Our Facade Improvement Programme- Building a Better Future
Bestselling entrepreneurial author Jim Rohn once said, “The good things we build – end up building us”. In the Somerset West City Improvement District (SWCID), our streets are no utopia, but at SWCID we are committed to collaboratively improving our community. We believe that improvement is contagious – which is why we have initiated our Facade Improvement Programme (FIP). The FIP is specifically designed to encourage businesses, like yours, to invest in the curb appeal of your premises. Knowing that we at the Somerset West City Improvement District are working to protect your property from vandalism and malicious degradation.
The FIP is part of an investment journey that we as business owners, community members, municipal bodies and the SWCID walk. Ultimately, we work to repair urban decay and improve the socio-economic environment of the Somerset West City Improvement District.
Our Facade Improvement Programme is a tool for inner-city revitalisation based on the formal processes successfully used in American cities. The protocol is well documented to restore citizens local pride, create a unique urban character, and repair the functionality of an urban area. Studies by the University of Wisconsin found that even small outlays have a positive impact on landlords, business owners and employees.
For Property Landlords Facade Improvement can:
- Generate more revenue due to new occupancy in previously unoccupied commercial spaces.
- Increase the economic return with existing renters due to facility and facade improvements.
- Improve the resale value for landlords looking to sell their property.
- Make interior improvements more cost-effective and efficient due to running the construction in conjunction.
- Grow the number of first-time customers by up to 80%.
- Improve sales by up to 90% for people with businesses in mixed-use areas.
- Provide publicity and recognition to pique the interest of new, diverse customers thereby stabilizing businesses’ income stream in times of economic instability.
- Create healthy competition by making other local businesses feel an urgency to improve their facades and facilities to maintain a competitive edge.
It’s clear that facade improvements are a catalyst for many positive changes. By attracting new customers and tenants they help inject more capital into our community thereby improving the financial microclimate of Somerset West City Improvement District. Not to mention, increasing the overall employee engagement and morale by creating a positive working environment.
At the Somerset West City Improvement District, we are working alongside you to make a positive impact by:
- Keeping the streets clean of litter to make sure that your facade improvement remains clean and attractive to your new visitors.
- Removing all graffiti tags which aids in keeping your area safer by hindering criminal syndicates from targeting your business.
- Keeping the area free from posters on streetlights, road signs and boundaries such as fences.
As part of our urban community, you can help us by:
- Adding appropriate, well-designed custom signage to help employees and customers know where you are, where they should park and where they enter to stop them from passing your business by.
- Improving the aesthetic of your facade by adding lighting, resurfacing with cladding and paint, and adapting details such as decorative awnings, trims, and cornices.
- Rejuvenating architectural features on larger investments such as windows, entrances, and doorways.
- Improve the accessibility of your property with ramps, rails, wider doors, and sanitation stations that do not obstruct the flow of foot traffic.
Through the Facade Improvement Programme, we work tirelessly to protect your investment from being damaged and pride ourselves on providing swift and efficient intervention should a challenge arise. Ultimately, we want to help our community become a clean, healthy and safe place to work, live and thrive.
We would love to see what you are working on so please share your #goodnews!
You can contact us and share your story about how you are improving our area via comms@swcid.co.za
If you have any concerns to report, please contact one of the following numbers:
- SAPS (South African Police Services) 10111
- City of Cape Town Disaster Management- 107
- 0860 103 099 – Secure Rite Control Room
