SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 2524, 2557, 2779, PRINTER'S NO. 3703
2790
No. 1935 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY LEWIS, FREEMAN, ARGALL, KENNEY, PETRONE, M. BAKER,
CAPPELLI, GEIST, HERMAN, HENNESSEY, PIPPY, SAYLOR, SCHRODER,
STEELMAN, McILHATTAN, ZUG, HUTCHINSON, HARPER, M. WRIGHT,
SATHER, MICHLOVIC, CALTAGIRONE AND SAMUELSON,
SEPTEMBER 26, 2001
SENATOR THOMPSON, APPROPRIATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-REPORTED AS
AMENDED, APRIL 16, 2002
AN ACT
1 Providing for a commercial downtown enhancement program to be
2 administered by the Department of Community and Economic
3 Development.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Main Street
8 Act.
9 Section 2. Legislative findings and purpose. <--
10 (a) Findings.--The General Assembly finds as follows:
11 (1) The viability and desirability of established
12 commercial downtowns in this Commonwealth's urban areas have
13 been in a state of decline for more than 50 years.
14 (2) Suburban sprawl has lured businesses away from
15 established commercial downtowns.
1 (3) Suburban sprawl has led to great losses of valuable
2 farmland and open space throughout this Commonwealth.
3 (4) Many established commercial downtowns suffer from
4 deteriorating infrastructures and structural decline.
5 (5) Many established commercial downtowns suffer from
6 the adverse effects of criminal activity.
7 (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this act is to establish the
8 program to enhance the desirability and viability of established
9 commercial downtowns through a comprehensive plan to do all of
10 the following:
11 (1) Address the issues of infrastructure and structural
12 decline in established commercial downtowns.
13 (2) Address the adverse effects of criminal activity in
14 established commercial downtowns.
15 (3) Improve the public image of established commercial
16 downtowns.
17 (4) Enhance the economic and social aspects of operating
18 a business in an established commercial downtown.
19 (5) Complement adjacent residential corridors.
20 Section 3 2. Definitions. <--
21 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
22 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
23 context clearly indicates otherwise:
24 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic
25 Development of the Commonwealth.
26 "Established commercial downtown." A defined geographic area
27 which has:
28 (1) historically consisted of buildings and structures
29 constituting the community core; and
30 (2) existed as a commercial downtown for at least 40
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1 years.
2 "Main Street area." The established commercial downtown of a
3 municipality.
4 "Manager." A full-time, professional downtown coordinator.
5 "Municipality." A city, borough, township, county or home
6 rule municipality.
7 "Program." The Main Street Program established in section 4 <--
8 3.
9 Section 4 3. Program. <--
10 (a) Establishment.--There is established a Main Street
11 Program IN THE DEPARTMENT. The department shall administer the <--
12 program to help a community's downtown economic development
13 effort through the establishment of a local organization
14 dedicated to downtown revitalization and management of downtown
15 revitalization.
16 (b) Guidelines REQUIREMENTS.--The program shall, at a <--
17 minimum, include the following components:
18 (1) Five-year maximum Commonwealth financial assistance. <--
19 (2) (1) Basic grants, FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS, for <--
20 administrative costs associated with the hiring of a manager.
21 (3) Basic grants (2) COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN REINVESTMENT <--
22 GRANTS for infrastructure and structural improvements,
23 including streets, street lights, trees, housing, COMMERCIAL <--
24 facades and sidewalks or other pedestrian-oriented features.
25 (4) (3) Plans for marketing and promoting the <--
26 established commercial downtown within the Main Street area.
27 (5) (4) Plans to leverage additional private and public <--
28 investment in the Main Street area.
29 (6) (5) Plans to address social or economic concerns <--
30 within the Main Street area.
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1 (7) (6) Plans, to the greatest extent possible, to <--
2 achieve consistency with existing revitalization efforts.
3 (8) (7) An assessment of the potential need for the <--
4 following components:
5 (i) The establishment of a downtown improvement
6 district as defined in the act of December 20, 2000
7 (P.L.949, No.130), known as the Neighborhood Improvement
8 District Act.
9 (ii) A review of local comprehensive plans and
10 zoning and other land use ordinances to foster the
11 viability of the Main Street area.
12 (c) Eligibility.--Municipalities or their designated
13 agencies must meet the following criteria to participate in the
14 program:
15 (1) Have a clearly defined established commercial
16 downtown in need of a manager.
17 (2) Have demonstrated support by local residents,
18 merchants and government officials.
19 (3) Have ability to provide up to a 50% match for
20 department grants in financial or in-kind support from other
21 public or private sources based upon departmental guidelines.
22 The department may waive matching requirements if it
23 determines that the requirements would constitute an unusual
24 hardship upon the municipality or its designated agency.
25 (d) Limits.-- LIMITATIONS.--IN NO CASE SHALL THE AGGREGATE <--
26 AMOUNT OF GRANTS IN ANY FISCAL YEAR EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF THE
27 APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PROGRAM IN THAT FISCAL
28 YEAR. THE PROVISION OF GRANTS UNDER THIS ACT SHALL IN NO WAY
29 CONSTITUTE AN ENTITLEMENT DERIVED FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OR A
30 CLAIM ON ANY OTHER FUNDS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. The department
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1 shall establish limits on the amount of money available to each
2 applicant so as to distribute the available funds as fairly as
3 possible throughout this Commonwealth.
4 Section 30 4. Effective date. <--
5 This act shall take effect immediately.
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