Agenda - Council - 11/09/2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Section 1: BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Metropolitan Livable Communities Act (MN Statutes Chapter 473.252) creates three incentive "accounts" to promote regional goals. One of these, the Tax Base Revitalization Account provides funds to clean up contaminated land in areas that have lost commercial/industrial activity to make it available for economic redevelopment, job retention and job growth. Between $5 and $7 million will be available annually with applications accepted twice each year (the first regular business day on or after May 1 and November 1). The Account is coordinated with complementary programs at the MN Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and MN Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Section 2: ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS The following are eligible to apply: statutory or home rule charter cities or towns that are participating in the Metropolitan Livable Communities Housing Incentives Program; metropolitan counties and development authorities (e.g., Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Economic Development Authority or Port Authority). Section 3: ELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS Eligible expenditures include Phase I and Phase 11 investigations and preparing and implementing approved Response Action Plans (RAPS) developed in conjunction with the MPCA for hazardous waste, or abatement programs that meet the requirements for the V-PIC/LUST program at MPCA (for petroleum), or AHERA standards (for asbestos). The funds may be used consistent with DEED guidelines to provide a portion of the local match required for a grant from DEED's Contamination Cleanup Grant Program. Costs for investigating the extent and/or nature of contamination are only eligible if incurred within 180 days of the grant application. Costs not related to clean-up are not eligible expenditures under this program except when used to match DEED funding. Costs incurred to prepare or submit applications are ineligible. Section 4: AWARDING GRANTS/COMPETITIVE PROCESS The Metropolitan Council is required to consider certain factors in order to ensure the highest return in public benefits for the public costs incurred. In order to evaluate applications, the following criteria will be assigned point values to rank each applicant's proposal against the others in the grant cycle to objectively compare the applications. Applications may be submitted for more money than is expected to be available in a grant cycle. Such applications will be considered for their maximum eligibility in successive grant cycles based on the cumulative amount of funding awarded or recommended and provided there is a commitment for each applicable grant cycle to complete the clean-up and proceed with redevelopment. Such commitments to proceed must not be contingent on subsequent awards of clean-up funding. Applications will be ranked according to the extent that they address the following: • increase the tax base of the recipient municipality--16 points (TIF designation does not disqualify a site, however a non-TIF district site eams 4 bonus points because all the affected tax jurisdictions benefit immediately); • result in a net gain in long-term jobs/industry for the region--16 points; • reflect demonstrated market demand for commercial/industrial land in the proposed site area--12 points (a contract with an end -stage developer earns 4 bonus points because prompt implementation is most likely); • support supplementary funding for unanticipated but warranted costs for a previously approved project where the aggregate clean-up cost remains acceptable-42 points; • reward community housing performance-10 bonus points; • preserve and/or increase living wage jobs--8 points; • improve the environment by reducing human health risk--8 points; • promote compact and efficient development--8 points;