HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1704        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 300

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Aaron Vega

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to help developers revitalize under-utilized buildings.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

1/15/2015

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

8/21/2019

Leonard Mirra

2nd Essex

8/21/2019

Peter J. Durant

6th Worcester

8/21/2019

Paul A. Schmid, III

8th Bristol

8/21/2019

Carole A. Fiola

6th Bristol

8/21/2019

Eric P. Lesser

First Hampden and Hampshire

8/21/2019

Dennis A. Rosa

4th Worcester

8/21/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

8/21/2019

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

8/21/2019

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

8/21/2019

John W. Scibak

2nd Hampshire

8/21/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

8/21/2019

Frank I. Smizik

15th Norfolk

8/21/2019

Jose F. Tosado

9th Hampden

8/21/2019

Antonio F. D. Cabral

13th Bristol

8/21/2019

Diana DiZoglio

14th Essex

8/21/2019

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

8/21/2019

Joan B.  Lovely

Second Essex

8/21/2019

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol

8/21/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1704        FILED ON: 1/15/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 300

By Mr. Vega of Holyoke, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 300) of Aaron Vega and others for legislation to establish a Commonwealth underutilized building repair fund within the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency.  Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act to help developers revitalize under-utilized buildings.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 23G of the Massachusetts General laws, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following section:

SECTION  47. (a) There shall be established within the agency a commonwealth underutilized building repair fund. The purpose of the fund shall be to facilitate building upgrades and improvements in underutilized buildings located in economically distressed areas, as defined in section 2 of G.L. c. 21E, through grants to nonprofit and for profit entities and shall be administered in a manner that takes into account the needs of owners of commercial or industrial buildings in all regions of the commonwealth. The agency shall implement the fund and may propose guidelines to establish a program in accordance herewith. The fund shall be eligible to receive funds as appropriated by the general court, the board, federal grants and programs, and transfers, grants and donations from state agencies, foundations and private parties, to be held in a separate account or accounts segregated from other funds. The agency shall, through grants or loans, administer the fund for the purpose of facilitating renovations of underutilized commercial or industrial buildings located in economically distressed areas of the commonwealth where the agency has determined that tenant rent rates or credit worthiness do not support commercial debt. Grants or loans under this program shall be made to eligible nonprofit and for profit entities  for the following improvements, including but not be limited to: (i) elevator installation, repair or improvement; (ii) handicapped access installation, repair or improvement; (iii) sprinkler system installation, repair, or improvement; (iv) tenant fit-out or improvements; and(v)  any other building code requirement or building improvement. No grant shall be awarded unless and until the applicant for such grant contributes an amount equal to 25 per cent of the grant for which such applicant has applied.

(b) To be eligible for financial assistance from the fund, in addition to the requirements in subsection (a), the applicant shall submit to  the agency, for the agency’s approval, a completed application providing all information required herein, including information on how the proposed underutilized building repair project will result in economic impact in terms of  building occupancy, the number of jobs to be created or will contribute to the economic or physical revitalization of the economically distressed area in which the underutilized building is located.