PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 594 PRINTER'S NO. 1260
No. 500 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY FREEMAN, ARGALL, TANGRETTI, HERMAN, CURRY, HARPER,
STURLA, HENNESSEY, STEIL, GRUCELA, SAMUELSON, ALLEN, BEBKO-
JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BROWNE, CALTAGIRONE, CASORIO,
CAWLEY, CORRIGAN, COSTA, DAILEY, DALLY, DeWEESE, EACHUS,
D. EVANS, FAIRCHILD, FICHTER, FRANKEL, GEIST, GERGELY,
HALUSKA, HARHAI, HERSHEY, HORSEY, HUTCHINSON, JOSEPHS,
KELLER, KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LEDERER, LEH, LESCOVITZ,
LEVDANSKY, LEWIS, MANDERINO, MANN, MARKOSEK, McCALL,
McILHINNEY, MELIO, O'NEILL, PETRARCA, PETRI, PETRONE,
PISTELLA, PRESTON, READSHAW, ROBERTS, RUBLEY, SAINATO,
SANTONI, SCHRODER, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
SURRA, THOMAS, TRAVAGLIO, VITALI, WALKO, WANSACZ, WATSON,
J. WILLIAMS, WRIGHT, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, PALLONE, BISHOP
AND REICHLEY, FEBRUARY 26, 2003
AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, APRIL 7, 2003
AN ACT
1 Providing for a residential neighborhood enhancement program to
2 be administered by the Department of Community and Economic
3 Development; and making an appropriation.
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 Elm Street
8 Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
1 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic
2 Development of the Commonwealth.
3 "Elm Street Program." A comprehensive plan to develop and <--
4 revitalize established residential neighborhoods either in the
5 vicinity of a Main Street Program project or in close proximity
6 to an existing commercial core.
7 "Established residential neighborhood." A defined geographic
8 area which has historically consisted of buildings and <--
9 structures for housing individuals and families in close <--
10 proximity to a commercial core DISTRICT and which has existed as <--
11 a residential neighborhood for 40 or more years.
12 "Main Street Program." The program administered by the
13 Department of Community and Economic Development designed to
14 help ASSIST a community's downtown economic development effort <--
15 through the establishment of a local organization dedicated to
16 downtown revitalization and management of downtown
17 revitalization by hiring a full-time professional downtown
18 coordinator.
19 "Municipality." Any city, borough, township, county or home <--
20 rule municipality.
21 "PROGRAM." THE ELM STREET PROGRAM AS ESTABLISHED IN SECTION <--
22 3.
23 Section 3. Elm Street Program.
24 (a) Establishment.--There is established an Elm Street
25 Program within the department WHICH SHALL ASSIST MUNICIPALITIES <--
26 IN PREPARING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO DEVELOP AND REVITALIZE
27 ESTABLISHED RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS EITHER IN THE VICINITY OF
28 A MAIN STREET PROGRAM PROJECT OR IN PROXIMITY TO AN EXISTING
29 COMMERCIAL DISTRICT.
30 (B) APPLICATIONS.--THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PREPARE APPLICATION
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1 FORMS FOR THE GRANT PROGRAM ESTABLISHED IN THIS ACT AND AWARD
2 GRANTS TO MUNICIPALITIES BASED ON THE REQUIREMENTS IN SUBSECTION
3 (C).
4 (b) Program requirements.--The Elm Street Program shall, at <--
5 a minimum, include the following components:
6 (1) Five-year maximum State financial assistance.
7 (2) Residential reinvestment grants for administrative
8 (C) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.--THE PROGRAM SHALL: <--
9 (1) PROVIDE BASIC GRANTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE costs
10 associated with the hiring of a professional Elm Street
11 Manager, who may serve as an assistant to the Main Street
12 Manager when IF a Main Street Program exists within a <--
13 municipality.
14 (3) Basic (2) PROVIDE RESIDENTIAL REINVESTMENT grants <--
15 for infrastructure and structural improvements, including,
16 but not limited to, streets, street lights, trees, housing
17 facades and sidewalks or other pedestrian-oriented features.
18 (4) Plans for marketing and promoting downtown <--
19 residential living within a designated Elm Street area.
20 (5) Plans to leverage additional private and public
21 investment in the designated area.
22 (6) Plans to address any social or economic concerns
23 within the designated area.
24 (7) Plans to, the greatest extent possible, achieve
25 consistency with any existing commercial and residential
26 revitalization efforts.
27 (8) An assessment of the potential need for the
28 following components:
29 (3) PROVIDE STATE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR A MAXIMUM OF <--
30 FIVE YEARS.
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1 (4) PROVIDE PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR:
2 (I) MARKETING AND PROMOTING URBAN RESIDENTIAL
3 LIVING.
4 (II) LEVERAGING ADDITIONAL PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
5 INVESTMENT.
6 (III) ADDRESSING ANY SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONCERNS.
7 (IV) ACHIEVING CONSISTENCY, WHENEVER APPROPRIATE,
8 WITH ANY EXISTING COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL
9 REVITALIZATION EFFORTS.
10 (5) AN ASSESSMENT OF THE APPLYING MUNICIPALITIES' NEED
11 FOR THE FOLLOWING:
12 (i) The establishment of a neighborhood improvement
13 district as defined in the act of December 20, 2000
14 (P.L.949, No.130), known as the Neighborhood Improvement
15 District Act.
16 (ii) A review of local comprehensive plans and
17 zoning and other land use ordinances to foster the
18 viability of established residential neighborhoods, with
19 a balanced mix of commercial, civic, employment and
20 residential uses, with particular attention to a
21 diversity of housing options.
22 (iii) A review of educational and recreational
23 opportunities and facilities.
24 (c) Eligibility.--Municipalities or their designated
25 agencies must meet the following criteria to participate in the <--
26 Elm Street Program:
27 (1) Have a clearly defined residential neighborhood in
28 need of revitalization in proximity to a commercial district.
29 (2) Have demonstrated EXPRESSED support by local <--
30 residents, merchants and government officials.
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1 (3) Have ability to provide up to a 50% match in
2 financial and/or in-kind support for any department grants
3 from other public or private sources based upon departmental
4 guidelines. The department may waive or reduce any matching <--
5 requirements if it is determined that such requirements would
6 THE MATCHING REQUIREMENT IF IT DETERMINES SUCH REQUIREMENT <--
7 WOULD constitute a hardship upon the municipality or its <--
8 designated agency AN AGENCY DESIGNATED BY THE MUNICIPALITY. <--
9 (d) Limits.--The department shall establish limits on the
10 amount of money available to each applicant so as to distribute
11 the available funds as fairly as possible throughout this
12 Commonwealth.
13 Section 4. Appropriation.
14 The sum of $5,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
15 necessary, is appropriated to the Department of Community and
16 Economic Development to carry out the purposes of this act for
17 the first fiscal year of its implementation.
18 SECTION 5. LIMITATIONS. <--
19 IN NO CASE SHALL THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT OF GRANTS IN ANY FISCAL
20 YEAR EXCEED THE AMOUNT OF THE APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT
21 FOR THE PROGRAM IN THAT FISCAL YEAR. THE PROVISION OF GRANTS
22 UNDER THIS ACT SHALL IN NO WAY CONSTITUTE AN ENTITLEMENT DERIVED
23 FROM THE COMMONWEALTH OR A CLAIM ON ANY OTHER FUNDS OF THE
24 COMMONWEALTH.
25 Section 5 6. Effective date. <--
26 This act shall take effect immediately.
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