Amendment #59 to H4165
Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Act
Ms. Andrews of Orange moves to amend the bill by adding the following new line item:- “XXXX-XXXX For the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, as established by section 3 of Chapter 23G of the General laws; provided that funds in this item shall be used for the improvement and redevelopment of former mill buildings, rural village centers, and former municipal buildings as recommended by the Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force, as established by this act…………….$50,000,000”; and by inserting the following sections:-
SECTION XX. The provisions of this chapter shall be known as and may be cited as the “Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Act”.
SECTION XY.
“MassDevelopment”, the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency established by chapter 23G of the General Laws.
“Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Projects”, the planning, permitting, design, acquisition, purchase, ownership, use, reuse, rehabilitation, renovation, improvement, furnishing, equipping, construction, reconstruction, operation, development, mortgaging and sale, or any combination of the foregoing, of mill buildings, and any components thereof, and, whenever appropriate, the term shall also mean all lands, buildings, structures, parking and appurtenances.
“Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Preparation and Mitigation Projects”, the planning, permitting, design, environmental rehabilitation, or any combination of the foregoing, of mill buildings, or portions of such buildings, in order to minimize the economic and social impact of such reduced or eliminated use.
SECTION XZ. Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Act
The general court finds and declares that:
(1) mills were the very engines of economic development around which many cities and towns across the commonwealth were built, through these manufacturing hubs, neighborhoods and rural communities formed, endowing village centers and future generations with beautiful and historic landmarks;
(2) many former mill buildings, once dynamic and prosperous, today lie dormant and underutilized, a decadent reminder of the economic vitality of these former industrial and manufacturing centers, continue to be sources of wonder and opportunity, often at the heart of our historic and picturesque village centers and neighborhoods;
(3) promoting the health and wellbeing of residents and communities of the commonwealth is a fundamental purpose of state government;
(4) promoting adaptive reuse of former mill buildings to foster the development of the next generation of transit-oriented housing, livable communities, and mixed-used development to enhance the competitive position of the commonwealth in education, advanced manufacturing and the creative economy, and to improve the quality of life for the people of the rural commonwealth is a clear public purpose and governmental function;
(5) public support for and promotion of mill building and rural village center redevelopment will benefit the commonwealth and its residents through improved health status and health outcomes, economic development, and open space protection due to the lack of existing market incentives, especially to support small rural communities of high need;
(6) public support for, and promotion of, mill building and rural village center redevelopment has the potential to provide turn around the economies of rural communities, increasing private investment, job creation, health outcomes and saving the commonwealth millions of dollars each year;
(7) it is imperative for the purposes of the commonwealth’s competitiveness to establish the Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force, to leverage investment and to encourage cooperation and innovation among public and private institutions involved the development of market rate and affordable housing development, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, higher education institutions;
(8) the purpose of this chapter is to establish a Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force, to grant that task force the power to contract with other entities to receive other funds, and to disburse those funds consistent with the purpose of this chapter;
and
(9) the investments of the Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force are intended to support future statewide, comprehensive strategies to lead the nation rural development, job creation and economic renewal.
SECTION YX. Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 215, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, the following section:-
Section 216. (a) Within the office of the governor, there shall be established the Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force which shall be chaired by the governor. The task force shall also be co-chaired by up to 2 current or former elected officials to be appointed by the governor, and shall include at least 1 member of the federal congressional delegation, which member shall serve on the task force through at least the first full year of a new gubernatorial administration for continuity purposes. The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary of housing and economic development, or a designee; the secretary of labor and workforce development, or a designee; the secretary of energy and environmental affairs, or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance, or a designee; the secretary of the department of transportation, or a designee; the president and chief executive officer of Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, or a designee; the executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, or a designee; the director of the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute or a designee; the director of the UMass Amherst Center for Economic Development, or a designee; the chair of the board of building regulations and standards; the chair of the architectural access board; 2 representatives that are registered architects appointed by the governor; 1 representative from an institution of higher education appointed by the governor; 1 member of the senate appointed by the senate president; and 1 member of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker of the house.
