7. HRSR 09-07-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Subd. la. Priorities. (a) If applications for grants exceed the available appropriations, grants shall be made for sites that, in the commissioner's judgment, provide the highest return in public benefits for the public costs incurred. "Public benefits" include job creation, bioscience development, environmental benefits to the state and region, efficient use of public transportation, efficient use of existing infrastructure, provision of affordable housing, multiuse development that constitutes community rebuilding rather than single-use development, crime reduction, blight reduction, community stabilization, and property tax base maintenance or improvement. In making this judgment, the commissioner shall give priority to redevelopment projects with one or more of the following characteristics: (1) the need for redevelopment in conjunction with contamination remediation needs; (2) the redevelopment project meets current tax increment financing requirements for a redevelopment district and tax increments will contribute to the project; (3) the redevelopment potential within the municipality; (4) proximity to public transit if located in the metropolitan area; (5) redevelopment costs related to expansion of a bioscience business in Minnesota; (6) multijurisdictional projects that take into account the need for affordable housing, transportation, and environmental impact; or (7) the project advances or promotes the green economy as defined in section 1167.437. (b) The factors in paragraph (a) are not listed in a rank. order of priority; rather, the commissioner may weigh each factor, depending upon the facts and circumstances, as the commissioner considers appropriate. The commissioner may consider other factors that affect the net return of public benefits for completion of the redevelopment plan. The commissioner, notwithstanding the listing of priorities and the goal of maximizing the return of public benefits, shall make grants that distribute available money to sites both within and outside of the metropolitan area. Unless sufficient applications are not received for qualifying sites outside of the metropolitan area, at least 50 percent of the money provided as grants must be made for sites located outside of the metropolitan area. Subd. 2. Application cycles. In making grants, the commissioner shall establish semiannual application deadlines in which grants will be authorized from all or part of the available money in the accounts. Subd. 3. Match required. In order to qualify for a grant under sections 1167.571 to 1167.575, the municipality must pay for at least one-half of the redevelopment costs as a local match from any money available to the municipality. Subd 4 Grant Repayment If a proiect fails to substantially provide the public benefits listed in the grant application within five nears from the date of the grant award the commissioner shall require that 100°Io of the grant amount be repaid by the development authority over a term not to exceed ten years. The commissioner may exercise discretion to require repayment of onlyportion of the grant amount taking into account the public benefits venerated by the completed development. 1167.5761 LOANS. Subdivision 1 Authority The commissioner may make loans to development authorities for proiects that meet the criteria under sections 1167 5761 to 1167 5764 The commissioner may make a loan for up to 100 percent of the estimated demolition costs of the proiect The determination whether_to make a loan for a proiect is within the discretion of the commissioner subject to this section and sections 1.167.5761 to 1167 5764 and available unencumbered money in the redevelopment accounts. The commissioner's decisions and application of the priorities under this section are not subiect to iudicial review, except for abuse of discretion. Subd 2 Fees The commissioner may set and collect fees for costs incurred by the department in operating the loan program including costs for personnel professional and administrative services. Fees charged directly to borrowers upon executing a loan agreement may not exceed two percent of the loan amount. Servicing fees relating to loan repayments may not exceed two percent of the loan repayment.