Around 40 business owners affected by the ongoing construction of the Purple Line could receive up to $5,000 in state grants under a new program proposed in Montgomery County.

County lawmakers, led by Council member Evan Glass (D-At Large), introduced a special budget appropriation Tuesday that would provide a total of $231,000 — minus administrative expenses — to businesses that have lost revenue during construction of the bi-county light rail project, which has been beset by delays. The grants would be distributed by the Latino Economic Development Center and capped at $5,000 per business.

Sponsors of the measure say the aid is particularly important after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan vetoed transportation legislation in May that would have sent $2 million to business owners affected by the project’s ongoing construction.

“Finally, small businesses are going to be getting the help they need, here along the Purple Line corridor,” Glass said during a press conference Monday in downtown Silver Spring. “We’ve seen what the impact [of Purple Line construction] has meant. We’ve seen the lack of parking, we’ve seen the roadwork that’s been done, and because of COVID and some of the other economic situations, we’ve seen businesses close. So this relief is long overdue.”

The Maryland Department of Commerce is providing a total of $500,000 for Purple Line-related relief this year, divided evenly between Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. The state’s General Assembly approved $2.5 million in aid over the next three fiscal years, in addition to funds blocked by Hogan’s veto, which Democrats have pledged to override during a special legislative session that begins Dec. 6.

Montgomery County Council President Tom Hucker said Monday that while the Purple Line is a crucial economic development project that will benefit businesses in the long term, small business owners are under strain now as construction has dragged on.

“[These businesses] are disproportionately Black-owned, brown-owned, immigrant-owned, women-owned,” Hucker said. “These are the backbone of our economy, and we cannot let them slide … while we bring a big economic development project to their doorstep.”

The Maryland Department of Transportation originally planned to open the Purple Line in March 2022, but cost overruns, a legal battle between the state and the construction firm contracted to complete the work, and other issues have delayed the project by at least two and a half years. A new projected opening date could be announced in December.

If approved by the full Council, funds under Glass’ bill are expected to reach 40 eligible businesses selected randomly through a lottery process. The Latino Economic Development Center plans to accept grant applications from Dec. 1 to Dec. 10, though money won’t be available until the appropriation is officially approved by the Council following a public hearing on Dec. 14. Only businesses that were open prior to Aug. 1, 2017 — shortly before Purple Line construction began — will be considered.

Lene Tsegaye, co-owner of Kefa Café in downtown Silver Spring, said during Monday’s press conference that small business owners like her can use the help. The entrance to her coffee shop, she said, has been blocked by a jersey barrier during construction.

“This is a very, very hard time,” Tsegaye said Monday. “I have to jump over that thing to get to my own business.”