PRINTER'S NO. 519
No. 439 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY CONTI, KITCHEN, KUKOVICH, MOWERY, LOGAN, LEMMOND,
WAUGH, TARTAGLIONE, COSTA, ROBBINS, O'PAKE, ERICKSON AND
WONDERLING, MARCH 13, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, MARCH 13, 2003
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.
16 (3) Suburban sprawl has led to great losses of valuable
17 farmland and open space throughout this Commonwealth.
18 (4) Many established commercial downtowns suffer from
1 deteriorating infrastructures and structural decline.
2 (5) Many established commercial downtowns suffer from
3 the adverse effects of criminal activity.
4 (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this act is to establish the
5 program to enhance the desirability and viability of established
6 commercial downtowns through a comprehensive plan to do all of
7 the following:
8 (1) Address the issues of infrastructure and structural
9 decline in established commercial downtowns.
10 (2) Address the adverse effects of criminal activity in
11 established commercial downtowns.
12 (3) Improve the public image of established commercial
13 downtowns.
14 (4) Enhance the economic and social aspects of operating
15 a business in an established commercial downtown.
16 (5) Complement adjacent residential corridors.
17 Section 3. Definitions.
18 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
19 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
20 context clearly indicates otherwise:
21 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic
22 Development of the Commonwealth.
23 "Established commercial downtown." A defined geographic area
24 which has:
25 (1) historically consisted of buildings and structures
26 constituting the community core; and
27 (2) existed as a commercial downtown for at least 40
28 years.
29 "Main Street area." The established commercial downtown of a
30 municipality.
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1 "Manager." A full-time, professional downtown coordinator.
2 "Municipality." A city, borough, township, county or home
3 rule municipality.
4 "Program." The Main Street Program established in section 4.
5 Section 4. Program.
6 (a) Establishment.--There is established a Main Street
7 Program. The department shall administer the program to help a
8 community's downtown economic development effort through the
9 establishment of a local organization dedicated to downtown
10 revitalization and management of downtown revitalization.
11 (b) Guidelines.--The program shall, at a minimum, include
12 the following components:
13 (1) Five-year maximum Commonwealth financial assistance.
14 (2) Basic grants for administrative costs associated
15 with the hiring of a manager.
16 (3) Basic grants for infrastructure and structural
17 improvements, including streets, street lights, trees,
18 housing facades and sidewalks or other pedestrian-oriented
19 features.
20 (4) Plans for marketing and promoting the established
21 commercial downtown within the Main Street area.
22 (5) Plans to leverage additional private and public
23 investment in the Main Street area.
24 (6) Plans to address social or economic concerns within
25 the Main Street area.
26 (7) Plans, to the greatest extent possible, to achieve
27 consistency with existing revitalization efforts.
28 (8) An assessment of the potential need for the
29 following components:
30 (i) The establishment of a downtown improvement
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1 district as defined in the act of December 20, 2000
2 (P.L.949, No.130), known as the Neighborhood Improvement
3 District Act.
4 (ii) A review of local comprehensive plans and
5 zoning and other land use ordinances to foster the
6 viability of the Main Street area.
7 (c) Eligibility.--Municipalities or their designated
8 agencies must meet the following criteria to participate in the
9 program:
10 (1) Have a clearly defined established commercial
11 downtown in need of a manager.
12 (2) Have demonstrated support by local residents,
13 merchants and government officials.
14 (3) Have ability to provide up to a 50% match for
15 department grants in financial or in-kind support from other
16 public or private sources based upon departmental guidelines.
17 The department may waive matching requirements if it
18 determines that the requirements would constitute an unusual
19 hardship upon the municipality or its designated agency.
20 (d) Limits.--The department shall establish limits on the
21 amount of money available to each applicant so as to distribute
22 the available funds as fairly as possible throughout this
23 Commonwealth.
24 Section 30. Effective date.
25 This act shall take effect immediately.
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