2006 Minnesota Statutes

116J.575 GRANTS.
    Subdivision 1. Commissioner discretion. The commissioner may make a grant for up to
50 percent of the eligible costs of a project. The determination of whether to make a grant for a
site is within the discretion of the commissioner, subject to this section and sections 116J.571 to
116J.574 and available unencumbered money in the redevelopment account. If the commissioner
determines that the applications for grants for projects in greater Minnesota are less than the
amount of grant funds available, the commissioner may make grants for projects anywhere in
Minnesota. The commissioner's decisions and application of the priorities under this section are
not subject to judicial review, except for abuse of discretion.
    Subd. 1a. 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; and
(5) multijurisdictional projects that take into account the need for affordable housing,
transportation, and environmental impact.
(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.
    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 account.
    Subd. 3. Match required. In order to qualify for a grant under sections 116J.571 to 116J.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.
History: 2002 c 393 s 51; 2005 c 20 art 1 s 33; 1Sp2005 c 1 art 4 s 19; 2006 c 212 art 3 s 9