PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 594, 1260 PRINTER'S NO. 1788
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 RE-REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, MAY 12, 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 "Established residential neighborhood." A defined geographic
4 area which has consisted of buildings and structures for housing
5 individuals and families in proximity to a commercial district
6 and which has existed as a residential neighborhood for 40 or
7 more years.
8 "Main Street Program." The program administered by the
9 Department of Community and Economic Development designed to
10 assist a community's downtown economic development effort
11 through the establishment of a local organization dedicated to
12 downtown revitalization and management of downtown
13 revitalization by hiring a full-time professional downtown
14 coordinator.
15 "Program." The Elm Street Program as established in section
16 3.
17 Section 3. Elm Street Program.
18 (a) Establishment.--There is established an Elm Street
19 Program within the department which shall assist municipalities
20 in preparing a comprehensive plan to develop and revitalize
21 established residential neighborhoods either in the vicinity of
22 a Main Street Program project or in proximity to an existing
23 commercial district.
24 (b) Applications.--The department shall prepare application
25 forms for the grant program established in this act and award
26 grants to municipalities AND OTHER ELIGIBLE ENTITIES based on <--
27 the requirements in subsection (c).
28 (c) Program requirements.--The program shall:
29 (1) Provide basic grants FOR A MAXIMUM OF FIVE YEARS PER <--
30 PROJECT for administrative costs associated with the hiring
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1 of a professional Elm Street Manager, who may serve as an
2 assistant to the Main Street Manager if a Main Street Program
3 exists within a municipality.
4 (2) Provide residential reinvestment grants for
5 infrastructure and structural improvements, including, but
6 not limited to, streets, street lights, trees, housing <--
7 facades EXTERIORS OF BUILDINGS and sidewalks or other <--
8 pedestrian-oriented features.
9 (3) Provide State financial assistance for a maximum of <--
10 five years.
11 (4) (3) Provide planning and development grants for: <--
12 (i) Marketing and promoting urban residential
13 living.
14 (ii) Leveraging additional private and public
15 investment.
16 (iii) Addressing any social and economic concerns.
17 (iv) Achieving consistency, whenever appropriate,
18 with any existing commercial and residential
19 revitalization efforts.
20 (5) An (4) PROVIDE AN assessment of the applying <--
21 municipalities' need for the following:
22 (i) The establishment of a neighborhood improvement
23 district as defined in the act of December 20, 2000
24 (P.L.949, No.130), known as the Neighborhood Improvement
25 District Act.
26 (ii) A review of local comprehensive plans and
27 zoning and other land use ordinances to foster the
28 viability of established residential neighborhoods, with
29 a balanced mix of commercial, civic, employment and
30 residential uses, with particular attention to a
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1 diversity of housing options.
2 (iii) A review of educational and recreational
3 opportunities and facilities.
4 (c) (D) Eligibility.--Municipalities or their designated <--
5 agencies must meet the following criteria:
6 (1) Have a clearly defined residential neighborhood in
7 need of revitalization in proximity to a commercial district.
8 (2) Have expressed support by local residents, merchants
9 and government officials.
10 (3) Have ability to provide up to a 50% A MINIMUM OF A <--
11 10% match in financial and/or in-kind support for any
12 department grants from other public or private sources based
13 upon departmental guidelines. The department may waive or
14 reduce the matching requirement if it determines such
15 requirement would constitute a hardship upon the municipality
16 or an agency designated by the municipality.
17 (E) MULTIPLE PROJECTS.--THE DEPARTMENT MAY APPROVE MORE THAN <--
18 ONE PROJECT WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF A MUNICIPALITY. MULTIPLE
19 PROJECTS MAY OCCUR SIMULTANEOUSLY OR AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF
20 TIME.
21 (d) (F) Limits.--The department shall establish limits on <--
22 the amount of money available to each applicant so as to
23 distribute the available funds as fairly as possible throughout
24 this Commonwealth.
25 Section 4. Appropriation. <--
26 The sum of $5,000,000, or as much thereof as may be
27 necessary, is appropriated to the Department of Community and
28 Economic Development to carry out the purposes of this act for
29 the first fiscal year of its implementation.
30 Section 5 4. Limitations. <--
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1 In no case shall the aggregate amount of grants in any fiscal
2 year exceed the amount of the appropriation to the department
3 for the program in that fiscal year. The provision of grants
4 under this act shall in no way constitute an entitlement derived
5 from the Commonwealth or a claim on any other funds of the
6 Commonwealth.
7 Section 6 5. Effective date. <--
8 This act shall take effect immediately.
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