

ADX Labs, Inc. has provided an urgently needed grant of $40,000 to the Longfellow Business Association, to aid local small businesses to recover from looting damage. The donation was made by ADX Labs’ charitable arm, the ADX Foundation.

Steven M. Renner, founder and CEO of ADX Labs and chairman of the ADX Foundation said, “The tragic death of George Floyd in police custody resulted in peaceful protests but also extensive looting and truly terrible property damage. Here in Minneapolis, the Longfellow neighborhood has been particularly hard hit. This vibrant and diverse neighborhood has largely been reduced to rubble, and residents are experiencing great difficulties sourcing food and services from the many small business owners who have seen their premises destroyed. The ADX Foundation immediately stepped up to provide a grant to the Longfellow Business Association, which has pledged that every dollar will be utilized helping local small businesses get back on their feet, so their community can thrive again.”

​The Longfellow Business Association’s Executive Director Kim Jakus said, “Our Association has been serving neighborhood businesses and non-profits for the last 25 years. Over the last week, around 50 of our Longfellow businesses and non-profits were looted and damaged in the wake of the violent death of George Floyd. ADX’s grant will allow us to give direct grants to businesses in Longfellow to help cover insurance deductibles, repairs, relocations and eventually help with equitable rebuilding."

Korboi “KB” Balla, owner of fire-damaged Scores Sports Bar said, “There are a lot of unknowns right now, but the community is what gives me hope to reopen.” Mr. Balla said that when businesses were burned down, “people came from far and wide to help clean up, and it's unreal how much the community has come together." 

John Flomer, co-owner of local restaurant Midori’s Floating World Café, which was also looted and destroyed said that many residents' main concern is losing the community they love so much. “It’s all small businesses here, and we feel like we’re bleeding in the streets and waiting for the medics,” said Mr. Flomer.

Longfellow Business Association co-chairperson and owner of local business Big Bell Ice Cream James Freid said, “LBA members are invested in the local community because we are part of the local community. Now, more than ever, we have the responsibility to respond quickly to assist local businesses and organizations. Every business and organization that reopens brings new hope and life back to our community. When Longfellow is alive, vibrant, open, and safe we can once again proudly call it home.”

KB Balla continued, “I’m like everyone else in this community: still trying to figure stuff out. Even though our bar was looted and then burned down, I’m one-hundred-percent going to reopen. It’s the community that gives me hope to reopen.”

John Flomer added, “People in our community are scared that without support to rebuild, it may be the end of the mom-and-pop businesses. A lot of folks’ insurance doesn’t cover riots and looting. The main thing we want is to know there is hope, that there is help on the way.” Like Mr. Balla, Mr. Flomer expressed deep thanks for his community, saying, “The reason our building is still standing is because neighbors stood in front of it to keep it from being set on fire. The community came together, and Midori and I are doing all we can to give back to our community.”

Lamberto “LV” Vergara, owner of damaged local community hub LV’s Barber Shop said, “Our barbershop provides more than a haircut to our neighbors. The community relies on us for therapy, for support. Especially for the local kids, we’re like mentors for so many of them. Anything we can do to keep the kids on a positive path, we do. It’s a beautiful thing to see that local small businesses can have that kind of impact. Asked about how LV’s Barber Shop was affected by the recent looting and destruction, LV Vergara said, “We were looking forward to going back to work on June 1st, when Minneapolis was due to re-open, but then George Floyd was murdered and we were devastated. Then, independent of peaceful protest, the looting began. Young people in this neighborhood offered to protect our building from damage but I said no, because it was just too dangerous for them.”

The role of the Longfellow Business Association is critical to exactly the calls to help our community that Mr. Balla, Mr. Flomer and Mr. Vergara have made. Mr. Renner concluded, “ADX Labs is committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and thriving Twin Cities. Coming during the coronavirus pandemic, the devastation of Longfellow’s businesses has resulted in yet more unemployment, and we hope local businesses can rehire all employees. We call on other Minneapolis businesses to donate.”

About ADX Labs, Inc.
ADX Labs, Inc. (ADX) is a Minneapolis-founded and headquartered technology company focused on providing innovative products and services for individuals, home-based businesses, and the small to medium enterprise (SME) market. ADX independently funds the ADX Foundation, a registered non-profit philanthropic organization which has invested in children, communities, and social justice since 2013. Learn more at http://adxlabs.com

For our members that are artists or arts organizations, please let us know how we can support you through this time. Check out this comprehensive list of resources and grant info through Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. 

As of May 18, all small retail shops are able to open their doors to customers again, as long as they adopt and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and allow no more than 50% occupant capacity at any time. Restaurants, bars, and event centers are not yet allowed to reopen for in-person service, but that may change as early as June 1. If you are preparing to reopen, we’ve found a few resources you might find useful:

• State of Minnesota checklist guidelines for creating a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan
• State of Minnesota COVID-19 Preparedness Plan template
• A Guide to All the Restaurant Safety Guides

We know you may be grappling with questions about the best way to operate your business while keeping your customers and employees safe. Please reach out if you need support.