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December 7, 2022

New Digital Parking Permit System

Exciting changes are coming to the Highland Park parking permit system. The City contracted with Passport Mobile Parking to provide a digital permit system for the community. The following Employee parking permits will be going digital: Employee Annual, Employee Quarterly, Remote Employee, and Employee Underground. Permits for 2023 will be available for purchase beginning December 19, 2022, online only through the dedicated Highland Park Passport Permit site. Visit cityhpil.com/parking for more information and a link to the Passport website on December 19.

If you are a local business owner/manager who purchases permits in bulk for your employees, please contact the Finance Department at finance@cityhpil.com or 847.432.0800 to set up your business permit account. The City will send a unique link to the website where permits may be purchased and managed on behalf of your business. 

Please note that all parking meters, both on street and in lots, will be replaced with digital payment processing through the Passport Parking website and mobile app and will go live on December 12, 2022. From December 12, daily permit parking will be available for purchase only through the Passport website, Passport Mobile App, or at one of seven payment kiosks. The Passport App is available for Apple and Android phone users at no cost (QR code above). Signage indicating the appropriate zone number to use when paying by the app will be in place at all Passport App parking locations. 

Illinois will receive nearly $355 million to administer four programs as part of the federally-funded State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). This will enable the state to support small businesses by helping them to attract more capital investment and expand or launch business operations while supporting key sectors.

Small business assistance is available through the following programs:

1. Advantage Illinois (AI) Loan Participation Program (Existing Program): This provides low-interest loans to small businesses by partnering with local lenders located across the state. In 2022 as of December, 71% of AI loans have gone to businesses owned by people of color, women, people with disabilities, or veterans.
2. Advantage Illinois (AI) Loan Guarantee Program (New Program): This will support business applicants who are having difficulty gaining access to capital by using funds to guarantee a percentage of loans provided by partner lenders. By guaranteeing a percentage of the loan, it makes loans more attractive to lenders and has the potential to increase the funds received by the businesses.
3. INVENT Venture Capital Program (VCP) (New Program): This will operate as a direct equity program with a focus on investing in businesses in key industries such as agriculture, ag tech, information technology, life sciences, manufacturing, quantum, and more.
4. Climate Bank Finance Loan Participation Program (New Program): This will be overseen by DCEO and administered by the Illinois Finance Authority (IFA), which will partner with local lenders to issue the loans. Climate Bank funds will be available to small businesses in the clean energy sector.

This initiative was reauthorized as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Interested businesses should fill out this form to receive more information and updates when the programs launch.

The City encourages business owners and managers to share information regarding upcoming events, promotions or news for possible inclusion in the City's marketing modalities, including The Weekender, Enjoy Highland Park, and social media. Please send these items to the City via email to: businessdevelopment@cityhpil.com. With the departure of Melissa Rosen, who will be missed as she embarks on an exciting new role, and the addition of new staff members, this new email address will be the best way to share this information moving forward.

For general business inquiries and assistance, contact Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at chersch@cityhpil.com.

Questions regarding enjoyhighlandpark.com should continue to be addressed to Amanda Civitello, Communications Manager, at acivitello@cityhpil.com.

The City of Highland Park is pleased to present the Heart of the Holidays, created to attract residents and visitors to downtown Highland Park to shop, dine, and use services.

Visit enjoyhighlandpark.com for updates and event information.

The City of Highland Park has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified and experienced firms with a background in park planning, outdoor entertainment and recreational spaces, landscape architecture, and similar professions to provide design and project planning services for the development of The Lot, and grant opportunity and application assistance. More information is available in the RFP.

The City of Highland Park encourages residents and visitors to shop and dine locally this holiday season with extended parking hours until Monday, January 2, 2023.

Parking restrictions will be suspended at all municipal parking lots. There will be no time limit enforced at these public lots. Disabled parking, fire hydrant zones, loading zones, and on-street customer-only parking will still be in effect. Permit parking still remains in effect during these parking holidays. Employee parking restrictions will also be strictly enforced.

Be sure to share this information with your customers via social media!

A list of available on- and off-street parking lots and garages can be found at www.cityhpil.com/parking. Additionally, a complete list of Highland Park retail and restaurant locations can be found at Enjoy Highland Park. 

For more information, please contact the City Manager’s Office at 847.926.1000.

• City-wide winter parking regulations are in effect through March 31, 2023. Vehicles may not be parked longer than 15 minutes on any public streets between 2:00 - 6:00 AM, regardless of weather conditions.
• 2023 business registration materials have been mailed and should be returned to the City by December 31, 2022, to avoid increased fees.

The City of Highland Park’s Small Business Facade Improvement Program (SBFIP) provides assistance and incentive to property owners and local businesses to improve the appearance and functionality of their property and place of business. The SBFIP is available for small business operators and commercial property owners citywide. Eligible owners of commercial/retail buildings and small business owners operating within a commercial/retail building may apply for a City grant that may reimburse up to 50% of the approved improvement(s) to a maximum of $5,000 per project. A small business is defined as having a net worth of less than two million dollars, and as showing less than an average of two hundred thousand dollars in profit per year for two years after taxes. The following are a few examples of eligible expenses:  

• Installing new awnings/signage
• Replacing, repainting, or restoring exterior doors
• Repairing or upgrading exterior lighting
• Painting building exterior 

SCORE offers in-person or virtual sessions using phone, email, or video

All sessions are free and confidential. SCORE mentors are successful business professionals, some retired, some working, from all industries and experiences.

Visit northchicago.score.org and register to “Find a

Mentor”. You will be asked to provide the nature of your business interest.

Please include whether you prefer in-person or virtual mentoring (phone,

email, video) and note the Highland Park Public Library even

if you prefer a virtual session.

Update Your Business Plan to Grow Your Business!

Meet With A Small Business Advisor Through SBDC Illinois

Illinois Small Business Development & International Trade Center offers confidential, no-cost, one-on-one virtual advising sessions.

To schedule a meeting click HERE

For general business inquiries and assistance, contact the City's Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch at chersch@cityhpil.com.

This newsletter is produced by the City of Highland Park's Office of Business Development. If you have information you would like to include in this weekly mailing, please submit information, photos, and news to businessdevelopment@cityhpil.com. The City reserves the right to edit and/or filter submissions.