Businesses affected by the Skyline rail construction along Dillingham Boulevard can now apply for grants from the City and County of Honolulu’s Transit Construction Mitigation Fund, or TCMF.
The online portal is now open and accepting applications.
According to the city, the program was created “to support eligible businesses that have been financially impacted by construction of the Honolulu Rail Transit Project.”
In this grant cycle, 40 grants of $10,000 will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, a TCMF grant information page notes.
The grants are available to impacted businesses located along Dillingham Boulevard between 2312/2339 Kamehameha Highway to the intersection of North King St.
Among other eligibility requirements, businesses must be in an eligible zone, have been at the current physical location on or before Dec. 1, 2020, be majority owned by city residents, have generated $1 million or less in revenue last year, and experienced a 10% decline in business revenue in 2023 and/or 2024, answers to some frequently asked questions note.
According to the FAQ, grants can be used for ordinary and necessary business operating expenses, including the likes of advertising, payroll and benefits, utilities, insurance, rent/lease/mortgage and property taxes for the business. The funding cannot be used for non-business-related expenses.
Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6. Virtual assistance will be available from 8 to 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 27 and Nov. 5, the site notes.
More information about eligibility requirements and the application process can be found here.
The first segment of the Skyline rail opened in June 2023 and spans just under 11 miles with nine stations. The second segment opened last week, a 5.2-mile stretch of guideway that now carries riders beyond Aloha Stadium to the Middle Street Transit Center and has four new stations.
HART, or the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, the public transit authority responsible for planning and building the rail system for the City and County of Honolulu, broke ground in August on the next phase of the project, the city center guideway and stations.
The CCGS project includes the construction of nearly three miles of elevated guideway and six rail stations, starting near Kahauiki, or the Middle Street Transit Center station, and ending at the the Civic Center station, just east of the intersection of Halekauwila and South streets, ASD previously reported. Construction is expected to be finished by 2030.
Utility work for this segment of the rail has been underway for the last two years.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
