Some Purple Line businesses say they have more urgent needs than facades

With some fanfare Monday, Gov. Wes Moore and a host of other officials announced $3 million in grants to improve business facades along the Purple Line.

But some business owners said they have higher priorities than upgrading their doors, windows and signs.

These owners “urgently need support to pay rent, for example, or to pay utility bills,” said Silvia Huezo, who owns Pupuseria El Comalito, which has four locations, including two along the Purple Line.

She said she would prefer help with operating costs and interior repairs.

“You should be able to use that toward whatever,” Jason Miskiri, who owns Society Seafood House in Silver Spring, said of the grants. “Some people don’t need to upgrade their outdoor signage. They may need it for something else.”

Since crews broke ground in 2017, businesses along the 16-mile Purple Line corridor have lost customers and revenue as construction obstructed roads, sidewalks, parking and, in some cases, their front entrances.

Moore’s $3 million program, which is part of his broader budget proposal, would help businesses within a half-mile of the track upgrade their facades.

He unveiled the grants Monday in Silver Spring alongside his housing secretary, Jake Day, and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, County Executive Marc Elrich, state Del. Jheanelle Wilkins and County Council member Evan Glass, among others.

Huezo said her customers have told her that traffic and construction have steered them away from her Takoma Park location, which is closest to the Purple Line.

In 2025, the state Department of Transportation awarded $2 million in grants to businesses along the line in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Officials plan to distribute $1 million more in both 2026 and 2027.

This assistance, though, has only done so much to cushion the blow for these businesses.

Miskiri said construction disruptions prompted him to rebrand his Georgia Avenue business, which used to be called The Society Restaurant and Lounge, in hopes of bringing customers back.

Two doors down, Miskiri also owns The Angry Jerk, a Caribbean restaurant that has lost about 40% of its preconstruction revenue and faces more pressing needs than a new facade, he said.

During the press conference, Moore said helping businesses burnish their exteriors will transform commercial districts and make main streets more attractive to Purple Line riders. Once completed, the Purple Line will serve as a connector between the four Metro lines that wind from D.C. into Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

Failing to allocate money for facades would be a mistake, he said: “You actually would be missing an important point of what our businesses are asking for.”

If the legislature agrees to include the grant program in next fiscal year’s budget, it would be administered by the Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

Javier Rivas, executive director of the Takoma Langley Crossroads Development Authority, said the grants might not help business owners who don’t own their properties and would have to work with landlords on making facade upgrades.

But at least the program would highlight the extent to which construction has harmed local businesses.

“Any additional attention may make the case for the need for more funds,” he said.

A previous version of this story referred to the Purple Line as a future branch of the Metro. Though it connects to the Metro, it is a separate light rail line being built by the Maryland Transit Administration.