Woodstock mulls grants for Dairy Queen pavilion and building off downtown Square

Woodstock is considering allocating city funds to help Dairy Queen put a pavilion over its outdoor seating area and help a building just off the Square get fixed up.

The City Council is taking up two facade grant requests Tuesday, one for the Dairy Queen and one for a building near the Square. City staff is recommending $5,000 each for the projects but they are coming from separate facade funds. The Dairy Queen project is coming from the Facade Improvement Program that started in 2009, while the downtown building is coming from the Historic District Facade Assistance Program, started in 2023 to compliment the Facade Improvement Program.

Dairy Queen’s owners want to build a pavilion at the ice cream shop at 310 Washington St. that would cover the outdoor seating area east of the building. City documents indicate adding the pavilion “would allow patrons relief from rain or hot sun while they eat their ice cream.” The documents also state the pavilion likely will increase business during inclement weather.

Typically, the facade programs help with repairs for existing buildings, while the pavilion would be a new structure. The proposed pavilion is red and white, similar to the color scheme on the existing building. The building was built in 1949 as an ice cream stand, then became a Dairy Queen in 1951, according to city records.

City documents indicate the facade program is meant “to encourage projects that contribute to economic revitalization and historic character of the downtown.” City officials believe the pavilion project meets the goal of the program.

“Staff believes this to be a worthy project, which will improve the look of the downtown while helping to support a business that has become an institution in Woodstock,” according to the documents.

The council also is taking up a separate proposal for a building on the corner of the Square, 126 N. Benton Street. The building is home to Liquid Blues bar, El Tepayac Bakery and apartments.

City documents indicate the funds would go toward masonry work, door repair, window repair and painting exposed wood on the property.

Woodstock officials had been concerned about the building for some time, according to city documents. There was an aging staircase in the back of the building that the owner has since fixed, but there is work being done on the building to take care of outstanding issues.

The price tag on the remaining work for the building is $17,000, and the city staff recommends approving $5,000 for it. Woodstock had approved a grant for the building in 2022, but funding expired and the city never paid the property owner, according to city documents.