Downtown Syracuse Business and Property Owners,
 
We’re almost half-way through the New York Forward reopening plan! As we await an announcement on when Phase Three will begin in Central New York, the following resources are available to help you with your reopening plans:
 
Phase Three Reopening Guidelines Now Available
 
Guidelines for Phase Three industries – including  Food Services  and  Personal Care  – are now posted on the  New York Forward  website.
 
  • Highlights for Food Services include:
  • Limiting indoor capacity to 50%
  • Requiring that employees wear face coverings at all times, and patrons wear face coverings except when seated
  • Seating allowed in bar areas only if six-foot distance can be maintained
 
  • Highlights for Personal Care include:
  • Maximum 50% capacity
  • Maintaining six-foot distance between tattoo and piercing workstations, massage tables, or salon workstations
  • Customers must wear a face covering at all times (*Note, procedures that require removal of customer’s face covering (e.g., lip/nose piercings, face massage, facials, lip/nose waxing) are prohibited at this time)
  • No waiting rooms/areas allowed
 
Before reopening, food service and personal care businesses will be required to (1) visit the  Phase Three  web page to submit their online affirmation that they understand the detailed guidelines for their industry, and (2) prepare their Business Safety Plan using the  online template .
 
To date,  69 downtown businesses  eligible to reopen in Phase One and Phase Two industries have submitted their online affirmations.
 
 
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Changes
 
The  Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act  was enacted this week, providing more time and opportunity for borrowers to spend PPP loan funds. Previously, borrowers were required to spend loan proceeds within eight weeks of disbursement; now, they have 24 weeks from the disbursement date (or Dec. 31, 2020, whichever is earlier). The new flexible terms also require that 60% of loan proceeds be spent on payroll costs in order to qualify for loan forgiveness – down from 75% in the original legislation – allowing more non-payroll expenses to qualify for  loan forgiveness . For borrowers whose loans are not forgiven, the act also extends the repayment period for the 1% loan from two years to five years. Lenders are still accepting PPP applications; for the application form, click  here . For a list of participating lenders, click  here . The last date on which a PPP loan application can be approved is  June 30, 2020 .
 

Free Webinars
 
  • Navigating PPP Loan Forgiveness & Tax Provisions of the CARES Act, presented by CenterState CEO: This Friday, June 12th, from 11 am to 12 pm, Dannible & McKee, LLP will share insights into the PPP Flexibility Act, navigating the loan forgiveness landscape, and key tax provisions in the CARES Act that impact businesses and individuals. Attendees must register in advance.
 
  • Key Steps to Start or Restart Your Small Business - Key Considerations Due To Covid-19, presented by SCORE Syracuse: On Thursday, June 25 from 9 am to 10:30 am, local SCORE volunteer experts Lynn Stearns and Kevin Kelly will lead attendees through changes to consider in the “new normal,” including insurance changes, marketing, and cashflow projections. Please click here to register.
 
 
Business Resource Recap
 
For a full list of Business Resources, please visit the Downtown Committee’s  Reopening Resources  website. Here, you’ll find the entire series of Downtown Business emails dating back to March 25, as well as information on Reopening Your Business, Industry Resources, Updates on Regulations, Financial Resources, and Technical Assistance.
 
For questions related to COVID-19 or other business resources, please contact our economic development team director, Heather Schroeder, at  hschroeder@downtownsyracuse.com .