2003 Minnesota Statutes

     116J.573 Criteria for accounts and projects. 

    Subdivision 1.    Accounts.  Criteria for use of the 
 accounts created in section 116J.571 must be consistent with and 
 promote the purposes of sections 116J.571 to 116J.575.  They 
 include, but are not limited to: 

    (1) creating and preserving living wage jobs in greater 
 Minnesota; 

    (2) creating incentives for communities to include a full 
 range of housing opportunities; 

    (3) creating incentives for all communities to implement 
 compact, efficient, and mixed-use development; and 

    (4) creating incentives to assist communities in 
 maintaining a unique sense of place by preserving local, 
 cultural assets. 

    Subd. 2.    Projects.  To be eligible for funding by the 
 greater Minnesota redevelopment account, a project must: 

    (1) interrelate redevelopment with other public investments 
 in transportation, housing, schools, energy, utilities 
 information infrastructure, and other public services; 

    (2) interrelate affordable housing and employment growth 
 areas; 

    (3) intensify land use that leads to more compact 
 redevelopment; 

    (4) involve redevelopment that mixes incomes of residents 
 in housing, including introducing or reintroducing higher value 
 housing in lower income areas to achieve a mix of housing 
 opportunities; 

    (5) involve participation from citizens and the business 
 community in the planning and development of the proposed 
 redevelopment plan; 

    (6) encourage public infrastructure investments which 
 attract private sector redevelopment investment in commercial, 
 industrial, and residential properties adjacent to public 
 improvements, and provide project area residents with expanded 
 opportunities for private sector employment; or 

    (7) be sustainable at the local level and reduce the 
 probability of future requests for state development, 
 maintenance, or replacement assistance. 

    Subd. 3.    Other factors.  The factors listed in 
 subdivisions 1 and 2 are not ranked in 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 
 including, but not limited to, blight reduction, community 
 stabilization, and property tax base maintenance or improvement. 

    Subd. 4.    Partnerships.  The commissioner shall give 
 priority to proposals using innovative financial partnerships 
 between government, private for-profit, and nonprofit sectors as 
 well as to proposals that meet current tax increment financing 
 requirements for a redevelopment district and contribute tax 
 increment financing towards the project. 

    Subd. 5.    Annual report.  The commissioner shall 
 prepare and submit to the legislature an annual report on the 
 greater Minnesota redevelopment account.  The report must 
 include information on the amount of money in the account, the 
 amount distributed, to whom the grants were distributed and for 
 what purposes, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the 
 projects funded in meeting the policies and goals of the program.

    HIST: 2002 c 393 s 49