Bel Air Among Main Street Grant Awardees From State Of Maryland

BEL AIR, MD — Bel Air was among 41 grant recipients to benefit Maryland's Main Street communities, the governor announced Tuesday. The Bel Air Downtown Alliance was awarded $194,113, according to the announcement.

“We are proud to support local small businesses and help them recover from the economic toll brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement about the $7 million in grants issued across the state. “Maryland communities would not be the same without our vibrant, historic Main Streets."

There are 33 designated Main Street Maryland communities and eight Main Street neighborhoods in Baltimore City, all of which applied for and received grants, state officials said.

Funding will support small businesses and other economic recovery efforts, according to the governor's office.

“The pandemic has hit our small businesses particularly hard,” Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development Secretary Kenneth C. Holt said in a statement. “The state and Baltimore City Main Street programs have a crucial role to play in supporting those businesses, and this funding will allow them to provide grants to their local businesses that will ultimately restore the vitality of their commercial districts and impact Maryland’s economic recovery.”

In 2020 despite the coronavirus pandemic, officials said 180 businesses expanded or opened in Maryland's Main Street Maryland communities, generating 665 new jobs and sparking 130 public and private investments totaling more than $80 million in funding.