(b) The Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force shall have the power to:
(1) engage with representatives from the business community and government, including municipal officials, and community members surrounding from towns and cities containing vacant or abandoned mill buildings in order to enhance, redevelopment, repurpose, said structures;
(2) engage with community partners, including, but not limited to, chambers of commerce, business associations, education officials, workforce development officials, housing and redevelopment officials, regional transit officials, department of transportation officials, municipal officials, elected officials, tourism officials, visual and performing arts organizations, and creative economy leaders located in the vicinity of each mill site to create and expand upon the impact each mill site has on the municipality and surrounding cities and towns;
(3) develop, coordinate, and implement infrastructure improvements, environmental and utility savings, affordable and market rate housing development and renovations or construction, and transportation and transit improvements, and workforce training programs, to support the feasibility of redevelopment at each former mill building;
(4) identify public policy initiatives and legislation that can be implemented to address or resolve barriers to redevelopment and financing;
(c) To the extent permitted by law, every agency within the executive branch and public agencies or authorities shall make all reasonable efforts to cooperate with the task force and to furnish all information and assistance requested by the task force.
(d) The office of the governor, in consultation with the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, shall serve as the point of contact for The Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force with federal, state, and local elected and non-elected officials to coordinate with the military, government, and the public and private sectors.
(e) The Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force shall meet at times and places to be determined by the chair or co-chairs and may establish working groups, meetings, forums and any other activity deemed necessary to carry out its mandate. Meeting places shall include rural cities and towns.
(f) The Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Strategy Task Force, through the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, may engage or contract with the University of Massachusetts or other institutions or entities to supply statistical data, reports, curriculum, and other information and assistance necessary to support the work of the task force.
SECTION YY. Subsection (a) of section 3 of chapter 23G of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after clause (34) the following clause:-
“(b) MassDevelopment shall be the public agency or instrumentality of the commonwealth authorized and empowered to do all acts and things necessary or convenient to oversee and implement Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement preparation and mitigation projects, including, without limitation, the acquisition, management and disposition of all or any portion of mill buildings, or interests therein, including improvements thereon, and including, without limitation, buildings and utility systems, equipment and personal property, all in accordance with the terms of this act. MassDevelopment may, for the purposes of implementing Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement preparation and mitigation projects in its own name or in conjunction with others, acquire title to the land, buildings and improvements that comprise all or any portion of mill buildings upon the transfer or disposition of any portion of the privately held mill buildings or public buildings by county or municipal government. Implementation of the projects shall be a corporate purpose of MassDevelopment under chapter 23G of the General Laws, and specifically shall be deemed an exercise of its powers under clause (6) of subsection (a) of section 3 of said chapter 23G. MassDevelopment shall be reimbursed for its reasonable administrative costs and out of pocket expenditures, as determined by the secretary of administration and finance, incurred in implementing the provisions of this subsection.”
SECTION YZ. Subsection (a) of section 3 of chapter 23G of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after clause (34) the following clause:-
(35) to contract or enter into agreements, licenses, and easements, with municipalities, the federal government, any agency thereof or any other person or entity, including, without limitation, the commonwealth, state and public agencies of the commonwealth, regional entities, and utility companies, to provide utility services, including, but not limited to, electricity, gas, cable television, broadband and telephone services and to acquire, construct, maintain and operate any such systems for utility services.
SECTION ZX. To meet a portion of the expenditures necessary in carrying out section YZ, the state treasurer shall, upon request of the governor, issue and sell bonds of the commonwealth in an amount to be specified by the governor from time to time, but not exceeding in the aggregate the sum of $50,000,000. All bonds issued by the commonwealth under this section shall be designated on their face, Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement Act of 2014, and shall be issued for a maximum term of years, not exceeding 30 years, as the governor may recommend to the general court pursuant to Section 3 of Article LXII of the Amendments to the Constitution. All such bonds shall be payable not later than June 30, 2048. All interest and payments on account of principal on these obligations shall be payable from the General Fund. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, bonds and interest thereon issued under this section shall be general obligations of the commonwealth.
SECTION ZY. The secretary of administration and finance shall submit a report on the progress of any projects funded under this act and included in the governor’s five-year capital investment plan to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means, and the senate and house chairs of the senate and house committees on bonding, capital expenditures and state assets. The report shall include, but not be limited to: the previous year planned spending, previous year spending, current year planned spending, current year spending to date, original estimated total project cost, project description, including the purpose and intended use of the project, location of the project, type of spending, type of asset and useful life of the project once completed. The report shall be submitted on June 30 and December 31 of each year for a period of 8 years after the effective date of this act.
SECTION ZZ. The secretary of administration and finance shall, at least 30 days prior to the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency’s execution of any contract in furtherance of any Mill Redevelopment and Rural Village Improvement preparation and mitigation project, submit a report containing a description of the project, the purpose of the project, and its projected cost to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the chairs of the senate and house committees on ways and means, and the chairs of the senate and house committees on bonding, capital expenditures and state assets.